CLIFTON HERITAGE NATIONAL PARK

Spread over some 84 hectares west of New Providence, Clifton Heritage National Park is one of the most interesting cultural and historical sites on the island. More than 500 years ago, the Lucayans first settled their villages on the surrounding beaches, and then in the late 18th century, as the Loyalists left America, they established cotton plantations here, where African slaves worked until their emancipation in the early 19th century. After emancipation, Clifton's land was used for agricultural activities and then changed hands several times before being acquired by Sir Harry Oakes in 1935. In 1998, plans were drawn up for an upscale real estate development on the land, which is now a park. This triggered a reaction from some, who were successful in securing the preservation of one of the most historic sites in the Bahamas. Today, we discover the site along hiking trails: step by step, we discover the ancient slave village, the Banana Hole, a network of underground caves that was used by the Lucayans for spiritual ceremonies, the Coppice Forest that will teach you more about bush medicine in the Bahamas, the sacred space composed of statues of African women facing the ocean, the Carriage House, a former storage place, and finally the Great House, which was the home of the owner William Wylly in the time of slaves.