See more pictures - Here
St Vincent and the Grenadines map
|
Flights/Getting There
Getting to St Vincent and the Grenadines can be a little complicated. There are no direct scheduled flights to the islands from outside the Caribbean and so you will have to make a connection somewhere in the region. It is important to know which airport to fly for your eventual destination. Please see ‘Which Airport?’ under Airport.
The best option to choose for the regional connection (from both sides of the Atlantic), is probably Barbados, from where there are several options, both on scheduled inter-island airlines such as LIAT and on smaller charter airlines, either by private charter or ‘share charter’, see below. You might consider flying via Grenada, from where there are local flights to St Vincent itself (though they may not go at the best time of day and even then they actually go via Barbados sometimes anyway), but not usually into the smaller Grenadines. At a pinch, you might travel via St Lucia, from where there are flights into St Vincent itself only. From North America, there is the additional option of flying via Puerto Rico, but currently there are services only into Canouan, from which it is not that easy to get to the other islands. Quite a few travellers from France visit the Grenadines and they come via Martinique, from where there are flights down to Canouan and Union Island.
It is useful to know that many of the smarter hotels will arrange your transfer from Barbados, taking you in hand once you arrive there (you will not have to clear Barbados Immigration). Or they may collect you on arrival in the Grenadines. For example, Saltwhistle Bay will arrange your transfer to Mayreau once you arrive at Union Island airport. Similarly Petit St Vincent and Palm Island will collect you at the dock at the Anchorage yacht Club.
Shared Charter flights are a hybrid. They fly on such a regular basis that they could almost be labelled scheduled flights, but actually they fly according to need (filling the number of small planes as needed) and they are run by small charter airline companies, so they are regarded as charter flights and do not appear on any international computer systems. The aim of the shared charters is really to meet the international flights from Europe and the States into Barbados and to fly passengers straight on to the Grenadines on the same day, where they drop passengers off as required. With long haul flights arriving in the mid to late afternoon, it means that you do not have to overnight in the hub island.
Several of the landing strips in the Grenadines have no lights for night-time landing, so companies will do their best to get you there before dark. If your international flight is getting late then their first aim will be to get you through Barbados transit as quickly as possible and onto the onward flight. Sometimes they will simply leave your luggage behind in order to make the hopper flight (this also happens when there is too much baggage to transport). Consequently it is a good idea to take a full set of lightweight clothes and swimming trunks in your carry-on luggage, plus any essentials or vital medication.
You should be aware that a limited weight capacity exists for the smaller shared and private charter aircraft. In addition to luggage, the weight of passengers will be taken into account. You may be asked to provide your body weight when making reservations, or possibly even to step on the scales there and then. Ensure that you check your baggage allowance for all onward connections, as it will often not tally with that allowed on your international flight.
To assist passengers with making flight connections, St Vincent & the Grenadines has an Information Desk in the arrivals hall at Grantley Adams International Airport in Barbados. The desk is manned from 1pm until the last flight departs to St Vincent.
Regional Airlines serving St Vincent and the Grenadines include -
American Eagle, t 456 5555, www.aa.com
Direct service from Puerto Rico to Canouan
Air Caraibes, t +590 82 4748, www.aircaraibes.com
Flights from Martinique to Canouan and Union Island.
LIAT, t +1888 844 5428, www.liatairline.com
LIAT serves the ‘mainland’ of St Vincent with direct flights from Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia and Grenada.
Charter Airlines and ‘Shared Charters’ include -
SVG Air, St Vincent, t 457 5124, www.svgair.com
Services to Mustique, Bequia, Union Island, Canouan from St Vincent and from Barbados, and to St Vincent from Barbados – operated on a daily scheduled shared charter. Also private charter services.
Mustique Airways, Mustique and St Vincent, t 458 4380
A small charter airline that offers private and share charter to Mustique and the other Grenadines from St Vincent from Barbados.
Grenadine Air Alliance, www.grenadineairways.com
The two airlines above have formed an alliance, along with TIA2000, called the Grenadines Air Alliance and they share the weight of the charters from Barbados into the Grenadines.
Based in Barbados, charter airline Executive Air provide a tailored service for business travellers and the public, t 453 3030
By sea
You might approach St Vincent and Grenadines by sea of course. Yachts come from bases in Grenada and St Lucia and Martinique, and further afield. Some sailors keep their yachts in Trinidad during hurricane season for instance, so the Grenadines is one of the first ports of call on a north-bound trip.
If you are travelling through the Grenadines by ferry remember that it is possible to make the crossing from Carriacou (attached to the southerly Grenada) to Union Island twice a week. See Ferries.
Seckie’s Water Taxi, Union Island, t 530 5913/492 0787, VHF 16
Service provided from Union Island to Palm Island, Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Morpion, PSV, Canouan, Petit Martinique and Carriacou. Boat holds up to 8 people with fare for the whole boat from EC$100-300 depending on destination. |
| ^ back to top |
Golf
There is one golf course in St Vincent and the Grenadines, on the island of Canouan. It is part of the Raffles Resort and Trump Development but outsiders can come in to play if they wish.
Trump International Golf Club, t 458 8000, Canouan, www.canouan.raffles.com
Designed by Jim Fazio, 18 holes, par 72. Eventually to be surrounded by villas, the course covers 140 acres above the Raffles resort and around a hilltop in the north of the island, from where there are cracking views. Beware Hole 15.
|
| ^ back to top |
Hiking
There are excellent opportunities to hike and explore St Vincent, both in the forest of the south of the island and of course in the north, where there are regular walks up the volcano. All these trips can be arranged through local tour operators.
The closest hiking to the hotels in the south of the island is in Buccament Valley, a few miles up the Caribbean coast from Kingstown. The Vermont Nature Trails stretch into the wonderful tropical forest, climbing to 2000 feet. There are hides in which you can wait in the hope of seeing St Vincent’s endangered parrot.
The northern third of St Vincent is dominated by the Soufrière Volcano (so called, like many of the volcanoes up and down the Lesser Antillean island chain, after the French word for sulphur). The volcano can be approached from either coastline. On the Caribbean (western) side the route starts at the Wallilabou Dry River and this is the more picturesque hike. On the Atlantic side the approach (less steep) starts from just north of Georgetown, at the Rabacca Dry River.
Another option is the walk through lush rainforest to Trinity Falls, a 40ft waterfall split onto three levels, the ground pool offering you the perfect place to rest after your hike.
On most occasions shorts, t-shirts and ordinary outdoor shoes or trainers will suffice. A hat and high factor sunblock are recommended and a waterproof may be appreciated in case of rain. You may well want a light jacket, sweater or long sleeve shirt if you are planning on hiking to the top of the volcano. Many companies offer complimentary drinks and snacks on your hike but you should remember to take plenty of water.
Fantasea Tours, Villa Beach, t 456 4477, www.fantaseatours.com, fantaseatours@vincysurf.com
Husband and wife team, Kim and Earl Halbich have been offering a variety of tours and services since 1993, including hiking tours to the volcano La Soufriere, through the Vermont Nature Trail and to Trinity Falls. You should always take a guide when hiking as it is quite easy to get lost in the rainforest if you stray from the path. You can also go with a company, which will transport you to the start point and provide guides.
HazEco Tours, Kingstown, t 457 8634, www.hazecotours.com, hazeco@vincysurf.com
Run by Clint and Millie Hazell, who offer a range of tours. They can provide transportation and guides for hiking excursions along the Vermont Nature Trail, on the Soufriere volcano trail and to Trinity Falls.
Sailor's Wilderness Tours, Middlestreet, Kingstown, t 457 1712, after hours 457 9207/456 0399, www.sailortours.com, sailortours@hotmail.com
Starting out as the Sailor’s Cycle Company, they have evolved and now offer not only mountain biking but also a variety of tours both on land and sea, including a number of hikes.
Bequia
Bequia is a small Island and easily accessible by foot. There are no hiking tours on offer but it is fun to walk the island. You should take plenty of water and you might want to avoid the middle of the day when the sun is at its hottest. The Cliff path is a popular walk. Accessed just past the Plantation House hotel, it takes you to Princess Margaret Beach and along to Lower Bay.
Mayreau
There are some good trails around the island, old tracks that reached provision grounds and some newer ones that go to hilltops. Just ask for directions.
Union Island
Mount Taboi, the highest point in the Grenadines, offers spectacular views after a 1000ft hike. Not for the unfit. The rest of the island is nice to walk around. There are no formal trails and you do not really need a guide to explore. Chatham Bay and Bloody Bay are well worth a look, for advice just ask around or at the Union Island Tourism Bureau in Clifton, t 458 8350. |
| ^ back to top |
Horse Riding
The only island where horse-riding is available is Mustique, where you can canter along the beaches and ride around the island’s lesser known paths. Contact Mustique Equestrian which offers rental and riding lessons, equestrian@mustique.vc. |
| ^ back to top |
Island Hopping
As a string of islands, many of them linked by ferry, the Grenadines are ideal territory for island-hopping. Each island has a different feel, ranging from the near supernatural prettiness of Bequia to the slumberstruck tropical perfection of Mayreau, and the sophistication of Mustique to the occasional desert-island desertion of the Tobago Cays. There are day trips to many of the Grenadines, but there are also good options of travelling by boat, see Ferries. You can of course fly to a number of the islands, see Flights/Getting There.
If you would like to travel farther afield, to mix small island life in the Grenadines with a larger island than (the characterful but pretty undeveloped) St Vincent, then there are plenty of options at hand. Barbados is of course well connected to the Grenadines (in fact you may fly via there anyway, so you could stop off for a few days on the way out or home) and it has plenty that the Grenadines do not really have, including very good dining and an interesting social life. Other options include Grenada, easily reached at the southern end of the Grenadine chain, or St Lucia, which also has an interesting French creole aspect. For a full-on French Caribbean experience, Martinique is not far to the north too.
Most of the local scheduled flights will be out of St Vincent itself, and these will only be convenient if you are on the mainland or in Bequia. If you are staying elsewhere in the Grenadines you can take a share charter to Barbados, from where the largest number of local services emanate.
St Vincent and the Grenadines – A Photo Essay
The Grenadines, a string of outcrops, cays and sandbars scattered over the 60 miles between St Vincent and Grenada, are some of the prettiest islands in the Caribbean. In a new type of article on Definitive Caribbean, we present a photo essay of the Grenadines as seen by the pilot of a small plane. Pilots are lucky, it seems. They have a fantastic view from their cockpit. Oh, they have a few responsibilities too, but from 5000 feet they can see for fifty miles or more. This is living geography - every tidal pattern is visible around an island, every breaking wave, even fish moving underwater at times. At Kick ‘em Jenny, a submarine volcano nearer Grenada, pilots have seen the results of seismic activity beneath the sea. All the photographs in the following series are courtesy of Paul Gravel, owner of SVG Air, a Caribbean airline based in St Vincent. We hope you enjoy them.
Please see our St Vincent and the Grenadines Photo Essay.
Regional Airlines serving St Vincent and the Grenadines include -
American Eagle, t 456 5555, www.aa.com
Direct service from Puerto Rico to Canouan
Air Caraibes, t +590 82 4748, www.aircaraibes.com
Flights from Martinique to Canouan and Union Island.
LIAT, t +1888 844 5428, www.liatairline.com
LIAT serves the ‘mainland’ of St Vincent with direct flights from Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia and Grenada.
Island Hopping by Sea
All the main islands below, with the exception of Mustique, can be reached by the ferry services that run nearly every day up and down the island chain. For details of ferry timings and frequency, see Ferries.
Bequia
There are several daily ferry services between St Vincent and Bequia. A couple of days a week the main ferry service drops in at Bequia, enabling you to travel direct to Canouan, Mayreau and then Union Island.
Mustique
Getting to Mustique is not that easy by boat, however you may be able to get a yacht from Bequia to take you over for the day. A supply boat makes the run from Kingstown to the island on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 9.30am. It’s not the most dignified way to arrive in an island this expensive, but you should be able to get a ride. The easiest (and absolutely the most normal) way is to go by plane.
Canouan
Two ferry companies operate during the week, putting in to Charlestown on both north and southward journeys.
Mayreau
Mayreau is a lovely stop for a dozy couple of days on a trip through the Grenadines and there are plenty of possibilities for island-hopping both north and south, both by yacht and by ferry, or by water taxi from Union Island.
Union Is
There are plenty of possibilities for island-hopping north from Union Island to the other Grenadines, both by yacht to the neighbouring islands and by ferry. There is also a twice-weekly service south to the island of Carriacou (part of Grenada).
Tobago Cays
The Tobago Cays are one of the key ports of call on a trip through the Grenadines. They consist of five stunning uninhabited islands and a complex coral reef with excellent snorkelling.
The Tobago Cays have been a marine park since 1997 and are operating under government management. As such, all visitors are required to pay an entry fee of US$4 per person per 24 hours. Fees are payable at the Tobago Cays Marine Park office in Union Island, t 485 8191, the Customs office in Bequia or in the marine park itself.
As one of the most popular places to visit in the area, most people visit on a yacht tour. Please see Day Sails/Boat Trips.
| | St Barth CommuterA local airline based in St Barths, which offers scheduled flights from there to St Martin/St Maarten and Caribbean private aircraft charters to islands all over the Eastern Caribbean. They have a fleet of five twin-engine planes and five specially trained (STOL) pilots with permission to land in St Barths. | | SVG AirA local Caribbean airline that offers charters to the Grenadines from around the region, often from Barbados, but also from St Lucia and Grenada, even from as far as Puerto Rico. SVG Air has around a dozen 5-19-seater planes and also offers island hopping and air ambulance services. |
|
| ^ back to top |
Local Transport
Local Transport is a useful way of getting around on some of the islands, as long as you want to go where the buses go. For example on St Vincent itself you can always get a ride between Kingstown and Villa or the Blue Lagoon, or even up the coasts, but in Bequia the buses don’t tend to go where a visitor wants to go (the beaches) and so it is not so useful. You will be left dependent on taxis. Mayreau is walkable if you want to explore. For details of getting between islands, see Ferries. Several islands also have water taxis.
St Vincent
The ‘Mainland’, as St Vincent is known, is served by mini-buses or dollar vans, which run along the main routes around the island. They are a lively way of getting around and a good introduction to the most popular recent tunes as well as a mode of transport. To hail one simply point at the ground when you see it heading your way, and when you want to get off shout for them to stop at your drop off point. You may well hear the approaching music before you see the bus itself but they are easily recognisable by the fact that most have a name painted on the front such as Code Red, Xtreme and Freddy Zion.
The main mini-bus terminal is located next to the taxi rank by the fish market on the waterfront off Upper Bay Street in Kingstown. Out on the main road, you are supposed to stand at a bus stop, but they will usually pick you up wherever you hail them. Fares, which are payable on exit, range from EC$1-6, which makes the dollar vans the most economical way of travelling the island. Taxis are also easily available, at the airport or at any hotel lobby.
Bequia
Getting around Bequia is easy, and the entertaining dollar vans will take you along a set route for EC$1-4 per person. You can flag them down wherever you see them and they follow the main road from Port Elizabeth to Lower Bay. Some divert to Paget Farm so ask once you get on board but none go out to the east of the island.
There are plenty of taxis, including the open-backed variety which are fun in the day. You can also get water taxis to take you around the island.
Mustique
There is no public transport on Mustique. Villas usually come with their own ‘mule’ (golf cart). There are also rental jeeps, but the Cotton House also has its own transport and will take you where you need to go.
Union Island
Mini-buses run between Clifton and Ashton and sometimes around to Richmond Bay. Fare EC$2. To flag them down, just wave madly.
Tobago Cays
If you decide not to travel on one of the tours and are not on board a yacht then it is possible to arrange to be taken across in one of the water taxis out of Union Island or Mayreau. Make sure they know to come and pick you up again…
For inter-island travel, see Ferries. |
| ^ back to top |
Medical
The major medical centre is the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, Kingstown, t 456 1185.
There are five other hospitals, Kingstown Maryfield Hospital in Lowmans, Bequia Casualty Hospital in Port Elizabeth and three privately owned hospitals. Health centres are well staffed and provide a wide range of services, including emergency care. There is no hyperbaric chamber, so divers requiring treatment for decompression illness must be evacuated from the island. The closest decompressin chamber is in Barbados.
Yellow fever and cholera vaccinations are required if coming from an infected area. St Vincent and the Grenadines is free from malaria and other major tropical diseases. |
| ^ back to top |
Music
As with islanders throughout the Caribbean, the Vincentians are passionate about music and this is evident across the Grenadines too. The music you are most likely to hear in the bars is soca, an up-tempo carnival beat that originated in Trinidad with lyrics that often provide a social commentary of goings-on in the island. Calypso, from which soca originated, is also extremely popular, as are dancehall, steel pan and reggae. Local artists to look out for are Problem Child, Skinny Fabulous, Jamesy P and, arguably St Vincent’s most famous export, Kevin Lyttle.
Carnival, known as Vincy Mas, is the biggest musical event of the year in St Vincent itself and it is held in June and July. It concludes in a large colourful road march in which trucks cart giant sound systems through Kingstown towards Victoria Park where the festivities continue. The smaller Grenadines also have their own carnivals, with costumed street parades and beach parties. There is an event on Bequia in mid June and Union Island’s Easterval is held over the Easter weekend.
Other festivals include the Mustique Blues festival (www.basilsmustique.com, held in late January/early February at Basil’s Bar), which has gained strong support since its birth in 1995. It features talented musicians in a friendly and intimate venue where past guests have included Mick Jagger, Papa George and the ever present founder of the event Dana Gillespie. The success of the Mustique festival has created a spin-off over in Bequia where the artists travel over for one night during a long weekend of music.
The local radio station, Hot 97.1fm, which is often played in the local mini-buses, is a great way to hear the latest popular soca and calyspso tracks. There are numerous recording studios across St Vincent, notably Master Room Studios, which produces the popular ‘Ragga Ragga Soca’ CDs. |
| ^ back to top |
Nudity
Besides being against the law, nudity is not appreciated on public beaches while in view. It is not advised in St Vincent itself (where you are also asked not to wear swim wear in town, for instance), however things are a little easier going in the Grenadines. People have been known to go topless on some islands and occasionally swim nude at Hope Bay, Bequia. |
| ^ back to top |
|