By land, air, or sea, St. Kitts offers unforgettable experiences
Ready for some action and adventure? Need a break from just lying there on the beach? Then get ready and choose from whole and half-day trips that let you really experience St. Kitts.
A host of tour operators are ready to show you the island from their unique point of view—whether it’s sailing aboard a 70-foot catamaran, exploring the 38-acre Brimstone Hill Fortress, clattering along on the Caribbean’s only Scenic Railway or even flying high above the island in a helicopter. Day trips can usually be booked from your hotel, directly with individual tour operators or through one of three tour organizers on the island.
Island Sightseeing Tours
A tour around St. Kitts is the best way to see all that the island has to offer. Taxi drivers are accredited from the Tourism Authority to offer several standardized packages. A full-island tour costs US $80; a half-island tour costs US $60; and a tour of the South East Peninsula is US $52. Additional passengers normally cost US $15 per person. Most tours take about a half a day.
Brimstone Hill Fortress
Perched 800 feet above the coast, sprawling over almost 40 acres with plenty of cannon emplacements, the fort does justice to its nickname, the "Gibraltar of the West Indies." Brimstone was constructed intermittently between the 1690s and 1790s by slave labor directed by British military engineers.
Built from locally mined black volcanic stone—better known in colonial times as brimstone—the walls of the fort are up to seven feet thick. The sheer magnitude of the fortress becomes apparent as you negotiate the long narrow access road leading up to the fort.
You can spend hours exploring the 38-acre grounds. Gaze out from the expansive Citadel structure to the spectacular views of the neighboring islands of Nevis, Montserrat, Saba, St. Martin and St. Barts. Facilities on the grounds include restrooms and a canteen that sells souvenirs and cold refreshments. Admission is US $8 per person. Children are half-price.
Catamaran Excursions
Many visitors count their "Cat Trip" among their most memorable experiences on St. Kitts. Several tour companies operate 70-foot catamarans excursions out of St. Kitts Harbor in Basseterre. It’s hard to miss the colorful boats with lyrical names, such as the Irie Lime, the Swaliga and the Spirit of St. Kitts. The catamarans take you and your friends on a relaxing oceangoing adventure.
Cat Trippers can choose from several packages. If you’re looking for an all-day experience you can stay busy sailing, snorkeling and visiting Nevis. And don’t worry about lunch—these boats are big enough to comfortably serve food on board. If you set out for Nevis you’ll usually go ashore for a beach barbeque before heading back. The boats also have full bars and serve icy cold drinks in the hot Caribbean sun. Sunset and moonlight cruises are also available, as are party packages.
Land Rover Tours
Greg’s Safari’s offers visitors two Land Rover-based tour packages: the Sugar Plantation Heritage Tour and a St. Kitts Four-Wheel-Drive Safari.
The Sugar Plantation Heritage Tour first stops at Shadwell Great House, an 18th century sugar plantation. Following a short walk around the grounds, the Jeep Safari continues through sugar cane fields and into the middle of rural villages up to a mountaintop view where you and your friends are treated to a picnic of exotic fruits, homemade pastries and freshly squeezed juices.
The Jeep Safari then travels down from the mountain to the edge of the rainforest where you have sweeping views of the Atlantic coastline. The tour also stops at an old muscavado (brown) sugar factory, where you can walk around the ancient factory’s old windmill and boiling house and listen to guides explain the history of sugar cultivation on St. Kitts.
If you opt for the Four-Wheel-Drive Safari, Greg’s knowledgeable guides will take you through maze-like cane fields and into the rainforest to do some rugged offroading. But it’s not all four-wheel-drive fun. Guides stop frequently to point out the flora, fauna and wildlife that make up the rainforest’s complex ecosystems.
The 3,792-foot Mt. Liamuiga used to be called Mt. Misery, but exploring the volcano’s rainforest slopes in the comfort of a converted Land Rover with Greg’s Safaris is anything but miserable. Tours cost about $50 USD per person based on a four-person group minimum.
For other active adventures try a variety of Flamboyant tours, including thrilling rainforest adventures, panoramic drives, self-driven jeep tours or even horseback rides through picturesque mountain trails. A minimum group size applies.
Scenic Railway
The Caribbean’s only narrow gauge railway is a peaceful and beautiful ride through the sugar cane plantations of St. Kitts. The Scenic Railway takes passengers around the hills and the countryside on tracks originally used to transport sugar cane to the now-defunct Central Sugar Factory.
An afternoon trip on the Sugar Train, as it’s better known, is a 30 mile tour that includes a 17 and a half mile scenic train ride and an 11 mile bus tour. The 3 hour tour circles the island’s coastline while a conductor delivers a unique perspective on the island’s culture, people, views and history. Among the majestic scenes that unfold for train passengers are Brimstone Hill, the site of Thomas Jefferson’s great-great-grandfather’s grave at Old Town Road, abandoned windmills and chimneys from old sugar estates, 23 bridges and a canopy of rainforest vegetation along the slopes of Mt. Liamuiga
A great attraction for the whole family, the Scenic Railway features new comfortable double-decker railway cars. All guests have seats on both levels. The lower deck, or parlor car, is fully air conditioned and features rattan furniture, restrooms and a frozen drink machine for their complimentary banana daiquiris and rum punches. The six foot vaulted windows ensure you don’t miss a thing, but for the most expansive views, passengers can climb up the steps to the second floor upper observation level.
Throughout the tour passengers are treated to a colorful narrative history and musical entertainment. So hop aboard and take a step back in time as you clatter through centuries-old sugar estates and small villages while taking in spectacular ocean and mountain vistas. The tour costs US $89 per person and includes the railway and bus excursion. Children are half-price.
Helicopter Tour
For that truly unforgettable experience, and to get the best possible pictures, climb aboard a helicopter tour and see the island from high in the sky. Special itineraries include a bird’s eye view of Brimstone Castle, a peak into Mt. Liamuiga’s crater or a fly over of neighboring Nevis. Take off with Island Tours at Robert Bradshaw International Airport.
