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St Kitts Information

St Kitts

So many sights and activities are found on the 68 square miles of the island of St. Kitts that it has become a port of call for Caribbean cruise ships. Located east of Puerto Rico and west of Barbados and Antigua, the island is a tropical paradise.

Historical sites reflect the island's European colonization. The 38 acres of Brimstone Hill Fortress Park is a World Heritage Site. This remarkable fortress was built by British military designers and African slave laborers beginning in the 1690's and lasting for about a century. Another site to visit is Old Road Bay, the site of the first permanent English settlement in the West Indies. Carib Indian petroglyphs may be viewed near this site. Here, too, is Romney Manor, originally Wingfield Estate, a seventeenth century sugar plantation. Sandy Point, the second largest in population to Basseterre, the capital city, is the exact location where Thomas Warner came ashore with his party in 1623. Warner was the first European to settle on the island. Sandy Point was also the primary port for the tobacco trade and the still intact warehouses of the Dutch West India Company. Off the shore of Sandy Point Town is a National Marine Park where divers descend 90 feet to explore Paradise Reef.

Many visitors to St. Kitts choose to take one of several tours to get acquainted with the island. Some tours over the marvelous coral reefs are by glass-bottomed boat, kayak, or yacht. Others are on-land tours via 4x4 Jeep, four-wheeler, or by foot. The St. Kitts Island Railway is a popular way to see the island. Some tours take you into the mouth of the dormant volcano Mt. Liamuigia or on the Wingfield-Phillips Rain Forest Nature Trail.

Snorkeling or diving is a popular activity. Three shipwrecks may be explored offshore: the 144 foot freighter River Taw, the freighter M.V. Talata, and the 72 foot tug Corinthian. Other diving locations for beginners include Friars Bay Reef and Coconut Tree Reef. Experienced divers can descend into the strong currents at Nags Head on the South Coast or the Aquarium.

The miles of white sand beaches attract swimmers and sunbathers to St. Kitts. The least crowded are on the southern peninsula. Often-mentioned beaches include Turtle Beach, Banana Bay, and South Friars Beach. Since the 1990's, the Strip with its numerous bars and restaurants on South Frigate Bay has been the undisputed entertainment spot of the island.

Two main festivals on St. Kitts are the Music Festival at the end of June and the St. Kitts National Carnival from December to January 2. The island celebrates both Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Besides two golf resorts on the island, there are a number of modern resorts, hotels, and sea villas. Two of the oldest sugar plantations, Ottley's and Rawlins, have been restored to become lodging.

Wherever your travel takes you on the island of St. Kitts, there are tropical memories to be made.

For more information, visit the official St Kitts website - click here.