St Kitts
St. Kitts is located in the Eastern Caribbean at 17 20 North, 62 45 West, roughly 1,200 miles from Miami, 1600 miles from New York, 4,000 miles from London and about 45 minutes by plane from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
The island is 69 square miles with a population of St. Kitts is 31,880. Basseterre is the capital.
St. Kitts and Nevis, like no other islands in the Caribbean, seem to embody a kind of lush tropical paradise usually associated with the South Pacific. The atmosphere here is palpably luxuriant, an intoxicating blend of sunlight, sea air and fantastically abundant vegetation. At the center of St. Kitts stands the spectacular, cloud-fringed peak of Mount Liamuiga (pronounced Lee-a-mweega), a dormant volcano covered by dense tropical forest. And on Nevis, too, the ground rises upward into a cloud forest filled with elusive green vervet monkeys and brilliant tropical flowers. For ecotourists, or simply anyone who enjoys stunning natural beauty, St. Kitts and Nevis cannot fail to exceed expectations.
And yet nature is only a small part of the wonder of these small, relatively undiscovered destinations. Long ago, St. Kitts and Nevis were the pearls of the British Caribbean, rich and enormously important islands that were celebrated throughout Europe. Nevis, the "Queen of the Caribbees," possessed unimaginable wealth from its super-productive sugar industry, while on St. Kitts the impregnable fortress of Brimstone Hill stood as the Gibraltar of the West Indies. In this venerable history is plenty of romance as well, for it was on Nevis that the dashing young Horatio Nelson met, courted, and wedded Fanny Nisbet, all the while attending to the whirling social life of the island's prosperous plantation estates.
Today these islands are esteemed more for their long stretches of sugary sand than for their sugar cane. Basseterre and Charlestown, the islands' capitals, are among the most captivating and picturesque of the Caribbean's colonial harbour towns. The law here holds that no building here may be taller than the surrounding palm trees, and on both St. Kitts and Nevis natural preservation is a major value. Activities include outstanding hiking through the islands' rain forests, golfing on internationally ranked golf courses, fishing, boating and diving or snorkeling through underwater reefs and unexplored wrecks. There is also an exceptional wealth of historic points of interest, including restored fortresses, haunted plantations, and ancient petroglyphs. In the midst of all of these attractions are many of the finest and most welcoming plantation inns in the Caribbean. Still largely undiscovered, despite their extraordinary beauty, their remarkable history, and their unmatched charm, St. Kitts & Nevis offer a rare opportunity to visit the "Secret Caribbean."
SNORKELING/SCUBA DIVING
Probably the best way to enjoy snorkelling on St. Kitts, is to take a catamaran cruise to the deserted coves along the southeastern peninsula. However, it is also possible to have a fully satisfying
experience just by venturing around the rocks at the end of most of the beaches.
St.Kitts offers exceptional dive sites for the novice and the die-hard diver as well. These include wrecks, reefs, walls and caves. Excursions can be arranged, through your hotel, with any of the dive operators on the island. All of the necessary gear can be purchased and/ or rented from the dive shops. Note, however, that there is no decompression chamber available.
A number of dives that will take your breath away are:
Monkey Shoals:
Situated just off the western tip of St. Kitts’s peninsula, is home to lobsters, rays, lizard fish, and nurse sharks. Average depth is 50 feet.
Coconut Tree Reef:
This is one of the largest reefs in the area, beginning at a depth of 40 feet and plunging to nearly 200 feet. With its expanse, clear water, tremendous depth and abundant marine life, it is a good site for new and experienced divers alike.
Nags Head:
Located at the southern most tip of St. Kitts, where the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic meet. The current there is usually strong, making this a destination for experienced divers. The reef plunges into roughly 80 feet and is populated by rays, turtles, lobsters, and large reef fish.
Sandy Point:
This site has been designated a National Marine Park and offers truly world-class diving. Two of the most popular mooring sites (no anchors drooped) are Paradise Reef, a beautiful site of large coral heads with swim through canyons sloping to about 90 feet and Anchors Away, a
The Wreck of River Taw:
Taw is a 144 foot-long island freighter sunk intact in 50 feet of water. It was broken in half and the stern turned 180 degrees, providing easy swim-throughs and views directly into the hull. Skin Diver Magazine has called this, one of the twenty best wrecks in the Caribbean, but we think its one of the ten best.
Getting There:
Currently, the only direct long-haul flight from the UK to St Kitts is a weekly charter service operated by Excel Airways. This flight operates from London Gatwick to St Kitts on Saturdays, continuing back to London via Tobago. Some travellers have complained about the high likelihood of their bags being lost on the service.
Connecting services via other Caribbean islands
The main airport in the region for incoming flights from the UK is Antigua, which has a range of scheduled services from British Airways, Virgin, and BWIA in addition to occasional charter services. Onward connections from Antigua to St Kitts and Nevis are available from LIAT or Caribbean Sun airlines.
The majority of flights from the UK to Antigua operate from London Gatwick, although BWIA (whose London flights depart from Heathrow) do also offer Manchester departures. Whereas BWIA flights tend to include stopovers in Barbados or Trinidad, most Virgin and British Airways flights from the UK to Antigua go direct.
When to Go:
Although some hotels close for September and October, St Kitts and Nevis are a great destination all year round. The temperature, between 75°- 85°F, remains fairly constant, winter and summer. The prevailing wind is the northeasterly tradewind, usually force 2 to 4, but less reliable in summer, July to October, and occasionally rising to force 5 or more in winter.
|
BSAC TRAVEL CLUB BOOKSHOP SELECTION
in association with amazon.co.uk
|
|
 |
Carib Surprise with Best Buddy
Four Islands Beginning with S
|
