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Top Things To Do
St Vincent and the Grenadines are vast playground for adventurers! With over 30 islands to sail to and explore, ancient petroglyphs to unearth, and underwater sites to dive, there's so much to discover on this picturesque land, past its stunning beaches.
Let the islands' various hiking trails guide you through the lush rainforest, refreshing waterfalls, charming bays, salt water ponds, or through St Vincent's majestic mountains and volcano. Observe the local wildlife and make unique encounters at the local whale, dolphin and turtle watching points.
Back to the civilisation, wander the streets of Kingstown and head for a sensorial experience at the bustling market, smelling and tasting the local fruits and produces. Visit the island's historical sites and botanical gardens to get closer to its complex heritage, before sharing a taste of St Vincent with the locals at a nearby beach hut, or steel drum performance.
AN ISLAND OF NATURAL BEAUTY
With its breathtaking landscapes and rock formations, St Vincent is only truly appreciated when explored both inland and offshore. On the ground, many tour operators organise specific excursions taking you around the island's highlights. Some of the most stunning ones include the Fort Charlotte, Mesopotamia Valley, Vermont Nature Trail, Dark View Falls and Owia Salt Pond.
HIKING
St Vincent counts many other ways for visitors to enjoy its natural surroundings. In addition to the Botanical Gardens, nature lovers should take a trip to the beautiful landscape of farmland and gardens that is Mesopotamia Valley or hike one of the island's many nature trails, all based on various levels of challenge and length.
DARK VIEW FALLS
A less challenging stroll, this easy 10 to 15 minutes hike each way surrounds you with irresistible natural beauty and rewards you with a refreshing dip in one of St Vincent's most idyllic waterfalls.
BIRD WATCHING
With stunning coastlines and abundant rainforests, St Vincent and the Grenadines are an exciting place for all bird lovers. Here you will be able to spot and observe a variety of tropical birds, migratory and endemic species, whether at the St Vincent Botanic Gardens or the Vermont Nature Trails (with their Parrot Look-Out point), including the unique St Vincent Parrot.
OWIA SALT POND
Located on the North Eastern side of St Vincent, in the village of Owia, which is home to the island's indigenous Black Carib people, this unique oceanographic and geologic point of interest is a two hour-drive from Kingstown, along the eastern coast.
ST VINCENT'S LA SOUFRIERE VOLCANO
The most obvious hike is the one leading to La Soufriere, the island's active volcano and culminating point, at the top of which hikers get rewarded with the most magnificent views of the island and its surrounding. A challenging yet unforgettable experience. Expect two hours each way.
CUMBERLAND NATURE TRAIL
To raise the bar and the attitude, take the mountainous, this 2 hour-long medium walk takes you through a path once used by villagers as a link to the upper Vermont Valley. Part of the land surrounding the path was acquired from the farmers by the Forestry Department in the 1960's, in an effort to regenerate the forest and maintain the trail.
MAYREAU’S SALTWHISTLE BAY TO SALINE BAY
An easy 1 hour-long walk from one stunning bay and beach to another, taking you through one of the island's charming and friendly villages, and offering beautiful vistas of the Tobago Cays.
BIRD WATCHING
Other endemic species you are likely to spot inland are the whistling warber, Antillean crested hummingbird, the Lesser Antillean Tanager, the purple-throated Carib, the rufous-throated solitaire and brown trembler.
THE LEEWARD HIGHWAY
This is a great way to discover local villages, black sand beaches and coconut plantations, whilst enjoying the stunning scenery of this 40 kilometres long road that curves along the sheltered western coast from Kingstown to Richmond Beach.
UNION ISLAND'S MOUNTAINS & BAYS
A 3 to 4 hour-long medium hike circling Union Island's coastline and taking you through the island's varied topography, from peaceful bays and pristine beaches to mountainous ridges.
ST VINCENT'S VERMONT NATURE TRAIL
Located in St Vincent's southern interior, this medium level 2 hour-long trail takes you through the abundant rainforest, giving you a chance to get acquainted with the local flora and fauna, and giving you a chance of spotting and observing the famous St Vincent Parrot in its natural habitat.
CANOUAN'S WINDWARD COAST
An easy, 2 hour-long coastal hike taking you through the island's most beautiful and peaceful spots, and offering stunning sea views.
BEQUIA'S BEACHES & BAYS
A selection of easy and medium-levelled hikes ranging from 30 to 90 minutes and taking you around Bequia's most stunning coastal spots.
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sailing
SAILING
The best way to get an all-round experience of St Vincent and the Grenadines is to sail around the archipelago, and there are several yacht charters available on the island.If you are indeed planning on sailing around St Vincent, you will not only enjoy the island's quality marinas, where yacht services and provisioning are offered, but also its excellent natural anchorages, such as Troumaka Bay, Cunmberland Bay, Mt Wynne Bay, Buccament Bay, and Petit Byahaut Bay. For ports of entry and custom clearance, head to Kingstown, Chateaubelair, or Wallilabou.
PETIT ST VINCENT
A privately owned island that is home to the Petit St Vincent resort, where guests are blessed with incredible views and pristine secluded beach. No television or telephones are allowed on the island, to preserve the island's peaceful and fantasy-like atmosphere.
CANOUAN
Located 40km south of St Vincent, this island is reputed for its pristine white sandy beaches and excellent snorkelling spots. A private resort on the northern coast of the island also offers a golf course and some restaurants.
YOUNG ISLAND
A relaxing island oozing with luxury, boasting beaches made of powdery white sand, lush tropical gardens, and irresistible sea.
TOBAGO CAYS
Located in the southern Grenadines and composed of five uninhabited small islands that together compose the Tobago Cays Marine Park. The reefs protecting the beach offer a peaceful spot with calm waters, perfect for swimming and snorkelling, with an abundant marine life to explore. There, divers and snorkelers may sport barracudas, sea turtles, stingrays and reef fish.
MAYREAU
A tiny island of 2.5 square kilometres that is home to Salt Whistle Bay, one of the Caribbean's most beautiful bays. Spend the day at this wonderful palm tree-lined white sandy beach and walk the road that leads up to a small village, to enjoy astonishing views of the surroundings, including Tobago Cays. Mayreau is also a great snorkelling and scuba diving site.
UNION ISLAND
The southern port of entry of St Vincent and the Grenadines, this island is distinguished by its dramatic volcanic peaks. The two best beaches are located at Richmond Bay and Belmont Bay, on the north coast of the island. Visitors can enjoy the many tourist-orientated facilities of Clifton (shops, restaurants, airport, marina), and nature-lover should not miss a chance to hike the island's hills, starting from the village of Ashton.
BEQUIA
A popular yachting destination with a history of whaling and hosting the annual Easter Regatta, Bequia is the second largest of the Grenadines. Reputed for being safe and friendly, it boasts many restaurants and stores as well as two stunning beaches, Princess Margaret Beach and Lower Bay, where visitors can enjoy some great snorkelling.
MUSTIQUE
A privately-owned beach that is a hotspot for celebrities and millionaires, this 5 kilometres long island boasts its own airport and general store. The island is all about luxury and its beaches offer excellent swimming and snorkelling spots, including at the stunning Macaroni beach.
PALM ISLAND
Located a short boat ride from Union Island, Palm Island was name after the abundance of coconut palms planted by the Palm Island Resort's former owner. Translucent emerald waters board the stunning five white sand beaches that surround the island and that are the perfect location for off-shore snorkelling.
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diving & snorkelling
DIVING & SNORKELLING
With some world renowned dive sites, the "Critter Capital of the Caribbean" boasts a rich variety of wall, drift, reef and cave diving, as well as wreck diving. Spot hard and soft corals, anemones, sponges, tunicates and sea fans, and swim with the colourful reef fish, lobsters, squid, octopus, packs of eagle rays, manta rays and perhaps even a reef shark.
CAPITAL WRECK
A site best suited to experienced divers, featuring three wrecks to explore, all in recreational depths.
MAYREAU GARDENS
A great drift dive in this large coral reef formation, populated with crinoids, garden eels and flamingo tongues.
MORPION REEF
Located just off Petit Vincent, and neighbouring a picture perfect desert island, Morpion is a great site to spot sharks.
BAT CAVE
A challenging dive into an underwater fissure, leading to a half-submerged cave located at Buccament Bay on the Leeward coast. The dive starts at the dark cave in 3 feet of water and surfaces in a cavern home to hundreds of rare bats.
BEQUIA ISLAND
Gently sloping reefs in shallow waters are home to seahorses, batfish, pipefish, hawksbill turtles and eagle rays.
MUSTIQUE ISLAND
Plenty of fish and critters to be spotted in the island's sloping reefs and coral expanse, including banded coral shrimps and spotted drums.
ANCHOR REEF
Not far from Bat Cave, this stunning wall dive is one that often appears as one of the top 100 diving sites in the world, boasting a great coral formation and featuring swim throughs.
LAYOU WALL
A great wall dive drifting divers over the Rock Fort formations.
PURUNI WRECK
Located off Mayreau, this site features a 1918 British gun ship lying in 40 feet of water, making it a great dive for beginner level and experienced divers.
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other activities
WHALE & DOLPHIN WATCHING
With several species recorded to have been spotted around the island, a whale and dolphin watching tour is a great way to make your trip extra special and build memories you will never forget. The best chance to spot the humpback whale, sperm whale and pilot whale happen from December to April, although there is a possibility of spotting them at any other time of the year.
BOAT TRIPS
To make the most of the area's natural beauties, take a boat trip to reach some of the island's most secluded beaches and bays, which often offer great snorkelling spots. Most importantly, make sure to visit the Falls of Baleine, a beautiful waterfall with a 18 metres high drop located on the northern tip of the island and only accessible by boat and a short walk.
FESTIVALS
If you're a keen sailor, then May's your month, as it is the month of the annual Mayreau and Canouan Regattas. The month of June is dedicated to culture and heritage, with the colourful Vincy Mas, regarded as the Caribbean's hottest carnival and featuring events such as Miss SVG Competition, Mardi Gras Parade of Bands, Calypso Monarch, and King & Queen of Carnival.
TURTLE WATCHING
Turtles can be spotted at different diving and snorkelling sites around St Vincent and the Grenadines, particularly around the Tobago Cays, at the Tobago Cays Marine Park. To learn more about turtles an about the region's turtle conservation program, head to the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary on Bequia.
SPORT EVENTS
If you fancy a bit of cricket, the Caribbean's traditional sport, the Arnos Vale Sports Complex, near the E. T. Joshua Airport, is a beautiful site that hosts the island's most important cricket matches, in truly stunning surroundings.
FESTIVALS
More generally, March is a month dedicated to National Heroes and Heritage commemorations, whilst April celebrations include Gospel Fest and Fisherman's Month.
FESTIVALS
In September, it's time for the irresistible Dance Festival, whilst National Independence activities run throughout October. The country celebrates performing arts through its Theatre Arts Festival in November, which is also the region's Tourism Month, with various events taking place around the islands.
OTHER WATERSPORTS
St Vincent is also famous for all other kinds of water-based activities, such as windsurfing, and Hobie Cat sailing.
FESTIVALS
Whatever time of the year you're planning on visiting the islands, there's always something going on in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
FESTIVALS
In Spring, Bequia takes the centre stage again by hosting its annual Easter Regatta, with races attracting sailors from around the world, whilst Union Island holds its Easterval celebrations.
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