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Coverage / Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Caribbean

An eastern Caribbean nation of one volcanic main island, Saint Vincent, trailed south by the Grenadines, a string of small yachting islands from Bequia to Union that rank among the finest sailing grounds in the world. The chain holds the Tobago Cays marine park, the kite lagoons of Union Island, reef diving off Bequia and, on the main island, the active La Soufriere volcano.

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What you can do in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Kitesurfing

Union IslandJan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Nov DecUnion Island sits at the bottom of the Grenadines chain, and off its main village of Clifton lies a wide, waist-deep lagoon held behind a barrier reef. Steady Atlantic trade winds blow across warm, flat, turquoise water with plenty of room and no obstacles, which is close to ideal for learning to kitesurf and just as good for freestyle and cruising once you can ride. Beyond the lagoon the reef edge and the neighbouring islets open up downwind runs and small waves for more experienced riders. The season is the northern winter, when the trades are most reliable, and the setting is hard to beat, a tiny Caribbean island with a kite lagoon on its doorstep and the rest of the Grenadines strung out to the north. For a warm-water kite trip that suits a first lesson or a fortnight of riding, Union is the Caribbean pick.

Sailing

Scuba Diving

BequiaJan Feb Mar Apr May Jun DecBequia is the diving hub of the Grenadines, a small island with a deep seafaring history and a coastline of reefs, walls and drift dives all within a short boat run of Port Elizabeth. The sheltered west side has easy reef and wall dives that suit newer divers and courses, while the channels and points pick up current and bring bigger fish, turtles, rays, nurse sharks and the occasional reef shark. Because the island sits mid-chain, dive boats can also run to sites around the neighbouring islets and reefs on calm days. Two long-standing dive shops work the harbour, both walkable from the ferry and the Belmont waterfront, so you can dive, certify or just snorkel between other Grenadines plans. For a Caribbean reef base that is unhurried, characterful and thoroughly local, Bequia is the one.

Trekking / Hiking

La SoufriereJan Feb Mar Apr MayLa Soufriere is the roof of Saint Vincent and one of the more dramatic day hikes in the Caribbean, a climb up an active volcano that last erupted explosively in April 2021. The classic windward route starts in old banana lands on the Atlantic side and climbs through thick rainforest onto the exposed upper cone, ending on the rim of a huge crater that still steams and has reshaped itself with each eruption. It is a real trek, long and steep, rewarded with a view down into the caldera and out over the island and the sea. Because the volcano is active and the summit weather turns fast, a licensed guide is required, and a good one reads the mountain, the recent eruption history and the forest along the way. For hikers who want more than a beach, this is the standout land adventure of the islands.

Witness / Attend

Vincy MasKingstownJun JulVincy Mas is the national carnival of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the biggest event on the country's calendar. Unlike the pre-Lenten carnivals of much of the Caribbean, it runs across the last days of June into the first week of July, a roughly two-week build of shows and competitions in and around Kingstown that peaks on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. The heart of it is the music, the calypso and soca monarch competitions, the steel pan and the mas: J'Ouvert before dawn, then the Parade of the Bands through the capital in full costume, along with the Miss SVG pageant and the King and Queen of the Bands. It grew from older street traditions into a modern carnival that draws the diaspora home, and it is a genuine national celebration rather than a tourist show. For a traveller it is the deepest, loudest look at Vincentian culture, staged free in the streets of the capital.

Best months at a glance

	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Kitesurfing
Sailing
Scuba Diving
Trekking
Witness / Attend

Upcoming events in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines