All activities / Trekking / Hiking / La Soufriere
Trekking / Hiking in La Soufriere
The active volcano that forms the north end of Saint Vincent and its highest point at 1,234 metres, its slopes cloaked in rainforest and its summit a broad crater that erupted explosively in 2021 and is now monitored and open to guided hikers.
Why here
La 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.
Best months
The hike is best in the drier months from about January to May, when the steep upper trail is firmer and the summit is more likely to clear. The windward route is roughly eleven kilometres round trip and takes about four to six hours, climbing from rainforest to an exposed, often cloudy and windy crater rim. La Soufriere is an active, monitored volcano, so conditions can change and access depends on the current alert level. A licensed guide is mandatory for visitors.
Getting there & around
The trailheads are at the north end of Saint Vincent, reached by road from Kingstown in about an hour to ninety minutes, so most hikers join a guided trip that includes transport, a guide and lunch. The windward trail is the usual route; the leeward approach is longer and rougher. Wear boots with grip, carry water and a rain and wind layer, and treat this as a full-day mountain outing on an active volcano rather than a casual walk.
Skill levels: intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (1)
Sailors Wilderness Tours
GuideSailors Wilderness Tours is a Kingstown-based guiding company on Saint Vincent whose La Soufriere volcano hike is the most established guided trek on the island. Its licensed guides lead the roughly six-hour windward climb from rainforest to the crater rim, with transport and lunch included, and read the mountain's rainforest, ridges and recent eruption history along the way. It works to the guiding rules that apply on an active, monitored volcano where visitors must be accompanied.