St. Vincent & the Grenadines

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is made up of the main island of St. Vincent and about 30 smaller islands and cays stretching south toward Grenada. St. Vincent is green, steep and volcanic, crowned by La Soufrière, which last erupted in April 2021.

The Grenadines are what many visitors come for. Bequia is a laid-back sailing island with a pretty harbor, Mustique is a private island famous for its celebrity visitors, and the Tobago Cays Marine Park is a protected group of tiny islands where you can snorkel with sea turtles in clear, shallow water.

Photo: Stefan Schäfer, Lich via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Argyle International Airport on St. Vincent opened in 2017 and has some direct flights from North America. Most visitors connect through Barbados or another regional hub.

From St. Vincent, ferries and small planes reach the Grenadines. Many visitors explore the islands on chartered sailboats.

St. Vincent itself is a lot like rural Jamaica: rugged, farming-based and not heavily touristy, with black-sand beaches and mountain villages. The Grenadines are completely different: small, dry islands with white sand and some of the clearest water in the Caribbean.

English is spoken, and the culture is proudly West Indian. The biggest event of the year is Vincy Mas, the island's carnival, held in late June and early July. Film fans may recognize Wallilabou Bay on St. Vincent, used as a set in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

• Snorkel with turtles in the Tobago Cays Marine Park.
• Relax in Bequia, walking from Port Elizabeth to Princess Margaret Beach.
• Hike La Soufrière to the crater rim on St. Vincent.
• Visit the Dark View Falls in the north of St. Vincent.
• See the Botanical Gardens in Kingstown, among the oldest in the Western Hemisphere.
• Kitesurf off Union Island, one of the Caribbean's top kite spots.

December to May is the dry, breezy sailing season. Vincy Mas takes over in early summer.

On St. Vincent, most hotels are near Kingstown and along the south coast at Villa Beach and Indian Bay. In the Grenadines, Bequia has the widest range, from guesthouses to boutique hotels around Admiralty Bay. Union Island suits kitesurfers and sailors, Mayreau and Canouan offer seclusion, and Mustique is mostly private villa rentals at very high prices. Sailing charters are another popular way to see several islands.

• Currency: Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD)
• Language: English
• Driving: left-hand side
• Best for: sailors, snorkelers, and travelers wanting quiet, uncrowded islands

Try the national dish of roasted breadfruit with fried jackfish. As fellow CARICOM citizens, Jamaicans can usually visit without a visa for short stays, but check current rules before you travel.