North America : Caribbean : Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Table of Contents:
Regions / Cities / Other destinations / Culture and History / Climate / Landscape / Travel to Saint Kitts and Nevis, visa requirements Flights to Saint Kitts and Nevis, airtickets By boat / Get around By train By car Buses to Saint Kitts and Nevis / Talk / Shopping, Saint Kitts and Nevis souvenirs / Costs / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Saint Kitts and Nevis nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Learn / Work / Stay safe / Stay healthy / Respect / Contact

More from Caribbean:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Navassa Island, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, St Barthelemy, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands

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Saint Kitts'[1] and Nevis [2] are a pair of tropical islands in the Caribbean, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago.

Regions

Cities

Other destinations

Understand

As if it were the custom in the Caribbean, St-Kitts and Nevis changed hands many times between English and French, which has left it a heritage of cities with names from both countries. Contrariwise, the architecture there is very Anglo-Saxon (Style Victorian) with driving on left and especially in downtown Basseterre: Circus Place the reproduction of the 'Berkeley Memorial Clock'.

The islands became an associated state of the United Kingdom with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed.

There are also several ancient British fortifications which have been restored with minutiae and reproducing the tiniest details of original construction. St-Kitts and Nevis will be called to be developed in the near future, in fact many projects are in progress or completion, notably vast dockings to accommodate the largest liners and cruisers with terminals, loading docks, etc.

What is really remarkable on St-Kitts and Nevis is the natural aspect. Many tropical birds which one rarely finds elsewhere are present in great concentration in the nature and there are also the famous monkeys which, it is said, were introduced by the pirates. An all-new road permits going to the southeast end of St-Kitts (Turtle Beach) where one feels that a certain febrility in the air will make of this part of the island an appreciated place. Indeed, one has only to take a little adventure in the underwoods with some fruit in hand to see oneself quite soon surrounded by monkeys coming gently to meet one to get fed. For the inhabitants of the islands, on the other hand, the monkeys are not perceived as as big a joy, for these pretty little hairy beings plunder the harvest and nose around everywhere they can go.

Climate

Tropical tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Landscape

With coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a three-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape complements that of its sister island. The highest point is Mount Liamuiga (St Kitts) at 1,156 meters.

Travel to Saint Kitts and Nevis, visa requirements

Flights to Saint Kitts and Nevis, airtickets

From the US

Daily flights are available from San Juan, PR from American Airlines and Caribbean Sun, as well as through British Virgin Islands/Tortola. American Airlines also has weekend flights from Miami (more flights during the tourist season), and US Airways has direct flights from Philadelphia. American Airlines has also offered charter flights direct from Dallas/Ft. Worth on 767's.

From Britain

Golden Caribbean offer a weekly charter service to the island on a Saturday from London Gatwick. The flight cannot be booked through Excel, it has to be booked through either www.westernair.com or www.goldencaribbean.com

By boat

There is a cruise ship terminal as well as a marina for yachts in Basseterre.

Get around

By train

There is a scenic railroad tour that goes through portions of the narrow gauge railroad formerly used for the sugar mill.

By car

Taxis and buses outnumber those needing them in St. Kitts. Be sure to negotiate upfront the costs of the trip, pay special attention to if the fare is in US or EC dollars. Temporary drivers licenses are available, as well as several rentals agencies.

Buses to Saint Kitts and Nevis

Micro buses form the public transportation system on the island. These are much cheaper than taxis and can be flagged down while in route. If they are full the driver will flash their lights and proceed on. Service does not generally extend to Frigate Bay or the Southern Peninsula. That is the domain of taxis. Taxis and Buses use the same format of Micro buses, the difference is that taxis have a yellow license plate and buses have a green one. Bus fare varies but in 2005 was between 1.25 EC and 5 EC depending on length of trip.

Talk

Shopping, Saint Kitts and Nevis souvenirs

Costs

Good restaurants and cheap meals