Secrets To Cruising To St Kitts and Nevis.

1. Visit secluded beaches such as Majors Bay, tips on enjoying this beach to the maximum below.

   

2. Scuba Diving is a must; some of the most spectacular diving is in the waters surrounding St. Kitts; see below a video of a Turtle minding their own business.

3. Shipwreck Beach Bar & Grill has excellent food, drinks, beach, sun loungers, local hospitality; what more could you want? See below for more info, including the monkies.

4. Should you visit Nevis when your ship docks in St. Kitts?  Good question; see below it depends.

5. Saint Kitts is Joan Armatrading’s residence, and many more famous or notorious people see a complete list below.

Majors Bay is on the very end of the southeast peninsula. If you want some peace, this is the beach for you.  The only downside is it’s not commercialised; you will not find any bars or restaurants, but you can take a packed lunch and something to drink from the ship.  Keep an eye on the time, and secure your return journey back with a taxi driver, so you get back to the ship in good time.  But this beach is lovely worth a visit.  More below about how to get here and what to take with you.

Scuba diving is fantastic in St. Kitts. Easy to organise yourself; there are a couple of great Dive Centers around the island. Check out:

Pro Divers St Kitts Scuba here is a message from Margot and Auston Macleod

“Let us help you discover the underwater world around the beautiful island of St Kitts. We have been scuba diving here in St Kitts since 1981 and we are still thrilled to be showing our divers the marine life. We are a family owned and run business and we take great care to offer you the best scuba diving experience on the island”.  For cruise ship passengers we now have official authorisation to offer you diving services.  You do need to pre-book but otherwise we are back to the new normal.

St. Kitts Kenneth’s Dive Center | Scuba Diving, PADI Diving & Open Water Diving (kennethdivecenter.net) super friendly email or message them and they will arrange a fantastic diving trip for you.  There are so many excellent dive sites around St Kitts, and because the sea is warm all the time, there is always time for diving.  Here is an excellent video of a Turtle minding their own business so beautiful.

You’ve got to eat here and hang out at Shipwreck on South Friars Beach; here is the link to their website ShipWreck St Kitts – Beach Bar and Grill, a cool rustic beach bar serving food and drinks all day until 6.30 pm and has free sun loungers on the beach.

Enjoy the authentic Caribbean spirit at Shipwreck Beach Bar and Grill while sipping an icy cold beverage or indulging in a Caribbean-style meal.

• Delight in the beautiful beach with palm umbrellas and superb snorkelling (rentals available)

• The bar is open for liquid refreshment from 10 am to Sunset.

• A diverse variety of local cuisine is available daily from noon to 6.30 pm, with our acclaimed “best fish tacos ever” well worth sampling.

• Relish an up-close experience with monkeys and mongooses.

Should you visit Nevis or stay on St. Kitts?

This is the question many guests would ask me when I worked on Cruise ships.  It depends if this is your first time cruising to St. Kitts; even if it is your 2nd or 3rd, you really should explore St. Kitts first. This island has got so much to offer.

Gorgeous beaches, snorkelling, diving, restaurants, explore the island on a sightseeing tour. The island is volcanic and surrounded by lush forests—worth exploring the island of St. Kitts before venturing over to Nevis.

However, here are some surprises on Nevis if you are interested.  You can get a boat over to this island in plenty of time to explore and be back before your ship sets sail.

If you’re a Hiker, love Gardens and History:

1. Nevis Peak is 3,232 feet to the summit. From the top on a clear day, you can see Antigua, Montserrat and other islands that can be spotted across the Ocean. It’s an exciting climb. You’ll be surrounded at times by ferns, trumpet bush trees and other verdant foliage. You’ll see the odd cascading waterfall.  You may even meet some vervet monkeys and wandering wild goats.  Make sure you are fit and healthy, as this is a challenging climb.  Well worth the effort, and make sure you go with a group with a guide. It’s a 5 hour round trip path.  It can be slippy and steep, and if you’re not with a guide, you could risk getting lost.  At times, some sheer rock sections require you to scramble along, grabbing exposed roots and ropes attached to the slope.  Here is a great company to book a guided tour with Nevis Adventure Tours | Hiking & Biking Tours, and here is a taste of this fantastic adventure.   

2. Hiking with Earla, a guide and herbalist with Earla’s Eco Tours provides a window into how Nevisians have long used botanicals in their daily lives. A one-mile, mostly rainforest trail is replete with lessons in how the locals value plants for more than just their aesthetic beauty.  For more information on Earla’s Eco-Tours and others here is a link to the website Eco-Adventures on St. Kitts & Nevis (geographia.com)

3. Botanical Gardens of Nevis, five acres of colourful landscaped gardens.  More than two dozen Asian artefacts, including a Ganesh statue from

   

   India.  Footbridges and winding paths course past water lily ponds where birds cluster, a many-hued orchid collection (considered one of the largest in the Caribbean), and a tropical fruit garden growing everything from passion fruit to tamarind.  Hummingbirds hover above the blossoms and colourful cascades of other flowers.  Built-in the style of a Nevisian Great House, there is a restaurant with a scenic veranda to enjoy a view of St. Kitts.

4. If you are into history, there is so much evidence of the past in Nevis. For example, Alexander Hamilton, one of the United States founding fathers, lived until nine.  On the property of the Museum of Nevis History in Charlestown, his birthplace is a small restored wooden building with the original limestone foundation.  The museum itself, a two-story restored stone building, may have been where the Hamilton family lived. Inside, recreated artefacts represent his legacy, including a writing desk with a feather pen.  You can take a self-guided walking tour that follows the route that young Hamilton would have taken from his home to the Jewish school he attended, passing the ruins of the slave market and following a narrow path referred to as Jew’s Alley.

Saint Kitts is the residence of Joan Armatrading and many more famous or notorious people (copied from Wikipedia. Here is the link). 

• Joan Armatrading is a British singer-songwriter.
• Imruh Bakari, born in St. Kitts, filmmaker and writer.
• Robert Bradshaw, first Premier of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
• Archibald Burt, born in Saint Kitts, first Chief Justice of Western Australia
• Burt Caesar, born in Saint Kitts, actor, broadcaster and director.
• Pogus Caesar is a British artist, television producer and director.
• Kim Collins is a former world champion sprinter (2003).
• Felix Dexter was an actor, comedian, and writer.
• Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram.
• Keith Gumbs is an International football player who currently plays as a striker for the Liga Indonesia side Sriwijaya FC.
• Sir James Harford was the Administrator of Saint Christopher from 1940 to 1946.
• Virgil Hodge is a female sprinter specialising in the 200 metres event.
• Konris Maynard is a Calypso musician and politician.
• Major-General Sir Robert Nickle was governor of Saint Christopher from 1830.
• Caryl Phillips, born in St. Kitts, novelist playwright and essayist.
• Tiandra Ponteen is a female sprinter specialising in the 200 metres and the 400 metres.
• Marcus Rashford, a professional footballer for Manchester United and England. Born in Manchester of Kittitian descent.
• Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead, was governor of Saint Christopher from 1855 to 1859.
• Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, Governor-General of St Kitts-Nevis from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2012, his retirement.
• Joseph Matthew Sebastian was a Caribbean trade union leader and politician.
• Shirley Skerrit-Andrew, former High Commissioner to Canada.
• Neil Strauss is an American author and journalist.
• Roger Ver businessman who renounced his U.S. citizenship.
• Desai Williams is a former sprinter who won a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics.
• Ned Young, born in Saint Kitts, was a sailor, mutineer from the HMS Bounty incident and co-founder of the mutineers’ Pitcairn Island settlement.
• Dr. The Honorable Timothy Harris Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis (2015-present)

Saint Kitts is the larger of the two islands that make up the tiny Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Saint Kitts was home to the first British and French colonies in the Caribbean and thus has been titled “The Mother Colony of the West Indies”. St Kitts and Nevis are also the most recent British territory in the Caribbean to become independent, gaining independence in 1983.

The capital city is Basseterre, located on the larger island of Saint Kitts. Basseterre is also the main port for passenger entry (via cruise ships) and cargo.

Saint Kitts and Nevis are separated at 2 miles (3 km) by The Narrows strait. Both are of volcanic origin, with prominent central peaks covered in tropical rainforest. The majority of the population lives along with the flatter coastal areas.

The population of Saint Kitts and Nevis is around 53,000 and has remained relatively constant for many years. Approximately three-quarters of the population live in Saint Kitts.

English is the official language, but Saint Kitts Creole is also widely spoken.

St Kitts and Nevis are listed as two of the best islands in the Caribbean to visit.