Saint Kitts and Nevis

The smallest country in the Western Hemisphere is the small two island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Upper Lessor Antilles Islands chain. It’s another country that is not really talked about too much except for some cruise lines who visit it. It’s a beautiful country with friendly people, museums and a UNESCO World Heritage site. In January of 2024 for my birthday, we headed for a quick weekend trip to visit this country. We really enjoyed it!

Getting to Saint Kitts and Nevis and Transportation

Being an island nation there are only a couple ways to get there. The Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport has many flights to the US on most of the major US airlines and has flight between other islands such as Puerto Rico, Antigua, Trinidad and others in the region. The other way to get to the island is by cruise ship. As for transportation around the island there are taxis and vans that operate as busses, but my preferred transportation is taking tours so you have a guide who can give you more details about the country. Saint Kitts also is the only country in the Caribbean that still has a rail line that is from the sugar plantation days. It is now a tourist train only.

Country Information

Saint Kitts and Nevis only has a population of around 50,000 and the islands are pretty small with Saint Kitts being the larger and more developed island. The language is English but a variant of Creole is also spoken on the island. The currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar that is worth less than a US dollar (as of this writing in September 2024 1 ECD = .37 USD). The US Dollar is accepted though on the island regularly. The country is relatively new as it gained independence from the United Kingdom in the early 1980s. The driving is on the left just like in the United Kingdom. Expect relatively warm temperatures year-round with rainy season being during the summer. Hurricanes are a risk if traveling from June to November. As a US citizen no visa is needed ahead of time but you do need to complete an online declaration form that has replaced the paper landing card. As of now Saint Kitts and Nevis is rated as level 1 in safety so it is considered a very safe place to visit. There is a Carnival like celebration that occurs on the island.

Our Stay

There are a few great resorts on Saint Kitts to choose from. We stayed at the Koi Resort that is a Curio Hotel by Hilton. Its a nice quiet resort on the coast with beautiful views of the ocean. The Koi resort does not have a beach at the hotel but it does have a nice pool, restaurant and a shuttle to a beach. It’s away from the city and other resorts and is a 10 minute drive to the airport. There are other larger resort hotels on the beach such as a Marriot and a Hyatt. There are other smaller hotels available as well. The staff at our resort where very kind and I got a free birthday desert since it was my birthday weekend!

Day Trip around Saint Kitts

On our first full day in Saint Kitts we decided to take a Private Guided tour of the island to be able to see as much as we could. Our guide picked us up and we drove through the capital city of Basseterre as we headed up the Western Coast of the Island. We briefly stopped by the Saint Kitts Medical school where many Americans go to train for Medical School in a more affordable manner. We stopped and talk to a student from Georgia who told us what it was like to live on the Island. She thought it was nice, quiet and safe. We continued on after the brief talk and headed to two places important to the history of Saint Kitts. Saint Kitts like many islands was important to the major colonial powers of France, England and Spain. Christopher Columbus discovered the islands but it was the French and British that colonized the island. The French and the British decided to share the island but had to fight the strong Carib tribes who lived on the island and were not peaceful. The French and the British joined forces in the 1600s and massacred the indigenous tribes at a place now called Bloody Point. It was said the river there ran red with blood for some time after the battle. We visited the mouth of that river as it ran into the ocean. Our next stop was at the Kalinago Rock Drawings where there are ancient petroglyphs from the Carib tribe that shows they had inhabited the island for many years before the arrival of Europeans.

We went forward in time to the colonial period with our next stop at the Wingfield Estate Sugar Plantation Ruins. The plantation is in a small city and backs up to dense rainforest. At the site you can see the large cauldrons that sugar was mixed in and areas that rum was distilled. There are interpretative signs that explain the entire process and what the buildings were used for. This was from the time after battles with the Caribs and the island became an area for plantations and the sugar trade. This brought in slaves from Africa to work the plantations. The island was still fought over during the colonial period with Spain taking over the island for a time and then the return of the French and British. Ultimately the British gained sole ownership of the island and its lucrative Sugar Plantations. At the Wingfield Estate you can try and purchase local rum as well. We also took the opportunity to take a short hike in the jungle. Saint Kitts has small monkeys on the island but we did not see any while there.

We headed next to Romney Manor that is also the former site of a sugar plantation that was once owned by President Thomas Jefferson’s direct ancestor Sam Jefferson. Now it’s a beautiful garden and full of colorful and well-kept historic buildings. There you can see a unique cultural craft in Saint Kitts called Caribbean Batik. It’s the dyeing of fabric while also using wax to create intricate designs. The process takes a long time with many dyeing sessions. While there you get the chance to see the process in action and there is a nice shop with many different designs. You can get a framed piece that looks like a painting, scarfs and many other types of garments. We bought a few as the prices are very reasonable and the products are beautiful. After taking in the gardens we headed to a UNESCO World Heritage site with stunning history and views.

With all the territorial fighting between the superpowers at the time, the British started to build a large fortress on a steep hill called Brimestone Hill. By the late 1700s this fortress had become a huge area of fortifications that was nearly impossible for an opposing army to take. The fort took part in a siege during the American Revolution when the French surrounded the fortress but did not try to take it outright with its imposing walls and steep terrain. The French ended up forcing the British to surrender but ultimately the British were given the island again. The fortress was never re-taken again even though there were other battles for the island between the French and British. The fortress is considered one of the best-preserved colonial era forts in the Caribbean. Our guide drove us up the winding and narrow road up to the top of the hill where we visited a few outer buildings and walls before heading to the main fortress building. After a walk up a decent number of stairs we made it there. You are very high up and can see much of Saint Kitts and also other islands/countries. You can see the Dutch Islands of Sint Eustatius and further away Saba in the distance. There are many rooms with exhibits to see and there are cannons on top of the wall. When we got up there it started to mist, and we looked down and got a wonderful view of a rainbow in the valley below. It was a beautiful sight to see and we got pictures of it before it disappeared in the quick tropical rain. I submitted the picture to the Caribbean Weather Channel called Cala Weather and it was featured on the channel. We really enjoyed our tour of this amazing fortress. It is a must-see site to visit in Saint Kitts.

After all of the touring we headed into Basseterre to get a bite to eat and go shopping. In downtown Saint Kitts there are many shops as its also where the cruise port is at. We got a good lunch at a local restaurant and walked around the port. There were two small luxury cruise ships in port that day. It wasn’t overly busy there. We visited a few of the stores and then headed to the straw market as we really like to support locals. One lady was so thankful we came by her booth and purchased some items. After our time at the port, we headed to our very last stop that was a scenic overlook at the narrowest point of the island overlooking Frigate Bay and you could see the Caribbean and Atlantic at that point. It was an end to a great day after our guide dropped us off.

Saint Kitts Scenic Railway

On our next day we decided to go on the Saint Kitts Scenic Railway. It is the only remaining railway in the Caribbean and is the remains of a small gauge railroad that would transport sugar from the Sugar Plantations. The railroad is now only used for tourists and runs a couple times a day. They have unique double decker train cars with the top being open air. We booked a tour where they picked us up at the hotel where we could get on the train. The station is near the airport and on our tour there was one car for cruise tours and then a car for people staying on the island. They made us cold drinks for the train ride as there were servers and a narrator for our ride. Our train set out to go halfway around the island. We passed by the coast and many small towns. As we passed by the towns the extremely friendly people of Saint Kitts would come out of their homes to wave at us in the train as it came by. This included people of all ages giving a friendly wave and smile. I really enjoyed seeing people take a small amount of time out of their day to greet us. We passed by many different former Sugar Plantations as we continued. With the train track being very old the train cars swayed more than a normal train but was still a lot of fun. We had local dancers dressed in the Saint Kitts Carnival dress. They danced traditional dances as we continued. As we got to the end of the ride we passed by the Eco Center and then stopped where the current route ends. The track continues around the island, but they stopped using it a few years back. They took us by shuttle bus back to the main station. There our guide picked us up and took us to the hotel. There we relaxed until we left the island.

Tips and Conclusion

Saint Kitts and Nevis is a small country with a big heart I found. The people are incredibly friendly including all those who waved at the train. It is a country well worth visiting outside of a single day cruise stop. If you are there for only a day, I really recommend going to see Brimestone Fortress as it’s an amazing UNESCO World Heritage site. You also will want to check out the local Caribbean Batik and get one for your home as a good souvenir. You can find good rates if you book early when flying there as we did using miles on American. Come and visit this wonderful country and you will not be disappointed!