St Kitts may
be small, only 18 miles by 5 miles, but those 68 square miles are packed with outdoor
adventure activities. Lying south of Saint Eustatius and east of Antigua, the island is
part of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis. Saint Kitts is an unspoiled island that will
delight the individual on vacation looking for outdoor adventure. This Caribbean island
has three distinct groups of volcanic peaks: in the North West is the Mount Misery Range;
in the Middle is the Verchilds Range and in the South East is the Olivees Range. The
highest peak is Mount Liamuiga, formerly Mount Misery, a dormant volcano some 3,792 feet
(1,156 m) high, with hiking up Mount Liamuiga being
a favorite vacation activity. Hiking up Mount Liamuiga is not the only hiking that can be
experienced on Saint Kitts, there are various tours through lava formations and rainforest
areas.
The various battles between the English and the
French for control of the island, that was then called Saint Christopher, and the rich
sugar trade has left St Kitts with an abundance of historic sites, over 250 have been
recorded on the island. The most well known of these historic sites is the 38 acre Brimstone Hill Fortress which is a UNESCO
World Heritage site but all over the island there are historic buildings. Around the
island you can find, plantation houses, stone churches, memorials, a 100 year old train
station, a cotton ginnery, carib petroglyphs and many other historic sites.
St. Kitts boasts a wide variety
of beaches which range in character from the sparkling black sands of the
north-eastern side of the island, through to the grey sands and the golden sands which
give way to a whiter hue as one travels towards the end of the southeast peninsula. Along
this peninsula, there are numerous little beaches, many of which tend to become private
seclusions for the adventurous. The clear blue waters surrounding St Kitts provide the
perfect environment for holiday outdoor adventure. You can experience surfing, kayaking,
water skiing, wind surfing and jet skiing.
The outdoor adventure on St Kitts continues
below the water as the clear blue water surrounding the island with up to 100 feet
visibility also makes St Kitts a world class Caribbean diving destination. There are
dozens of easily accessible dive sites with virgin
reefs that abound with hard and soft coral, ancient underwater lava tracks, hot water
vents, black coral trees and several wrecks. Those diving or snorkelling around St Kitts
can see lobster, octopus, stingrays, eagle rays, sea turtles, lizard fish, nurse sharks,
sea horses and many of the over 700 species of fish found in the Caribbean Sea.
It is easy to split your outdoor adventure activities between St
Kitts and Nevis as it is a short
45 minute ferry ride across the two mile channel to the island of Nevis. Here you will
find tropical rainforests with monkeys chattering in the trees and doves cooing. You can
hike the nature trails or climb to the top of Nevis Peak. You can explore the ruins of old
sugar plantations, a lime kiln, or Amerindian sites. You can snorkel and scuba dive among
more wrecks and natural reefs. There are even night beach walks available, to study the
stars
Learn More about St Kitts and Nevis by visiting our other St Kitts and Nevis Pages
