MSC CRUISES – LESSER ANTILLES
Saint Kitts and Nevis March 19, 2022
Saint Kitts and Nevis are a pair of tropical islands in the Caribbean, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago. It is called “The Mother Colony of the West Indies”. The most remarkable feature is nature: many tropical birds, monkeys introduced by the pirates and Turtle Beach.
The islands’ countryside is lovely, with panoramic views of green hills covered in rain forest, beaches and the sea. The main road circling the island will take you to most points of interests, some great beaches and several villages.
Ferry from St Kitts (Majors Bay) to Nevis (Cades Bay), take the Sea Bridge from 8am-7pm.
Capital: Basseterre
Currency: Eastern Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Population: 51,000 (2103)
Country Code: +1869
Visa. Citizens of Commonwealth, OAS, and most western countries do not require visas
Money. Eastern Caribbean dollars”$” or “EC$” (XCD), also used by seven other island nations. It is pegged to the United States dollar at an exchange rate of US$1 = EC$2.70.
The ship docked at 2 pm and we walked down to the ferry to Nevis (US$11 or EC 52, 45 minutes) and got the 3:00 pm ferry.
NEVIS
CHARLESTOWN (pop 2000) Charlestown continues to be the center of Nevis commercial activity and business center. New construction is consistent with prevailing architectural styles.
City of Charlestown. Tentative WHS (17/09/1998). Charlestown was established around 1660 and soon thereafter became the capital of Nevis and seat of the Leeward Islands Government until the mid-1720’s. Situated on the coast and site the best anchorage in Nevis, the town boasts many 19th century buildings. Georgian architecture is the prevalent type with about half of the existing structure coming from the 1850 to 1900 period. Only a few ruins and some cannons remain of Fort Charles on Nevis, the fortifications of Charlestown.
We walked around Charleston for about an hour and got the 5 pm ferry back to St Kitts.
Museum of Nevis History (Alexander Hamilton Museum). The Jamestown, Virginia party sailed from London in 1607 for the 128 day voyage to Nevis.
Alexander Hamilton was born in Nevis in 1757, moved to the US for education and went on be one of the signatories of the US Constitution.
St. Thomas’ Anglican Church
Botanical Gardens of Nevis
Pinneys Beach
SAINT KITTS
Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park. World Heritage Sites. A well-preserved 17th- and 18th-century military architecture in a Caribbean context. Located on St Kitts, it was designed by the British and built by African slave labour, the fortress is testimony to European colonial expansion and the African slave trade.
It is built on a double-peaked, steep volcanic hill rising 230 metres to protect the coastline from a sea attack and to provide a safe refuge for the island’s citizens. St. Christopher (St. Kitts) as the first West Indian Island to be colonized by Europeans, specifically the French and English, was the scene of many battles in the struggle for dominance in this region. The earliest use of Brimstone Hill for European military purposes was in 1690 when the British installed a canon to drive out the French. The fortress evolved over the next century and served until 1853 when the British military abandoned it and dismantled many of the buildings.
The principal structures are on different levels of the upper third of the hill and were constructed in dressed stone (basalt) blocks with a rubble core. Local limestone was used as a decorative element for quoins and for facing round doorways and embrasures. Quarries on the middle and lower slopes of the hill provided much of the stone. The heart of the fortress, Fort George also known as the Citadel, dominates one of the twin peaks. Completed towards the end of the 1700s, this is the earliest surviving example of the “Polygonal System” of fortress design. The entire site covers approximately 15 hectares surrounded by a 1.6 km (1 mile) buffer zone. Has stunning views over the surrounding area and even some nearby islands.
BASSETERRE (pop 15,000) is the capital of the country of St.Kitts and Nevis, and is the main commercial centre. There are two port facilities- one for cardgo, the other for travellers (mainly cruise ship). The international airport is just two miles from the town centre. Independence Square was once the site of the slave market.
Historic zone of Basseterre. Tentative WHS (17/09/1998). Founded circa 1625 as the first French town in the Caribbean, Basseterre is located on a sheltered bay opening upon an extensive and fertile plain. It became the British capital in 1727. The design of the oldest section is French, while many of the older buildings combine elements of French and English colonial architecture.
National Museum of St. Kitts. Housed in the impressive 1894 Old Treasury building, built as the gateway to Basseterre. Expositions on the history, identity and independence of the island.
Immaculate Conception Co-Cathedral.
I didn’t see any of the following:
St. Kitts’ Scenic Railway. Traveling on the tracks of the old sugar train narrow gauge railway, is a great way to see the best of the sights on the island. It rapidly fills with cruisers. Narrow gauge rail has more and tighter bends with more swaying and screeching on curves.
Lighthouse Baptist Church, Crab Hill:
St. Thomas’ Middle Island Parish is on St. Kitts and St Thomas Lowland Parish is on Nevis
St George’s Anglican Church is in Basseterre. (the NM listing is for St Thomas Anglican Church.
Central Forest Reserve
Cockleshell Beach
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 (Saint Kitts) at 1,156 metres.
Mount Liamuiga, a dormant volcano on St. Kitts and the highest peak of the islands, is particularly popular and worthwhile for the great views from the top.
Get Around
By car. Several car rentals agencies.
By bus. Microbuses form the public transportation system and can be flagged down while in route. Service does not generally extend to Frigate Bay or the Southern Peninsula.
Costs. The prices on Nevis are pretty reasonable. Fuel is expensive as it has to be imported
Health: Tap water is safe to drink.
Respect. Do not wear beach attire in the city.
SEE & DO
Diving. Diving sites are ample and gorgeous – sea life, shipwrecks, and caves. For beginners, the Monkey Shoals and Friars Bay Reef are good and easily reachable sites. Sandy Point is a National Marine Park for its beautiful coral heads and magnificent sea life. The Wreck of River Taw, M.V. Talata Wreck, and the more recently sunk Wreck of the Corinthian are popular sites. Turtle Bar and Frigate Bay Reef are famous for turtles. For more experienced divers, the strong currents at Nags Head are a nice challenge, and the broad range of fish at the Aquarium is a good spot.