Saint Kitts & Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis is a two-island federation in the Leeward Islands, separated by a two-mile channel called The Narrows, and the smallest sovereign state in the Americas by both area and population. Saint Kitts was England's first Caribbean colony in 1624 and both islands ran on sugar until the industry closed in 2005.

Known for Brimstone Hill Fortress, sugar estate history, Mount Liamuiga volcano, goat water stew and St Kitts Scenic Railway.

Highlights

  • Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, Saint Thomas Middle Island Parish, Saint Kitts: A British fortress built by enslaved Africans over roughly a century on a 230-metre volcanic hill above the west coast, with cut-stone bastions and a citadel at the top. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
  • Mount Liamuiga, North-western Saint Kitts: The dormant volcano that forms the north-west of Saint Kitts, at 1,156 metres the island's high point, with a crater about a kilometre wide holding cloud forest. Its Kalinago name means fertile land.
  • Pinney's Beach, Saint Thomas Lowland Parish, Nevis: A four-mile strip of golden sand running north from Charlestown along Nevis's west coast, backed by coconut palms and looking across The Narrows to Saint Kitts.
  • Museum of Nevis History, Charlestown, Nevis: A small museum in the restored Georgian building on the Charlestown waterfront where Alexander Hamilton was born in the 1750s. The Nevis House of Assembly meets on the floor above.

Places in Saint Kitts & Nevis

Getting around

Privately run omnibuses — minibuses licensed by the government — and taxis cover both islands, and ferries join them. Omnibus fares rose by up to EC$1.00 in November 2024, the first change in sixteen years. Passenger boats cross between Basseterre Pier and Charlestown Pier in 25 to 45 minutes at about EC$25 to EC$30 one way, and the Sea Bridge and iConnect car ferries carry vehicles across the Narrows between Major's Bay and Nevis.