St Kitts – Eastern Caribbean Islands

Discovery of St Kitts

Christopher Columbus first drew the attention of the Old World to St Kitts when he spotted the island towards the end of the 15th century through his primitive telescope. For thousands of years native tribes lived and flourished in this fertile and picturesque island, attracting invaders and colonial powers from distant Europe. Now hordes of affluent tourists from closer North America and jet-set Europe flock to St Kitts to enjoy its breath-taking landscapes, blue skies, turquoise sea, and glorious white beaches where the sun shines practically throughout the year.

Its location

This tropical paradise is situated in the Eastern Caribbean. The island is generously endowed with natural beauty and natural resources but very sparsely populated with hardly 40,000 inhabitants. From St Kitts you can see – if the day is clear and visibility is good – the outlines of St Maarten, St Batt’s and St Eustius islands.

Getting here

You can either take a non-stop flight from major American, Canadian and European international airports. Or you may prefer to have a relaxing, more enjoyable – albeit time-consuming – cruise and disembark at Basseterre, the capital.

Tourist attractions

The top on the list is, of course, the island’s fantastic fusion of visual delights enshrined in its tropical green forests and seaside blue lagoons. Tourists come here to appreciate the island’s magnificent landscapes, comparable only to the islands in the South Pacific. St Kitts has the added attractions of several archaeological remains that its ancient inhabitants and subsequently European colonizers built. Many of them are still visible despite centuries of colonial wars and natural calamities.

The capital city

Basseterre is a small town surrounded by forested mountains. The French founded it in the 20s of the 17th century. It still has many well-restored majestic colonial buildings in the downtown areas. The other major city is Georgetown.

The city tour

It would help you to know the island better if you first take a daylong tour of the capital city. The tour operator you use will take you through a coastal road to historic Romney Manor where the ancestors of America’s third President, Thomas Jefferson, used to live.

The tour operator will then take you up 750 feet above the sea level to Brimstone Hill that was built by the British in late 19th century as an impregnable citadel steeped in the history of colonial settlers.

Continue your tour around the island and proceed towards Dieppe Bay, the confluence of the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea.

Getting around

This small capital is content with having only four major streets. Walk through these streets for a satisfying and memorable city tour experience. Most shops and banks are located on Fort Street and Bank Street. The French built the Independence Square in late 18th century as a flourishing slave trade center. It is here where you will find devout Christian population’s most sacred edifice, the Cathedral and many old colonial buildings.

Another landmark is called the Circus, modeled on London’s iconic Piccadilly Circus. It is a circular plaza where many attractive shops, hotels, restaurants and pubs are located.

Restaurants and pubs

The island offers a wide variety of dining and wining opportunities. It abounds with restaurants and pubs located mostly in beach hideouts and in the downtown Circus. Seafood preparations with local flavors are very popular. The island’s two rivers may be drying up, but wine and spirits flow like the never-ending waves of the sea that surrounds the island.

Shopping

Attractive duty-free shops are located near the harbor where luxury cruise ships dislodge their cash-rich passengers. Shops in the downtown Circus and also on the sea front sell Bahamas beachwear and T-shirts. Locally designed ethnic jewelry lure many tourists to lighten their wallets.

St Kitts beckons you

Surf the Net and identify a hotel that you think you would like to stay. St Kitts offers you a wide variety of good hotels. Pack up your bags, hop into a supersonic jet and head for this veritable paradise on earth.