Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

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Quick Facts

[edit]

Capital

Kingstown

Population

117,534

Government

parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth

Religions

Christianity (Protestant, Catholic)

Languages

English, French patois

Calling Code

+1784

Nationality

Vincentian

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Introduction

The Grenadines pick up where Grenada leaves off and stretch northwards till they hit Saint Vincent. They are a collection of 30 islands, only a dozen of which are inhabited. Most are blessed with perfect Caribbean beaches and diving waters and many of the islands also afford great windsurfing conditions.

Canouan

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Saint Vincent is the cultural hub of the islands, where most of the population live. Kingstown, along its southwestern shore, is the country's capital, a bubbly cultural affair marked by a decidedly relaxing West Indies atmosphere. The island affords a number of great hikes, most notable of which is the journey up the La Soufriére volcano, a tall active volcano as majestic as it is volatile.

Cruises are a great way of seeing the Grenadines and Saint Vincent. Budget travellers will have to pick their islands wisely, since some are geared almost exclusively to the rich and famous.

Brief History

Geography

Regions/Islands

• Saint Vincent is the largest island and most populous
• The Grenadines is an archipelago south of Saint Vincent. The Grenadines partly belong to the nation of Grenada.

Cities/Towns

• Kingstown is the country's capital on Saint Vincent.
• Barrouallie
• Chateaubelair
• Georgetown

Sights and Activities

Meet celebraties

The Caribbean islands are favorite among famous people and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines might just be number one on the list. So if you want to bump into people like Mick Jagger and David Bowie, this is your chance. Sarah Jessica Parker is said to have bought some property as well here. Especially the island of Mustique has a high density regarding VIPs but staying on the island yourself will come at a cost. Still, daytrips do some of the beaches and beachbars are possible...you never know who you are going to meet.

Island Hopping

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines consist of dozens of uninhabited islands but also the main islands like Union Island, Saint Vincent and Mustique are well worth a visit. There is wide choice and you can either hop from one island to another by public ferries or take an organised tour, for example with a sailing yacht to the Tobago Cays in the south of the archipelago.

Fort Charlotte

Fort Charlotte is located on the main island of Saint Vincent and is situated on a 201 meter high ridge north of the capital Kingstown. From here, there are panoramic views of Kingstown and the Grenadines to the south. You can walk through the old officers' quarters, whose walls are lined with paintings depicting Black Carib history. The rest of this 18th-century fort mainly is off-limits and one part is even used as a women's prison.

Other sights and activities

• Botanic Gardens - the oldest in the West Indies
• Beaches - Indian Bay Beach on Saint Vincent, especially the ones further south in the Grenadines are worth it.
• Vermont Nature Trail
• La Soufriere Volcano - it is possible to go to the top, but it is not an easy afternoon walk

Events and Festivals

• Carnival in July

Weather

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have a hot and humid tropical climate with average daytime temperatures between 28 and 30 degrees Celcius and average nights around 23 degrees Celcius. Most rain falls between June and October with a chance of hurricanes from August onwards. Therefore, the drier (and slightly cooler) December to April period is the best time to visit weatherwise. Unfortunately prices rise sharply during this period and the months of November and May still have good weather. So budgetwise these latter months may be a good option as well.

Getting there

Plane

Mustique Airways and SVG Air are the two national airlines flying to and from E.T. Joshua International Airport. They both operate both scheduled and charter service to most islands in the eastern Caribbean, like Antigua, Barbados, Martinique, Grenada and Saint Lucia.

Boat

From Union Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines there are ferries to and from the island of Carriacou, Grenada. The M.V. Jasper travels from Union Island to Carriacou at 6AM on Mondays and Thursdays. In the other direction, it leaves Carriacou on the same day around noon. The costs is about EC$20.00, which is around 7,5 US Dollar. In addition various fishing boats leave Union Island at 7.30AM and will drop passengers in Carriacou for about the same price. Expensive watertaxis ply the same route between Carriacou and Union Island.

From October 2009, BEDY Ocean Lines, will have a ferry in operation for residents only, connecting Saint Vincent with Barbados and Saint Lucia.

Getting around

Boat

There is an Inter Island ferry between several of the main islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Four ferries operates between the islands of Saint Vincent, Bequie, Canouan, Mayreau and Union Island. The exact schedule can be found on this page]].
Admiralty Transport (phone 784 458 3348) and Bequia Express (phone 784 458 3472) have 4 boats togethere, travelling between the island of Bequia and Kingstown on Saint Vincent. There are 7 sailings on weekdays, 5 on Saturdays and 2 on Sundays.

By Plane

Mustique Airways and SVG Air both have flights between the main island Saint Vincent and the smaller islands of the Grenadines. Mustique Airways flies between Saint Vincent and Mustique while SVG Air flies between Saint Vincent and the islands of Mustique, Canouan, Bequia, Mayreau, Petit Saint Vincent, Palm Island and Union Island. Most of them are scheduled flights, although the smaller islands like Palm Island and Petit Saint Vincent are mainly served by charter flights.

By Train

There are no options of travelling around by train.

By Car

Renting a car is good option on Saint Vincent with several international (Avis) agencies and local onces offering a raneg of cars. Options are limited on the other islands though, where taxis are a better way to get around privately. Remember that driving is on the left hand side of the road and that you need to buy a special temporary driving permit as well, which can be bought at the offices of the car rental agencies most times.

By Bus

Buses are a good way to get around the island of Saint Vincent and it is also a fun way to get around and meet the locals. Buses on Bequia are also good, but are more of the shared taxi type. On most routes you can just flag down a bus anywhere or get off anywhere you like as well. On the other islands, some shared taxis are available as well, otherwise you need to get a private taxi.

Red Tape

A valid passport and proof of onward or return transport is required. A visa is not needed.

Money

The currency of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, or EC$. It has existed since 1965 and is used by 7 other states of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States as well. Only the British Virgin Islands (the nineth member) doesn't use it, but uses the US$ instead. The EC$ is subdivided into 100 cents and has been pegged to the United States dollar at US$1 = EC$2.7 since 1976. The EC$ comes in coins of 1, 2, 5, 10 and 25 cents and a coins of 1 dollar. There are notes of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollar.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

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