| Eco Adventures
Since primeval times, St. Vincent has been blessed with lush mountains, volcanic-rich soil and unspoiled landscapes of brilliant flora and beautiful crystal clear waters. Add to this the idyllic islands and deserted cays of the Grenadines, and the entire country emerges as a prime eco-playground.
There’s something here for one and all from sailing and dolphin-watching, to hiking the nature trails and swimming in waterfalls. You can climb to the top of a volcano, or explore the fascinating underwater gardens surrounding this pristine archipelago. From Bequia you can catch a quick flight to mainland St. Vincent (nine miles away) or take a regularly scheduled hour-long ferry trip .Occasionally during sea crossings a school of dolphin will leap and twirl to the delight of passengers. Six types of dolphin are found in Vincentian waters, including spinner, spotted, Fraser and bottlenose. Whales, such as Orcas and pilot, can also be observed.
Diving sites abound in the turquoise waters surrounding these volcanic islands. Abundant reef-life, normally found at 80-ft in most dive destinations around the world, flourishes here at depths of only 25-ft, with an extraordinary variety of tropical reef fish such as angelfish, sargeant majors and peacock flounder.
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| The shallow-water reefs surrounding almost every island make snorkelling an exciting adventure. Local dive shops and tour operators are both knowledgeable and experienced at making arrangements, according to each individual’s requirements. If land activities are more to your liking, venture first to Bequia, the largest of The Grenadines. HazECO Tours now offer an Adventure Jeep Safari Tour in 4-wheel drive, custom-designed jeeps.
Diving
St. Vincent & the Grenadines is one of those all too rare, virtually undiscovered dive destinations. The diving ranges from the gentle, even lazy, to the exhilarating, and efforts are always made to ensure that you never dive the same dive site twice... unless, of course, you want to! Most of the dive sites are close to the dive shop bases, a mere ten or fifteen-minute boat ride away. Others, however, may require a slightly longer journey, but one that's filled with the most beautiful Caribbean scenery in the region. And all are well worth the trip. Due to the sharply rising shorelines, there is no shore diving here and this helps to keep the sites in pristine condition. All the dive boats are well equipped, easily accessible and captained by experienced and helpful staff. The dives are Divemaster-led, and this helps to enhance not only maximum diver safety, but also maximum diver enjoyment.
St. Vincent, home to a volcano and a rain forest, boasts an almost infinite selection of wall diving sites, and the underwater scenery, complete with pristine corals, will take your breath away (though hopefully not for long!). Nicknamed "Critter Country", make sure you have a fish I.D. book close at hand.
Golf
Golf is played on the island of Canouan only a short hop away from St Vincent...
An exhilarating and challenging Jim Fazio designed 18 hole championship golf course, set on dramatic sloping hills and along the ocean edge. This is the game at its very best, deemed by Robb Report (June 2005) “Best Golf Course”.
The Trump International Golf Club with spectacular, panoramic views from every hole overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Cooling north-easterly trade winds enhance the challenge and the clubhouse awaits service buggies are never far away. This is a most distinctive course of unique character and playability.
Shopping and Services
The capital city of Kingstown is located in the southwestern part of the island, hugging a mile-wide swath of land on Kingstown Bay backed up by a ring of green hills and ridges. Nicknamed the “City of Arches”, Kingstown is full of old world charm, with Cobblestone sidewalks, old brick buildings and like many Caribbean capitals, much of the colour and bustle of the island can be found in the market square at the corner of Bay and Bedford Streets.
The city consists ot twelve small blocks that are easy to walk and perfect for browsing. Shops and stores range from simple to sophisticated, selling local crafts, books, cameras, binoculars, watches, crystal and bone china, gold and silver jewellery, Sea Island cotton and batik. Edwin D. Layne & Sons Ltd. is a sizeable department store on Bay and Middle Street where you will find everything from clothing and fabric, to building materials and electrical supplies. The Voyager (on Halifax Street) is one of only a few duty-free shops in town and Gonsalves Liquors has a duty-free liquor store at the E.T. Joshua Airport and a downtown location offering a wide selection of imported wines, spirits and liqueurs, stored in their temperature controlled cellars.
If you are in need of provisions, C.K Greaves Supermarket (Upper Bay Street) is convenient and has probably the widest selection of products in town, they also operate Sunrise Supermarket (opposite the airport). Check with them about their delivery service to the docks.
For the convenience of yachtsmen, the new Cruise Ship Complex has docking facilities for yachts as well as large passenger ships. Here you will find a number of boutiques and shops, including the newly opened Cheroots who carry a surprisingly wide range of imported premium cigars and accessories, all at duty-free prices.
In Calliaqua, check out Gourmet Food, they carry an excellent selection of imported cheeses, exotic meats an seafood, along with a good range other deli items. In the area you’ll also find Howards’ Marine who will handle your mechanical problems (they are the agents for OMC) and KP Marine, a general chandlery with an internet cafe, they are the sales and service agent for Yamaha engines and Apex inflatables.
(Out of Town)
On the other side of town, just across from Young Island, is an area known as Villa. This is where you’ll find many of the island’s hotels, restaurants and bars along with a few nice boutiques. When in the area be sure to check out At Basil’s, a unique antique and furniture store, housed in an old colonial style building. They carry a wonderful selection of collectibles, home accessories and furnishings collected from around the world.
(Hours of Business)
While hours of business vary from store to store, they generally open from 8 am until noon, and 1 pm to 4 pm on weekdays and half day on Saturdays. Banks normally open Monday to Thursday from 8 am to noon, and 1 pm to 3 pm and on Fridays 8 am to noon and 3 pm to 5 pm.
(Dress Code)
Casual resort wear is the general rule for both men and women during the day. Out of respect for local customs, swimwear should not be worn on the street, or in shops and restaurants. |
St Vincent Recreation
