St. Vincent and the Grenadine islands are in the southern string of the Windward Islands, which are part of the Lesser Antilles chain comprising all the eastern islands of the Caribbean. There are 32 islands, of which St. Vincent is the largest at 133sq miles in size. Its rugged mountainous interior is clad in lush forest and rises to the spectacular volcanic crater of La Soufriere at 4,000ft. Waterfalls glisten in the sun and cascade into rock pools and rapids cut into the mountainsides, gushing into rivers that hurtle themselves down towards the sea. Black sandy beaches dotted with gently waving palm trees ring this beautiful island.
In contrast, the glittering, white sandy beaches of Bequia, Mustique, Canouan and Union lying south of St. Vincent, provide such a wonderful ‘get away from it all’ feeling, that the outside world seems to disappear. The best way to claim these beaches, coves and inlets as ‘yours’ for the day, is by sailing your own private yacht, or aboard a charter.
For those who prefer to be active, there are hiking tours which can be as long or short, as hard or difficult as you wish, some going over bamboo bridges that will take your breath away! Snorkelling and scuba diving onto colourful reefs, wrecks and even caves are amongst the most popular activities by visitors to these charming, sleepy Caribbean islands.
The islands are very different from each other, but they all have the understated charm of the old Caribbean. Tourism has for the most part passed the Grenadines by in favour of their bigger sisters, so there are only a few very large hotels, but there are many villas to rent for the duration of your stay.