Jump to content

Volcano Hike on St. Kitts


lpmh919

Recommended Posts

Is anyone familiar with the Mt. Liamuiga Volcano Hike? We will be in port for one day and this caught our eye. We are in fairly decent shape and we have hiked a lot in the past. I have heard it's "strenuous", but I also know that strenuous is defined differently depending on where you are at. We were in Alaska last year and their "moderate" was very strenuous. LOL

Has anyone ever done this hike on St. Kitts? Any info or advice is appreciated.

 

I am also concerned with the time it takes. I worry that if we do this hike we won't have time to see anything else on the island. Thoughts?

 

Thanks!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did it. Incomparable view, and an experience you will remember. It is certainly strenuous, but worth it. We are 44, work out daily (4 miles walking, 2 miles high-incline elliptical, strength training); and we were tired and sore the next day. The downhill part is hard on the knees, and there is some rock scrambling if you want to get to the highest lookout point. But we're so glad we did it!!

 

People who took the ship's tour probably didn't get a chance to see much more of the island. We booked with Royston, and I highly recommend him. He's a great guy, and we were the only two on his tour, whereas the ship's tour had 10 (for more money!). He was totally flexible, drove us all around the circumference of the island, stopping wherever we wanted for however long we wanted. We actually did the Bloody River hike, took pictures from a lookout point over the Southern Peninsula, stopped for a while at the Romney Plantation, drove through Basseterre, and saw the Black Rocks... all in addition to hiking Mt. Liamuiga! You won't regret it if you book with him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi

I would recommend David Swanston of Poinciana Tours. He is quite friendly and patient and very knowledgeable about his island. We did a volcano tour with him when we visited on the Carnival Victory and we had a wonderful time. He even took us to the beach after the hike. He also take small groups. There are some tour operators who do not take small groups so I highly recommend David. His website is http://www.poincianatours.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

So, it looks like you can do the hike, and still have some time to see the rest of the island? I am with the OP, the hike sounds intriguing, however, I would also like to see Brimstone Fortress and the southeast peninsula, not just spend the entire day hiking! Any thoughts, please? I have heard Thenford Grey is good, any other recommendations?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wanna do this hike! I've read on Tripadvisor of people doing it solo (without a guide). I would like to do that buy my wife is worried I would get lost and not get back to the ship, lol. So I'm looking for a guide who doesn't take a ton of people, because while its all beautiful I don't want to spend a ton of time waiting on that one person.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having done this hike, I don't think it would be terribly difficult without a guide...if you were staying on St. Kitts and had a car. Have never heard of people being lost here...maybe you are thinking of Grenada or Dominica Boiling Lake??? The trail is not hard to follow once you find it.

 

Anyway, the trailhead is not easy to find, and it's pretty far from the port. Those are the main reasons I recommend Royston. In addition, he's a fun guide, can show you all around the island, and can help you find the best vantage points atop Mt. Liamuiga, which otherwise you might miss. It was just us two with him that day, so it was almost like DIY (my usual preference), but with transportation & local knowledge added.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
We did it. Incomparable view, and an experience you will remember. It is certainly strenuous, but worth it. We are 44, work out daily (4 miles walking, 2 miles high-incline elliptical, strength training); and we were tired and sore the next day. The downhill part is hard on the knees, and there is some rock scrambling if you want to get to the highest lookout point. But we're so glad we did it!!

 

People who took the ship's tour probably didn't get a chance to see much more of the island. We booked with Royston, and I highly recommend him. He's a great guy, and we were the only two on his tour, whereas the ship's tour had 10 (for more money!). He was totally flexible, drove us all around the circumference of the island, stopping wherever we wanted for however long we wanted. We actually did the Bloody River hike, took pictures from a lookout point over the Southern Peninsula, stopped for a while at the Romney Plantation, drove through Basseterre, and saw the Black Rocks... all in addition to hiking Mt. Liamuiga! You won't regret it if you book with him.

 

Thanks for posting this!! We have this booked with Royston in September, so it is great to see that you enjoyed your trip. I think it may be time to step up my training though ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for posting this!! We have this booked with Royston in September, so it is great to see that you enjoyed your trip. I think it may be time to step up my training though ;)

 

Having this trip booked was a great incentive to keep up our training! We knew we'd be in trouble if we slacked off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...