The island of St Vincent is an authentic and beautifully unspoilt tropical paradise. Blessed with rich, fertile soil the island is cloaked in lush, tropical rainforest where banana and coconut palms grow and is also home to the colourful St Vincent parrot. Crystal clear rivers and streams tumble down from the majestic mountainous peaks in the north of the island, forming spectacular waterfalls such as the Falls of Baleine which drop to a huge, rock-lined pool formed by the Falls. Trinity Falls descends in three cascades into a circular pool, then drops another ten feet into a second pool perfect for swimming. Dark View Falls in the forest-clad Richmond Valley on the North West of the island, is actually two separate falls in step formation, an uncommon feature for one site, with elevations of up to 229 feet.

At the far north of the island is the Natural Salt Pond at Owia Bay, consisting of a huge bathing pool enclosed by lava peaks and ridges. The pounding waves of the Atlantic Ocean crash into this barrier and then gently cascade into the pool.

Secluded coves and fishing villages dot the coastline and diving sites abound in the turquoise waters surrounding these volcanic islands. The diving ranges from the gentle, even lazy, to the exhilarating. The deserted cays, rocks, sand bars and lagoons are teeming with sea-life and alive with colour. St. Vincent & The Grenadines is one of those all too rare, virtually undiscovered dive destinations and boasts an almost infinite selection of wall diving sites complete with pristine corals. SVG was awarded the 2006 “BEST DIVING ISLAND OF THE YEAR” from Caribbean World.

Abundant reef-life, normally found at 80-ft in most dive destinations around the world, flourishes in shallow-water reefs along the coast at depths of only 25-ft, with an extraordinary variety of tropical reef fish such as angelfish, sergeant majors and peacock flounder, making it perfect for snorkelling.

The Sailing in St Vincent and The Grenadines is some of the best in the Caribbean and the world. In 2005, for the second consecutive year, it was awarded the 2005 “BEST SAILING & YACHTING ISLAND OF THE YEAR” from Caribbean World. While at sea you may see dolphins and whales, six types of dolphin are found in Vincentian waters, including spinner, spotted, Fraser and bottlenose. Orcas and pilot whales can also be observed.

St Vincent is an ex-British colony. Colonized in 1719 and fought over by France & UK for most of the 18th century until Britain claimed the island for England in 1783, it remained a British colony until internal autonomy was granted in 1969. It gained full independence in 1979 and maintains ties to the British Monarch represented in Barbados by the Governor General.

St Vincent is home to the oldest Botanical Gardens in the Western Hemisphere which were founded in 1762 as a commercial breeding ground for plants brought from other parts of the world. (St Vincent was Captain Bligh’s original destination when the mutiny on HMS Bounty delayed his first scheduled arrival. He eventually completed a second voyage and a descendant of one of his original breadfruit trees thrives in today’s garden).

Wallilabou Bay on the west coast of St Vincent was the principle Caribbean location for Disney’s 2003 hit movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl’, and sequels ‘Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean - At Worlds End’. The bay was transformed into the 17th century town “Port Royal” – the set and props are still in situ and can be visited.