ITINERARY
ITINERARY
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Caribbean Pirates Sailaway
Step onboard a handmade Schooner for a cruise along the leeward coast of St Vincent. This little island’s volcanic beginnings have left it a legacy to be proud of – rich, fertile soil, lush valleys and shimmering black sand beaches. You’ll start this tour with a scenic trip on the traditional West Indian boat along the coast, before dropping anchor, Here, you’ll have a chance to take a dip and enjoy the underwater theatrics first-hand. Or, if you’d prefer, you can laze on the beach and soak up the scenery from dry land. Then it’s back on the waves for a visit to the hideaway cove. where the Pirates of the Caribbean movie was filmed. In fact, the schooner you’ll be travelling on was used in the filming of the first movie. With a drink in hand and music playing in the background, it’s the perfect way to explore the coast.
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St Vincent Island Highlights
This one lets you tick off all the island’s best bits. Your trip starts with a scenic uphill drive to Fort Charlotte – a former British Garrison built back in 1806. Nowadays, it’s taken on more of a cultural identity and houses a collection of local paintings depicting the history of the Carib Indians. Artwork aside, the sweeping views of the Northern Grenadines and the capital of Kingstown from up here are worth the trip alone. When you’ve had your fill of scenery, it’s on to the Botanical Gardens. Opened in 1765 and home to a breadfruit tree brought over from Tahiti, this place is a green-fingered history fest. Next on the agenda is the leafy Mesopotamia Valley. Nicknamed ‘the food basket’ because of its rich soil, it’s a lush labyrinth of fruit trees, banana plantations and vegetable crops. Once again, the views are fantastic, so don’t forget your camera.
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Gardens of St Vincent
This tour kicks off with a scenic drive through historical Kingstown. Your guide will point out the Cenotaph en route – an iconic memorial in honour of the brave Vincentians who gave their lives in the First World War. Then it’s on to the Botanical Gardens. Home to the island’s national bird, the endangered Amazona Guildingii, this 20-acre site offers up a natural snapshot of St Vincent. It dates back to1765, making it one of the oldest gardens in the western hemisphere. Up next are the Montreal Gardens. Tucked in the lush Mesopotamia Valley – nicknamed ‘the food basket’ thanks to its fertile soil – this flower-laden oasis offers up widescreen panoramas of the surrounding hills and valleys. Stroll through the grounds or sit back and enjoy some open-air refreshments before heading back to the port.
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St Pierre & Rum Distillery
This tour mixes local history with the local tipple. And the first stop is Balata Church. Don’t be surprised if this white-domed beauty looks familiar – it’s a scaled-down replica of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris. It’s then onto a rum distillery. You’ll not only get a tour, but a tasting session of Martinique rum. Next up is St Pierre - the Caribbean equivalent to Pompeii. In 1902 over 30,000 people were killed when Mount Pelee erupted. The museum relives the disaster and tells the story of a prisoner who managed to escape death by lava. Finally, there’s a little more history in store. Le Carbet is a small fishing village made famous in 1502 when Christopher Columbus landed here.
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Kayaking Mangroves
Had your fill of sunbathing and swimming? This is one for the more active crowd. You’ll first travel to a nearby islet to pick up your kayaks. And with paddles at the ready, you’ll head off into the quiet mangroves. You’ll be in the water about 40 minutes, gliding under tropical canopies. And red and black mangrove trees sprout from the water. Guides are on hand to make sure you get the most out of the day and help you perfect your technique. Plus there’s plenty of time to chill with a fruit juice, or swim in the sea before taking the boat back to the ship.
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4x4 Adventure
Leaving the ship by 4X4, you’ll thunder through rivers and trundle past banana plantations as you head deep into the rainforest of La Palourde. And it’s no wonder this place is nicknamed the ‘isle of flowers’ - with tropical greenery all around, this is one for wannabe Bear Grylls. After an hour of exploring, there’s time for refreshments and a photo stop. Back in the 4X4, the next stop is a visit to Coeur Bouliki in the heart of the forest. On the way you’ll pass sweeping sugarcane plantations, with valleys and mountains in the distance. There’s plenty of time to take it all in before returning to the ship.
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Panoramic Tour of the Butterfly
Waterfalls, dramatic countryside and a crafts village – you’ll see it all on this no-holds-barred tour of Guadeloupe. Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe’s western wing, is first on the to-see list. This is one of the 7 national parks of France – a landscape thick with rainforest and jagged peaks. You’ll get a close-up look at Crayfish Waterfall before heading back over the bridge to Grande-Terre. In Morne-à-l’Eau, we’ll stop by a cemetery with chessboard-painted tombs and gravestones. In the original capital of Guadeloupe, Le Moule, keep an eye out for Zevallos House. This 19th-century place looks like a plantation house straight out of the Deep South. The drive through Saint-François is quite the head-turner, serving up white-sand beaches and a wriggling coastline. Soon, you’ll spy the most easterly point on the island, dramatic Castle Point. The crowning cross was built to bless ships as they passed by. Before returning to the ship, there’s a quick pit stop to visit a local market.
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Beach by Motorboat Shuttle
A lazy day on the beach awaits you on this trip. We’ll whisk you off on a speedy water taxi to Le Gosier, one of the most popular spots in Guadeloupe. Fleur D'Epee Beach Resort will be your host, and it lines up loungers, parasols and a bar. After a couple of hours, you can hop back on a return water taxi, soaking up the views of Guadeloupe’s coastline along the way.
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Carbet Falls
The iconic Carbet Falls is the star of this tour. First, though, you’ll stop off at a Hindu temple. Some 40,000 indentured Indian workers came to Guadeloupe in the 19th century, and colourful Hindu temples sprung up in their wake. That’s just the warm up, though – Carbet Falls is the real show stealer. This trio of waterfalls is one of Guadeloupe’s most well-known natural beauties. For the best views, head for the viewing platform. After getting a good look, you’ll head off on a guided walk through the rainforest to the second falls. This one plunges more than 300 feet in to a pool below. The drive back to the ship goes via L’Allée Dumanoir, a kilometre-long avenue lined with sky-scraping royal palm trees.
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Pitons Cruise
Beaches. Mountains. Rainforests. Volcanoes. Springs. When it comes to natural beauties, St Lucia’s in a league of its own. This trip takes you on a tour of some of the island’s best bits and, because they can all be seen from the sea, you’ll get to enjoy them from the comfort of a catamaran. Setting off from Castries, you’ll glide along the island’s west coast, passing mangrove-lined beaches and lush forests. And then it’s time for the star of the show. As you enter Soufriere bay, the twin mountains of Petit and Gros Piton will rise out of the sea before you. Topping over 2,000 feet each, their summits have only been tackled by the most daring of climbers. We’ll circle the bay for some great photo opportunities, before heading to one of the scenic bays along the coast. We’ll make a quick stop, and you’ll be served snacks, drinks and get the chance to dive into the Caribbean Sea for a quick swim. Last up is Marigot, the most famous cove on the island. This was a favourite battleground of the English and French back in the 18th century and, more recently, was the setting of Dr Doolittle.
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Scenes of St Lucia
This short tour packs a lot in, so it’s a good way of ticking off St Lucia’s top attractions. It begins with a scenic drive up the Morne Fortune hillside. Translated as ‘hill of good luck’, it was a key battleground during colonial times. You’ll look out over thick, green vegetation as you get higher and higher, making your first stop at the colonial-style St Mark’s House high in the hills. From here, you’ll be treated to a panoramic view of Castries’ harbour and the Caribbean Sea. Next on the agenda is St Lucia’s one-and-only rum distillery. Here, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how the spirit is made, before enjoying a tasting session. Sip premium, spicy and crème liquor varieties, then head to the gift shop to pick up a bottle of your favourite. Your next stop is a viewpoint at the picturesque Marigot Bay, with its turquoise waters and velvety green hills. Last but not least, there’ll be time for a bit of retail therapy, as you call in at Caribelle Batik. This place is famous throughout the Caribbean for its batik prints, and you can see the artisans at work on the clothes and wall hangings.
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Time At The Beach
Think Caribbean, think soft sands and turquoise seas. Throw in a palm tree or two and you could be in paradise. It’s true - beach-wise, you just don’t get better than this. That’s why you’ll probably want to make the most of the shoreline while you’re here. And our trip to Reduit Beach, in Rodney Bay, is a great chance to do just that. The choice of restaurants, shops and bars on offer has cemented Rodney Bay’s reputation as a top tourist spot, but Reduit Beach itself has remained pretty unspoilt. Cue clean waters, soft sands and plenty of space to pull up a sunlounger and relax, Caribbean-style. Of course, if you don’t fancy staying horizontal the whole time, there’s a good selection of watersports on offer. Or there’s a scattering of beach bars where you can chill out if that sounds just a little too much like hard work.
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Discover Grenada
All cinnamon, cloves and allspice, it’s little wonder Grenada’s known as the Caribbean’s Spice Island. But they’re not the only treats that grow here. There’s plenty of citrus, bananas and cocoa beans, too. In fact, the menu of plants that call this place home reads like the ingredients for a Nigella recipe, so it’s easy to see how this place came to be one of the world’s leading spice suppliers. You’ll wind through the rainforest to the Grand Etang Lake viewing point. A giant volcano crater filled to the brim with cobalt water, it’s certainly easy on the eye. And its volcano-top location makes it all the more breathtaking. From here, you’ll travel to Annandale Falls, a fairytale paradise of cascading water, hanging ferns and dainty orchids that’s like a secret Caribbean garden.
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Rhum Runner
On the Rhum Runner, life is one big Caribbean party. It’s a catamaran-style cruise where steel drums and rum punch are the order of the day. First things first, you’ll set sail along the Spice Island’s gorgeous coastline with a guide giving you snippets of Grenada’s history as you go. You’ll enjoy free-flowing rum punch as you gently bob across the waves to Morne Rouge Beach, where you’ll have some free time to sunbathe. On the return trip, meanwhile, the fun really begins. They crank up the music for the Rhum Runner Limbo Competition, and serve a light snack of fruit, cheese and crackers along with more rum punch and soft drinks. This is most definitely the life.
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The Spice Island
Do you want to see all the main highlights this island has to offer? After enjoying a picturesque panoramic drive along the west coast of the island, we’ll head to Dougaldston Estate where the fun begins with an introduction to the famous spices that make this island one of the top spice suppliers in the world. The tour then continues to the breathtaking views over Grenada’s Grenadine islands, once home to the Carib Indians on the island. Then we’ll continue to the River Antoine Rum Distillery for some sampling before a delicious Creole lunch is served at the plantation restaurant. Then, time to sit back and relax as we take a gentle drive through rainforests and over mountains, with a stop at Etang Lake and the famous Annandale falls along with a little free time at the stunning gardens.
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Tobago South
This tour offers up Tobago’s natural beauty and history rolled into one. After travelling through Scarborough, you’ll arrive at the Mysterious Tombstone, the burial place of an 18th-century woman called Betty Stivens. Her gravestone bears an enigmatic epitaph, which has puzzled people for over 230 years. You’ll also see nearby Fort James, built by the Latvians in the 1600s to guard Great Courland Bay. Next comes a drive along Mount Irvine Road, following the scenic northwest coast to the famous Mount Irvine Bay Hotel and Golf Club. Its undulating fairways are carved from an old sugar plantation and serve up wonderful panoramas over the Caribbean Sea. From here, it’s on to Store Bay, one of Tobago’s most beautiful beaches, where white sands mingle with glossy palms, crab-n-dumpling stalls and light blue seas. We'll also call in at Fort King George. Built by the British in the 1770s, its old buildings and cannons sit in manicured lawns high above Scarborough, giving you breathtaking views over the coastline and capital.
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Glass Bottom Buccoo Reef
Basking off Tobago’s west coast, Buccoo Reef is probably the most spectacular of its kind in the Caribbean – it’s even warranted a visit from Jacques Cousteau. It’s also a snorkelling hotspot, which is what this trip is all about. After leaving Scarborough, we’ll drive you to Pigeon Point beach, a long ribbon of palm-fringed sands. Here, you'll step off the Pigeon Point where you’ll board your glass bottom boat. Gaze at the tropical aquarium below as your captain points out the best of the underwater life during your short journey. Then, once you reach the reef, it’s up to you what you do – you can relax on board or explore with a snorkel. Waft through the technicolor corals and crowds of reef fish – it’s an extraordinary undersea world. You might even be joined by a giant turtle or two. Next, it’s on to the Nylon Pool, a coral sandbank washed by electric blue shallows. You’ll have some time to swim in the waist-deep waters here before your boat returns you to Pigeon Point and your coach. Your snorkelling equipment is provided, so all you need is your swimsuit, sun cream and towel.
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Roxborough Rainforest Adventure
Tobago has more than its fair share of scenic beauty and exotic wildlife, and on this tour you’ll witness both. Your destination is the Tobago Forest Reserve, which has been protected since 1776, making it one of the world’s oldest nature reserves. Enveloping the island’s mountainous spine, it’s a wonderland of towering trees, hanging vines and thick tropical vegetation, all making up a delicate eco-system. Sit back and relax as you drive along the island’s rugged windward coast, passing wave-swept headlands and pastel-painted villages en-route to Roxborough. It’s here that your real adventure begins, as an expert guide leads you down trails through the jungle. As you go, you’ll pass hidden streams and waterfalls, and hear intriguing facts about the plants and trees around you as your guide explains how they’re used as food and medicines. You’ll also be introduced to some of the 200 species of birds and other creatures that call this Garden of Eden home – parakeets, hummingbirds, leaf-cutter ants, armadillos and squirrels are among them. Bring binoculars if you can and wear comfortable walking shoes. The trek lasts around two hours, so you’ll need to be relatively fit.
