Hiking in the jungle, the view from an old volcano and a Caribbean paradise island all at the same time, those are some of the things you can do in St. Kitts.

St. Kitts & Nevis is a tiny country in the Caribbean with just above 50 000 inhabitants. As the name suggests the country consists of two main islands, St. Kitts with the capital Basseterre and Nevis with barely 11 000 inhabitants. The islands were each formed by volcanoes a long time ago that left tall mountains with collapsed craters on top filled with lush, green forests.

When the opportunity presented itself to hike to the top of the volcano, Mount Liamuiga, we could of course say nothing but yes!

The trip stated outside Basseterre. We were picked up by a bus for a 45 minute drive to the edge of the forest. After just a few minutes of driving we were greeted by a rather unusual sight: A concrete truck and a mixing drum, separated. How reckless you must be driving to achieve this is beyond our imagination. At least the MOT tests here are not up to the standards that we are used to…

Further on the drive went well and we ended up at a small parking lot where the gravel road stopped and the yellow grass promptly changed to tall green trees. A sign greeted us with a reminder to only take pictures and leave nothing but footprints.

St. Kitts & Nevis got some great advantages for hikers. Thanks to mongooses there are no venomous snakes on the island. The animals were introduced here around 100 years ago and are, like much else, an example of human intervention in nature to relocate animals that has not gone according to plan.

The mongooses were introduced to remove rats, another species accidentally introduced by the Europeans. Unfortunately they started eating a lot more than rats, but at least hikers can now walk around without the fear of being bitten by venomous snakes. The island is also almost free of mosquitoes and other insects, making a hike up the volcano both safe and pleasant.

The hiking trail started fairly flat until we got to the bottom of the volcano itself. Here the terrain changed drastically, becoming steeper and a lot less accessible. Luckily the forest was dense all the way and provided shade from the burning sun. Despite this not everyone seemed to have realised that we were in fact hiking a volcano, it being both physically hard and containing no elevators. The group of 16 was therefore quickly reduced to 11 when we got to the steeper hills. Some had read the note to bring long trousers, but interpreted this to mean jeans rather than hiking trousers…

After about 2.5 hours we reached the edge of the volcano and could enjoy the splendid view from the top. Despite the overcast weather the view was very impressive and the volcano hillsides were green as far as the eye could see.

Some of the mongooses showed up, eager to find food. Our guide shared some of our lunch, something the mongooses were apparently used to.

Finally we had to start the decent back to the bus. This was easier for the lungs, but a lot harder for the legs, not to mention balance. It is by far easier to climb up a volcano than it is stepping down without slipping or falling. The trip took the whole day, hiking 10 km in total. Although we did not get to do too much else in St. Kitts this hike piqued our curiosity of this beautiful country. One day we will return for sure!