Located in the North Eastern Caribbean, St. Kitts holds a special place in the history of the New World. Discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the West Indies, 1493, he named it after his patron saint, San Cristobal.

In the 1600’s the British colonized St. Kitts, and the island was subsequently settled by the French, who then banded together to wipe out the original inhabitants, the Caribs.

Now inhabited primarily by the descendants of the slaves who were brought to the island to work the plantations, St. Kitts now stands tall as one of the few remaining untouched havens in the West Indies. The dramatic zenith of the Brimstone Hill Fortress offers a commanding view of the neighboring islands, whilst the petroglyphs left behind by the Caribs evoke images of a bygone people.

The serene botanical gardens at Romney Manor offer the chance to take in Mother Nature as she intended. And for those looking to feast, Marshalls, The Ballahoo and many other local restaurants offer a wide array of local cuisine. Be entertained byt he dare-devil antics of the moko jumbies (stilt walkers) and masqueraders as you stroll up the historic Circus and Fort Street.

Tourism Board

The St. Kitts Tourism Authority

http://www.stkittstourism.kn

Getting There

Air: St. Kitts is accessible through a daily 3pm flight originating outof Miami through American Airlines. They    also have a weekly Sunday non-stop flight from JFK in New York.Delta Airlines flies out of Atlanta,GA once weekly on Saturday

Ferry: Many of the major cruise-lines have St. Kitts on their itinerary as a one day stop.

AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

1. Brimstone Hill: Engineered by the British and built by slave labour over 100years, the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park stands as a lasting testament to the importance St. Kitts held in the battle for supremacy in the colonies. Situated over 800 feet above sea level, on a clear day, the fort commands a panoramic view of neighboring islands.

2. Romney Manor: Believed to have been built around the site of the last Carib village in St. Kitts, the botanical gardens in this lush estate known as Romney Manor, fill the area with radiant colours. Adding to the allure,the Caribelle Batik shop offers a wide array of local clothing made with the ancient art of batik demonstrated live daily.
3. Carib Petroglyphs: the last reminder of a long dead people, the Kalinago petroglyphs. Marked in white on two volcanic boulders and guarded by a Poinciana tree, the glyphs seem to speak of a tribe whose time came too soon.
   
4. Bloody Point: It is said that after the English and the French settlers banded together to massacre the last of the Caribs, that the river in Old Road Bayran with blood for three days. Come and climb the rocks
   
5. Black Rocks: Formed over 400 years ago during the last volcanic eruption,the Black Rocks offers visitors the chance to see nature’s fury from a safe distance. The razor sharp rocks are a stark reminder of the Caribbean’s turbulent history, calmed by time.

6. The Strip at Frigate Bay:It has become one of the Caribbean’s hottest night-life areas. The beach boasts a strip of bars that collectively have turned The Strip into the Federation’s leading nightlife hot spot. It is the only place in the Caribbean  where there is action right on the beach with the sounds of the waves lapping just a few yards from the revelers.
   
7. The Potter’s House: Located in the old Camps Great House, it is just down the road from the Island’s Main Road. More than 150 years old ,this home is the pottery studio and gallery of Carla Astaphan. She offers live demonstration of pottery making, and her beautiful finished pieces are available for purchase.

8. Rawlins Plantation Inn & Restaurant: Situated at the North oft he island at Mount Pleasant,is the Rawlins Plantation Inn and Restaurant.
9. The Scenic Railway: The “Island Series” railcars of the St. Kitts Scenic Railway are unlike any other railcars anywhere in the world. They are double-decked, with an upper open–air observation platform that puts you high above the top of the sugar cane and island vegetation for unobstructed 360 degree viewing, and a lower air-conditioned“parlor”. Each passenger has a seat on both the top observation deck and in the air conditioned lower level “parlor” of each railcar.
10. Wingfield Estate: Once home to Samuel Jefferson, a great-great-grandfather of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, the remnants of the brick aqueduct still stand some distance up the road.

EVENTS AND FESTIVALS

ST. KITTS CARNIVAL
The celebration of carnival in St. Kitts is unique in many ways. It's the only one in the Caribbean that blends the spirit of Christmas with the colorful display of the nation's culture and African heritage. For the past thirty-three (33) years thousands of nationals and visitors alike, have been flocking to the 68 square mile paradise, to party and soak up all the fun and engage in the frolic associated with carnival.

ST. KITTS MUSIC FESTIVAL
Throughout its early months of existence, the St. Kitts Music Festival was referred to as "The Shak Shak Festival", named for the shak shaks that blossom on the Poinciana (Cock and Hen Tree), during summer months. But that name was only sparingly used in 1996 - the first year, as it was felt that it might soon become tiresome. A simpler alternative, the "St. Kitts Music Festival" was suggested and adopted.

Overnight, the St.Kitts Music Festival went from a position of obscurity to the Caribbean Festival to "keep an eye on". The organizing committee was also commended for keeping the premises safe for festival patrons and for creating an event of great value for money. That year, tickets sold for EC$60.00 with Season passes going for a mere EC$240.00.

Culturama

Each year, Nevisians celebrate their heritage during Culturama. It is Nevis' answer to the plethora of carnivals enjoyed on other Caribbean islands.Held annually in late July/early August, it celebrates Nevisians who have moved away and returned to party with their friends and family. It is a commemoration and festival enjoying the cultural traditions. There's music every night,parties, food festivals, and concerts, culminating in the early march through downtown Charlestown.

Additional festivals include Inner City Fest, in February in Molineaux; Green Valley Festival,usually around Whit Monday in village of Cayon; Easterama, around Easter in the village of Sandy Point; Fest-Tab, in July or August in the village of Tabernacle; and La festival de Capisterre, around Independence Day in Saint Kitts and Nevis (19 September), in the Capisterre region. These celebrations typically feature parades, street dances and salsa, jazz, soca, calypso and steelpan music.

“MUST TRY” LOCAL CUISINE

With its rich soil, St. Kitts and Nevis grow a wide variety of fresh produce. Abundant seafood and meats such as goat add to the diet. The style of cooking is fairly simple, flavored much like other West Indian cuisine. Goat water stew, perhaps the country's most well-known dish, mixes goat, breadfruit,green pawpaw (papaya),and dumplings(also known as "droppers") in a tomato-based stew.

Another favorite dish is cook-up, or pelau, which combines chicken, pig tail, salt fish and vegetables with rice and pigeon peas. Conkies bear a large similarity to tamales,though instead of having filling rolled inside the dough, the cornmeal is mixed together with grated sweet potato, pumpkin, coconut, and a few other ingredients; after wrapping the dough in banana leaves, they are boiled rather than steamed. Sweets tend to be simply made, sometimes with nothing more than fruit, like tamarind or guava, and sugar.

Rum is as popular on St. Kitts and Nevis as it is throughout the Caribbean. The Brinley Gold Company manufactures rum on St. Kitts, with such distinctive flavors as coffee, mango, and vanilla. But the national drink is actually Cane Spirits Rothschild (often abbreviated to CSR),distilled from fresh sugar cane. Belmont Estate and St. Kitts Rum also make rum on the island. In addition several of the beach bars will provide moonshine rum produced by individuals with homemade stills.