Saint Christopher (St. Kitts)

Islands

Lobby

St. Kitts is green and pleasant, with a dramatically steep central mountain range rising 3,750 feet high. Much of it is covered in rainforest, which is often shrouded in passing clouds. Up in these heights live many thousands of African green vervet monkeys, descendents of a few originally bought over by planters. The land between the mountains and the sea is gently sloping and fertile, planted mainly in sugar cane. This lower land is relatively flat and easy to drive on.

The Caribs called St. Kitts "Liamuiga," which means "fertile isle." Columbus renamed it after his patron saint, and nowadays it is known either as St. Christopher or by the abbreviated St. Kitts. Sir Thomas Warner landed here with a group of settlers in 1623, making it the first British Caribbean colony. A French group joined them, and the two nations teamed up to massacre the 2,000 Carib inhabitants before they fell out between themselves. After 150 years of fighting and uncertainty, St. Kitts, with its sister isle, Nevis, became British under the treaty of Versailles in 1783. Today they are a fully independent, twin-island state with a British tradition and about 50,000 inhabitants. In graciousness and outstanding visual beauty, these islands have not changed too much from the old plantation days. Most of the large estates have been converted to small luxury hotels and restaurants. The economy is based on tourism and agriculture, with sugar cane as the most important crop. Baron Edmond and Rothschild Distilleries have even created a new cane sugar spirit, called CSR, from the local sugar cane.

A railway runs right round the island and is used for collecting the sugar cane. It passes through the scenic heart of St. Kitts, and now you can take a luxury train ride, which offers spectacular views. This is the only surviving railway in the eastern Caribbean. St. Kitts Scenic Railway has put on a double-decker train with air-conditioned comfort and rattan seating in the lower part and a shaded but open gallery up top. The tour includes both a train and a bus ride. Drinks are served as you ride and are included in the price, which is $89. They are often packed with cruise ship passengers, but they run about three trains a week on non-cruise ship days, when anyone can join. Best stop by their office and make a reservation; it is an easy walk from the marina.

Most of the island’s sugar cane is government owned. The present government decided in 2005 to get out of the sugar business. The cane is still around although no longer harvested

click chart to enlarge

since July 05