The first island I explored when visiting St Vincent and the Grenadines, was the main island of Saint Vincent. It wasn`t my first trip to the Caribbean as I`ve been to many other islands, such as the neighboring island of St Lucia, one of my favorite Caribbean islands because of its lush green scenery.
Much to my surprise Saint Vincent showed the same tropical green I fell in love with at St Lucia. When hiking up to the Dark View Falls you`re surrounded by a rainforest (Don`t worry the hike to the Falls is short and easy, not as tough as the volcano climb).
During a visit at one of the oldest botanical garden in the western hemisphere, I learned more about their plants. The Botanic Garden was created primarily to provide medicinal plants for the military and improve the life and economy of the colony, but in the early 18th century this changed. Now you can find plants from all over the world.
This one was quite interesting: the Cannonball Tree. The guide told us the flowers only bloom for a day, they are a ball in the morning, flower during the day and then by the evening they fall off.
Next highlight for me at this island was a stop at Wallilabou. Wallilabou Bay is located on the North West coast of St Vincent. The small bay consists of a black sand beach and offers an amazing view. No wonder this was the scene for Pirates of the Caribbean. I had a dip into the sea with what was probably one of the most beautiful settings I`ve ever had for a swim.
On the island of St Vincent the beaches are black because of the volcanic nature of the island. Check out my hike of the still active volcano, La Soufrière.
Saint Vincent has a lot to offer besides just lying on a beach, you can do several hikes to take in the beauty of the tropical green, go snorkeling, and wander around the streets to take in the laid back atmosphere the Caribbean is known for. Or just enjoy the warm welcome from the locals. Like when these school girls greet you along the way with a big smile!
I was invited on this trip by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority. Check out their social channels on Twitter and FB. As always the thoughts in this post are my own.
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