Visiting Bequia
Bequia is a tiny 7 square mile island with a big, beautiful heart. It forms part of St Vincent and the Grenadines, a country of ecological diversity ranging from the high, rainforest covered slopes and waterfalls of St Vincent with its active volcano, to the white sandy beaches and palm trees of the Grenadines which include Bequia and even tinier palm tree topped islets.
If you’re looking for Bequia on a map, it is just over 100 miles due west of Barbados and 6 miles south of Kingstown, the capital of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Bequia’s white sand beaches are some of the loveliest anywhere in the world and when you have had enough of lying on warm sand there is plenty else to enjoy.
If you prefer to be active on land there are some excellent walks to be enjoyed and there are local guides who’ll make sure you don’t get lost.
Most evenings during the season, one or more bars will have live music and this ranges from steel pan bands to a solo violinist via various types of folk music, so whether you want get out on the dance floor or chill out with a rum punch you’ll find somewhere to suit you.
There are two dive operators, so whether you are an experienced scuba diver, a novice who would like to give it a try or you’d prefer to remain on the surface with a mask and snorkel, they offer a gateway into the amazing and beautiful underwater world around the island.
THINGS TO DO
To go further afield, you can take a day trip on one of the sailing vessels which offer excursions to the Tobago Cays or Bequia’s famous neighbour, Mustique, or you can arrange with a local boatman for a barbecue and snorkelling trip to one of the nearby uninhabited islands.
Hikes & Walks
On the country’s main island, St Vincent, the Vermont Nature Trail is very interesting and offers the possibility of sighting one of the rare St Vincent parrots, but if you don’t spot any of them there it’s well-worth visiting the Botanical Gardens in Kingstown, the oldest in the western hemisphere, where there are a number of the parrots in a breeding programme.
If you’re feeling really energetic, then the hike up the Soufriere volcano in the north of St Vincent is for you. There are several companies which can arrange this day trip for you, collecting you from the ferry in Kingstown and arranging transport and a guide. It takes about 2 hours to reach the rim of the mile-wide crater and on clear days the views from the route up and from the top are wonderful.
