Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

One volcanic main island and thirty-two sailing paradises behind it

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is one volcanic main island plus a chain of thirty-two smaller islands and cays running south towards Grenada. The contrast is stark: Saint Vincent itself is steep, green, agricultural and barely touristed, while the Grenadines are among the most desirable sailing waters in the world.

La Soufriere, the volcano on the main island, erupted violently in 2021, displacing thousands and covering the north in ash. It has since quietened and the hike is possible again, but it is a reminder that this is a live landscape. The main island also has black sand beaches, which surprises people expecting standard Caribbean white.

The Grenadines are the draw. Bequia is the most accessible and has a genuine boatbuilding tradition. Mustique is private and famously expensive. Canouan, Mayreau and Union are quieter still. The Tobago Cays are a marine park of uninhabited islets inside a horseshoe reef, reachable only by boat, and about as close to the cliché of Caribbean perfection as anywhere gets.

Annual events and festivals

• Vincy Mas (Jun-Jul) — the national carnival, with J’ouvert, mas bands and soca monarch competitions.
• Bequia Easter Regatta (Easter) — four days of sailing, including traditional double-ender workboats.
• Nine Mornings (Dec) — unique to Saint Vincent. Communities gather before dawn for nine days before Christmas.
• Independence Day (27 Oct) — marks the 1979 end of British rule.
• Union Island Easterval (Easter) — a southern Grenadines cultural festival.
• Canouan Regatta (May) — sailing and shoreside celebration.
• Breadfruit Festival (Aug) — celebrating the crop Captain Bligh brought here on the Bounty second voyage.
• Emancipation Day (1 Aug) — commemorating the end of slavery.
• Blues Festival (Jan-Feb) — a growing music event across several islands.
• National Heroes Day (14 Mar) — honouring Chatoyer, the Garifuna chief who resisted the British.