Welcome to St. Kitts
The best kept secret of the Caribbean…
The lush tropical paradise that St. Kitts seems to embody is usually associated with the South Pacific. The atmosphere here is palpably luxuriant. It is an intoxicating blend of sunlight, sea, air and fantastically abundant vegetation. At the center of St. Kitts stands the spectacular, cloud-fringed peak of Mount Liamuiga (pronounced Lie-a-meega), a dormant volcano covered by a dense tropical forest. Intoxicating natural beauty, sunny skies, warm waters, and white sandy beaches combine to make St. Kitts one of the most seductive spots in the Caribbean. St. Kitts remains un-crowded and unspoiled, famous around the world for excellent preservation of the ecosystems.

Nature lovers will want to take advantage of the various tours through lava formations, tropical forest areas, and seaside lagoons. Boating tours and scuba diving expeditions are also favorite activities. Quaint shopping areas and beautiful Colonial architecture draw visitors to the tiny towns. Black, white and golden sand beaches invite countless hours of lounging and sipping on ice-cold drinks. Due to the number of sunken vessels, virgin reefs and other submerged natural wonders, dive enthusiasts are now discovering that, in St. Kitts, beauty runs deep.

St. Kitts, as with other islands all over the Caribbean, was first settled by Arawak and Carib Indians moving up through the islands from South America between five and seven thousand years ago. When Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493, the island had long been occupied by substantial Indian communities. Until recently it was thought that Christopher Columbus provided St. Kitts with its European name. It is said that he dubbed the island St. Christopher, in honor of the patron saint of travelers. Although it may not have been Columbus who named the island, it was almost certainly British sailors who shortened St. Christopher to the familiar St. Kitts.

St. Kitts' early history, like the island's Carib petroglyphs, is inscribed in the towns, landmarks, and estates of the island itself. Colonization began on St. Kitts in 1623, with the arrival of Sir Thomas Warner, his family, and fourteen others at what is now Sandy Point and their settlement at Old Road Bay. The English were joined in 1625 by French settlers led by Pierre Belain d'Esnambue, who had sought refuge on the island after a losing fight with a Spanish galleon. The two groups wiped out the Carib Indians in a massacre at Bloody Point in 1626, weathered a Spanish attack in 1629, and then turned their attentions to colonizing the islands around them. From St. Kitts, the British settled Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda, Tortuga, and Montserrat, while the French claimed Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Nevis is actually the sister island of St. Kitts. It is the smaller of the two at approximately 7 miles in diameter, covering a total of 36 square miles. Nevis lies to the south of St. Kitts and is immersed in as much history and culture as its sister isle.

.