Miscellaneous information -
St. Vincent

This section contains information on:

Travel to St. Vincent and getting around once you're there
Passport and visa requirements
Geography language and time zone
Weather
Electricity

Getting there and around

Getting there

International and Inter Island Flights

Argyle International Airport is the new airport in St Vincent and is scheduled for completion in 2011.

In the meantime…
You can reach St. Vincent from the UK and the rest of Europe, North America and Canada through six major gateways: St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Martinique, Trinidad and Puerto Rico.

The following airlines have excellent, regular flights to the gateways:

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM, American Airlines, Air Canada, BWIA and Air Jamaica.

View island map
View Caribbean map

For the connecting flights, the following airlines all provide a convenient service: American Eagle, LIAT, SVG Air, Trans Island Air and Mustique Airways, with caribbeanjet.com offering an excellent inter-island service to all of the Caribbean.

If you’d like to charter an aircraft, you can do this through Mustique Airways or SVG Air.

The inter-island hop is just a short journey with approximate flight times as follows:

St. Lucia – 20 mins
Barbados - 35 mins
Grenada - 30 mins
Martinique – 35 mins
Tobago – 50 mins
Puerto Rico – 2hr 30 mins

Mustique Airways: www.mustique.com

SVG Air: www.svgair.com

LIAT: www.liatairline.com

Ferry

You can get to St Vincent by ferry from several of the surrounding islands including St Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Bequia, Mustique, Canouan and Union Island. They have scheduled crossings each day including Sunday, although the service is less frequent on Sunday

Getting around

Taxis

Although the St Vincent government sets the fare rates, taxis are normally un-metered so you should always check the fare before starting your journey. You’ll pay a higher fare for journeys taken late at night or very early in the morning.

It’s quite usual to hire taxis to take you around the island or to visit the major attractions. The taxi drivers are more than happy to act as a “tour bus” and will generally charge around 40 – 50 EC$ per hour. This covers up to 4 people as you’re paying by the hour and not by the passenger.

Buses

You’ll love the buses! They’re brightly painted and decorated and travel the main roads throughout the island, connecting you to the towns and villages.

If you’re used to bus networks in northern Europe or North America you’ll find Caribbean buses somewhat unconventional and laid back.

It’s best to treat this method of transport as a bit of an outing rather than a comprehensive and efficient means of travelling the island.

Driving and Hiring a Car

All you British drivers will be pleased to hear the driving is the left. The roads may take a little getting used to though, as many of the roads are narrower than in the UK and with more bends.

You’ll notice that the locals sound their horns when approaching bends – and it’s a good idea to follow suit! The road signs are not exactly in abundance but the locals are very happy to give you directions.

There are several hire companies including Avis at the airport. The local companies are all happy to collect you from the hotel or the airport and they all offer much the same rates.

You’ll need to take out a temporary drivers licence through the local police or the Licensing Authority but this is very straight forward and the process is pretty much a formality; the hire companies will assist you. It costs EC$50 and is more or less just a way of taxing tourists.

Be sure to have your driving licence with you if you want to hire a car. If you have an international driving licence you just need to get that stamped at the central police station.

Passports and Visas

Everyone entering St Vincent and the Grenadines must have a valid passport, valid for at least six months. You will also need a return or onward ticket, proof of accommodation and sufficient funds for your stay.

If you’re a citizen of the following countries you do not require a visa:

Great Britain, EU Countries, USA, Canada, Australia

All other nationalities should check with the High Commission regarding visa requirements.

Geography

St Vincent and the Grenadines is an archipelago of 32 unique tropical islands and Cays, just 90 miles west of Barbados and lying between St Lucia and Grenada.

Sitting fairly close to the equator, between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, it is one of many small land masses making up the group of islands known as the Windward Islands.

St Vincent is an incredibly beautiful island with lush mountain peaks, tropical rain forests and a volcano in the centre of the island, with fertile valleys and secluded coves and beaches around the coastline.

The mountains and volcano are what gives St Vincent its lush landscape, due to the high rainfall in the interior. It’s also what feeds its stunning selection of waterfalls.

The capital city of Saint Vincent is Kingstown, where about one third of the island’s population lives. Its main industry is processing of agricultural products (rice milling and flour production) and fruit and vegetables production, in particular bananas.

The government is focusing on developing tourism and to that end a new international airport is being built and will be completed in 2011.

Language

English is the official language and is very widely used but a substantial proportion of the population also speaks a French based patois which is a mix of African and French with a little English and Spanish thrown in.

There are a small number of islanders who speak French as their first language.

Time

Standard Time is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-4).
Daylight Saving Time (DST) does not operate here.

Weather

St Vincent’s climate is fairly typical of other Caribbean islands, with similar temperature, humidity and sunshine hours, although it receives more rain than some other islands.

The mountainous terrain in St Vincent does increase rainfall in the mountains and higher regions and especially in the rainy season – June to October.

There is always less rain in the coastal areas and lower lying regions.

The average yearly temperature is 27° C (81° F) but this means that it can peak at over 35° for some of the year – thankfully this heat coincides with the rainy season leaving the rest of the year the best time to visit.

The coolest months are between October and the end of March when the daily highs start to nudge up to over 30° C again until the end of September.

So the best time to visit in terms of low rainfall and comfortable heat is October to March.

Electricity

Electricity is generally 220/240 volt, 50 Hz. Most hotels have 110 volt shaver outlets. The standard electrical plug is 3 pin rectangular just like the standard UK plugs. St. Vincent’s electricity supply is reliable.