St. Kitts - Welcome to the Mountains, Monkeys and Beaches page

PO Box 3119, St. James, Barbados, W.I.
Tel: 1 (246) 434 3434 E-mail: info@skyviews.com

St. Kitts - Welcome to the Mountains, Monkeys and Beaches page

St. Kitts exhibits a range of ecosystems that combine to produce a whole range of activities for your enjoyment whilst you are on holiday. St. Kitts' Northern, Central and Southern mountain ranges are carpeted in thick rainforest supporting huge bio-diversity. Beaches are classic - white sand, crystal clear neon-blue water, shallow coral reefs and leaning palm trees. Many hiking trails exist into the rainforest; the vegetation becomes a classic, unbroken canopy with giant ferns, cabbage palms, mahogany and burr trees with their odd, winding butress roots and a myriad of different plant species both on the forest floor (mosses, epiphytes, bromeliads, and orchids) and others winding up tall trunks to the canopy (lianas, wild philondendrons, ferns, strangler fig and cockspur). As one ascends it becomes noticeably cooler and the forest is punctuated with the sound of quail doves, zenaidas and thrashers. You may also see the Antillean Crested Hummingbird or the larger Green or Purple-Throated Caribs feeding on red, yellow and orange heliconia flowers. You will hear the piping of tree frogs too. There are also the distinctive termite nests on tree trunks looking like large, fine black soil or honeycomb stuck to tree trunks. The higher you go the more the ferns dominate the vegetation and the more you become enveloped in cloud.

The Most famous animal you will see is the green vervet monkey. Introduced from Africa two centuries ago they are said to outnumber the human population and are fascinating to observe. They are fairly shy, but are playful and will occasionally stop for a look. Their intense expressions and furtive movements are priceless. Tours are both entertaining and informative - guides will share scientific knowledge as well as impart stories based on local folklore - of which there is plenty. Just ask your guide about "Markus, King of The Woods"- The St.Kitts Heritage Society provides a fascinating online account of this famous escaped slave. You will also hear about the many forms of "bush medicine" and treatments drawn from the rainforest, underlying just what a precious natural resource the rainforest is.

The South East Peninsula of St. Kitts has large tracts of the two other main types of natural vegetation tracts found on the island: dry forests and mangroves. Dry forests are characterised by organ-pipe cacti and century plants (relative of the agave plant - like a Yucca plant with no stem). These plants are dispersed amongst small shrubs and wild grasses. Many monkeys live in this habitat too and you will often see them in the trees by the peninsula road. Look for the "Tourist Tree" - its bright red bark peeling - and think about your sun cream! You may also see another introduced animal - the mongoose - like a stoat or ferret with, unfortunately, very bad road sense. They seem only to cross at the least opportune moments - they are much better at negotiating snakes which they have all but eradicated from St. Kitts.

Mangrove forests are found down at sea level and are vital to the stability of beach sands. They also support a variety of animal and marine life - among them fiddler crabs, sandpipers, plovers and black & white long-legged stilts plus other little crustaceans. You might catch the odd heron or duck too. If you lead a generally charmed life you may spot in the higher branches the magnificent Osprey or fish eagle. More common though are the chicken hawks shrieking as they circle on the thermals above the peninsula hills. Mangrove vegetation includes typically odd-looking above-water root systems of the wetlands forming a complex, sheltered habitat.

St. Kitts is blessed with a myriad of beautiful, complex ecosystems containing a range of photogenic wildlife and a whole host of relaxing (and in some cases deliberately not so relaxing) things to do. From its seas to its forests, there's something to please everyone.