Family Vacation Ideas and Help for Family Vacations

    As the backdrop for the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy - with original sets still up - St. Vincent and the Grenadines is also a destination for swashbuckling families.

YEAR-ROUND EXCURSIONS / ACTIVITIES

Caribbean Fun Tours’ four-day/four-night, “Pirates of the Caribbean” package includes:

• Accommodations at Mariners Hotel (www.marinershotel.com), with continental breakfasts

• Daily activities including: two full day tours of St. Vincent with stops in Wallilabou Bay to visit the Pirates of the Caribbean movie set; Kingstown (St. Vincent’s historic capital), Dark View waterfalls; full day tour of Bequia with stops at the historic Hamilton Fort and the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary (including ferry to Bequia)

• Roundtrip airfare between Barbados and St. Vincent • A meet-and-greet upon arrival in St. Vincent by warm hosts

• For bookings or more information call (784) 456-5600, or visit www.caribbeanfuntours.com/

Barefoot Yacht Charters’ six-day/six-night “Learn to Sail” package includes:

• Accommodations on a fully equipped yacht

 • The services of a professional captain/ASA certified instructor

• ASA syllabus book, logbook, examination & certification

• Fuel, mooring and dockage charges

• Linens, towels, cooking equipment and snorkel gear

• For bookings or more information call (784) 456-9526, or visit www.barefootyachts.com/

Sea Breeze Nature Tours’ “Dolphin and Whale Watching Tour” package includes:

• Daily excursions from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. or 1 p.m. - sunset

• Daily activities include: snorkeling, fishing, visits to the Pirates of the Caribbean film set, Fort Charlotte, Kingstown, Botanical Gardens, fishing villages, Bat Cave and Mt. Wynn

• Tours can be tailored to fit individual needs

• For bookings or more information call (784) 458-4969

ATTRACTIONS

La Soufriere Volcano -- Over 4,000 ft high, this active volcano dominates the northern end of St. Vincent and offers an excellent full day hike. A popular way to explore the volcano is to hike up one side of the mountain and down the other. The eastern approach begins with a four-wheel drive excursion through coconut and banana plantations to the Rabacca Dry River (old volcano flow) and the island's Bamboo Forest followed by a two-hour (3.5 miles) hike to the crater rim. Upon reaching the summit, families can descend 750 feet into the crater (only for the extreme adventuress). A western decent from the summit is longer (three-hours) and rougher but offers spectacular vistas out to the Caribbean Sea. While this tour can be self-guided, a guide is recommended, particularly for those planning to descend into the crater. The trek is approximately seven miles (half of which is uphill) and is best suited to individuals who can enjoy the physical rigors of such a hike. For daily expeditions, contact HazECO Tours at (784) 457-8634, or visit www.hazecotours.com/.

Finding the Elusive St. Vincent Parrot -- In the early morning (the best time of day for bird watching), trek three miles inland from Kingstown to the start of the Vermont Nature Trails. On arrival, join the Parrot Lookout Trail, a 1 3/4-mile loop that passes through the southwestern tip of the St. Vincent Parrot Reserve. The reserve was established in 1987 to protect the endangered St. Vincent parrot, with only about 500 in the wild. The trail climbs about 500 feet in elevation into a mixed tropical rainforest of towering native hardwood trees, ferns, cocoa trees and groves of eucalyptus. The hike takes approximately two hours and also offers an opportunity to see the rare whistling warbler, brightly colored hooded tanagers and hummingbirds. For daily expeditions, contact HazECO Tours at (784) 457-8634, or visit www.hazecotours.com/.

Families can also visit the famous Botanical Gardens, the oldest such gardens in the Western Hemisphere. Located to the east of the Leeward coast heading north out of Kingstown, the gardens were found in 1762 as a commercial breeding ground for plants brought from other parts of the world. Unofficial guides are available and can give families a tour of the grounds ($2-$3 per person). Contact HazECO Tours at (784) 457-8634, or visit www.hazecotours.com/.

Complimenting this multi-island nation's natural wonders is an array of historical and cultural sites. Just outside of Kingstown, capital and principal port of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, is Fort Charlotte, completed by the British in 1806 during their struggle with the French and the Caribs for control of the island. The original canons are pointed inland and the barracks have been converted into a pictorial museum. While learning about the island's colorful history, at over 600 feet, families can take in the panoramic views of Kingstown Bay, Mustique and Bequia to the south. At the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary in Bequia, the largest of the islands in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, former seaman Orton King saves endangered Hawksbill turtles from extinction. His now 12-year-old project, which involves the monitoring beaches and nests, protection of mother turtles and eggs from poachers, and the housing of hatchlings in the Sanctuary during the vulnerable years of life - has been making big differences. Families will witness first-hand the importance of caring for wildlife, as well as play with Brother King’s 11-year-old pet turtle, Busybody, who begs with a flap of a fin to be scratched. For visits, contact the Sanctuary at (784) 458-3245, or visit turtles.bequia.net/.