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Last Updated on February 3, 2023
In addition to the many beautiful St Kitts beaches, there are a lot of natural trails and lots of options for hiking in St Kitts. We took a trip to St Kitts to stay with the local Ross veterinary school students –my daughter included– and they showed us the best hikes on St Kitts. Many of the hikes were really close to the vet school, making them a frequent past-time for the students. We decided that this little island has some of the best hiking in the Caribbean based on our experience with these fun hikes!
Our first trip to St Kitts was not successful, so this was our second attempt! Read about our first fiasco here:
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CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE ST KITTS HIKE:
Mount Liamuiga Volcano Hike
Take hiking up to hew heights by climbing 3,792 feet up St. Kitts’ tallest mountain. The views of the volcano and the crater once you reach the top are breathtaking and completely worth the 3-hour hike up Mount Liamuiga St Kitts.
Both of my daughters hiked up Mt Liamuiga volcano with a group of 8 people.
READ MY DAUGHTER’S DETAILED ST KITTS VOLCANO HIKE REVIEW HERE
They began the volcano hike around 9 am in order to beat the heat of the afternoon. It rained pretty much the entire 5 1/2 hour hike up and down the volcano, but they didn’t mind because it cooled them down from the high temperature outside in the rainforest mountainside.
They stopped multiple times along the way up for water breaks, to catch their breath, and take in the beautiful St Kitts rainforest scenery. They climbed up rocks, over and under fallen trees, through valleys, and on tree roots the whole hike.
Once they arrived at the peak, they enjoyed their packed lunch while looking out at the lake that formed in the volcano’s crater. From the top, you can also see views of the entire island of St. Kitts and Nevis. The hike down the mountain was more difficult because it was muddy and slippery from the rain – she exclaimed that they all fell at least one time!
The hike provides multiple ropes along the way to hold on to and the arrows on the trees help to guide you on the right path. On average, this hike takes 6 hours, and her group finished within 5 1/2 hours. However, they were all very sore the next day! They all agreed that they would definitely do it again and would highly recommend the volcano hike in St Kitts to anyone interested in a cool hiking experience up a mountain —or rather a VOLCANO!
| TRAILHEAD: | NEWTON GROUND, also pickup from Bassetterre Hotels |
| TIME: | 3-4 HOURS TOTAL |
| LEVEL: | DIFFICULT & LONG |
Choose from these fun Volcano St Kitts Hiking Tours
Radio Tower Hike
The Radio Tower Hike starts near Ross University so it is popular with the vet students that we were staying with. It is a shady hike up to the top of a 1,800-foot climb. Once you reach the top, the view of the island is amazing. ….and there is a radio tower, hence the name of the hike! Plan several hours for this hike that snakes back and forth up to the summit.
| Trail Head: | WEST FARM near Ross University |
| TIME: | 2 1/2 HOURS ROUNDTRIP |
| Level: | Moderate |
Lawyer Stephens Cave & Waterfall Hike
This is a jungle hike with full tree cover, making it a nice cool walk in the shade. You pass a smelly monkey farm along the way and eventually reach the Lawyer Stephens Cave which sits on the trail. Further down the trail are some more ravines and nice waterfalls.
| Trail Head: | OLIVEES MOUNTAIN |
| TIME: | 3 – 5 HOURS |
| Level: | Moderate |
Shipwreck Hike (Shitten Bay Hike)
We got lost on the Shitten Bay Hike and missed the turn so our hike was extra long! (Don’t you love that name?? We sure were saying it quite a lot when we got lost!) Note, this trail heads up and over the island to the other side to get to the shipwreck, so if you are hiking along the beach coast for a while and you haven’t crossed to the other side, you might have missed the turn too!
Start at Majors Bay and follow the trail markers over a rocky path and through the prickly brush. When the path turns to cross the island it becomes even rockier and steeper as you scamper up and around the bigger boulders. At last, you will descend to the other side of the island with the shipwreck in view. The snorkeling around the shipwreck is a wonderful reward for the 1-hour hike that it takes to get there.
The area around the shipwreck is very rocky and the ship has deteriorated so water shoes are highly recommended. There are also many urchins in the area, so watch where you are stepping in the water.
There are a lot of mountain goats roaming around this area. They seem to walk along the narrow paths and right on the edges like it’s no big deal, seemingly wondering why you are hiking in their territory.
PRO TIP: Wear closed-toe shoes and pants to avoid those prickers. There are lots of them and most of us got scratched up during this hike!
| Trail Head: | W MAJOR’S BAY, SOUTH EAST PENINSULA |
| TIME: | 1 hour each way + snorkel time |
| Level: | Moderate |
Bat Cave Hike
This is another hike that is popular with the Ross University students. In fact, they have built and added ladders and ropes to aid future hikers during their trek!
The path to the bat cave is through a shady ravine that is filled with rocks and boulders that you will need to climb up and around. At one point, almost halfway through the hike, there is a huge rock blocking the path and you must climb up the ladder to reach the next level and continue on the hike. Throughout this Rainforest hike, Tarzan vines seem to hang down everywhere begging for a swing.
The endpoint is, of course, a bat cave. You will hear them when you get close, screeching and using their echolocation to fly back and forth. The cave is small and the bats hang out at the back in the dark so it is difficult to photograph them.
Further down the path is a waterfall that is mostly dried up, but maybe after a good storm, it could be free-flowing and might be worth the extra effort.
PRO TIP: Stay on the path. There are poisonous trees that are native to the Caribbean island and you don’t want to encounter one of those while hiking in St Kitts!
| Trail Head: | Challenger Village (just west of Basseterre) |
| TIME: | 45 mins each way |
| Level: | Moderate |
Book these other fun tours while you are in St. Kitts!
Hidden Treasures Shopping
After you are done hiking on St Kitts, make a detour stop at Hidden Treasures for some thrift shopping and community support. It is a consignment shop with amazing customer service. The store is run mainly by donations and all the profits go to those in need of assistance. They work to support other needs of the community, for example, the Spectrum Center for Autism, Her Majesty’s Prison, and other opportunities through the welfare agents of St Kitts.
Hidden Treasures is located in the pink and cream shipping containers in the airport roundabout in St Kitts!
Conclusion about St Kitts hiking trails:
There are many other hikes in St Kitts that aren’t on this list. Did I miss mentioning your favorite St Kitts hike? Let me know in the comments. Make sure you put hiking in St Kitts on your Caribbean Itinerary!
Beaches and hiking? St. Kitts sounds like my kind of place! I’d love to do the Mount Liamuiga Volcano and the Lawyer Stephens Cave and Waterfall hikes. That shipwreck looks pretty awesome too, though. Thanks for sharing; I’d love to visit this area one day! Xx Sara
Yes, St Kitts was paradise for us since we love beaches and hiking so much!!
Bat Cave Hike sounds totally awesome! I would love to do this! Great trip details – I enjoyed this read very much.
I was surprised by how many bats were there. I was thinking it might be over-hyped, but here were really a decent number of bats flying around in that cave!!
Had no idea St Kitts had so many wonderful hikes! I’m a sucker for good hikes so definitely coming back to this post later – thanks for sharing!
Yes!! There is much more to St Kitts besides the beautiful Caribbean beaches!! Definitely check out these hikes.