Sleepy, laid-back little Bequia exudes a quiet Caribbean charm that never fails to enchant visitors. Situated at the northern end of the Grenadines, the island has a centuries-old tradition of shipbuilding and sailing and during our stay (6 nights at an elegant 4 star hotel on the beach) we will take 2 day sailing trips on an historic 100 ft Bequia schooner to visit Mustique island and the stunningly beautiful Tobago Cays.
Bequia and Barbados Tour: Walking, Sailing & Snorkelling
With its cricket matches and Anglican parish churches Barbados still reflects its British colonial past, but this is also an exuberant Caribbean island of calypso, rum and flying fish, with miles of sugarcane fields, little villages characterised by wooden ‘chattel houses’ and a relaxed, warmly welcoming atmosphere that brings visitors back year after year. We spend a week in a meticulously restored historic hotel (4 star) on the breezy Atlantic coast, from where a series of island-wide walking tours take us to a Jacobean Great House, fine botanical gardens, Georgian military architecture in Bridgetown and a polo game.
HIGHLIGHTS of our Bequia and Barbados walking tour include:
- Traditional sailing boats and excellent snorkelling on the sleepy island of Bequia
- Stay in two fine 4 star hotels, both small and with character & charm
- Tropical forest walks with humming birds, wild heliconia and ginger flowers, and coastal walks with marvellous views
- Tour several of the magnificent gardens and Great houses on Barbados
- Delicious meals based on seafood and tropical produce, accompanied by fine imported wines and excellent local rums and fruit cocktails
- An afternoon watching a polo game and a morning tour of St Vincent island
Guests’ comments on this trip:
‘A great holiday, with varied activities and visits, as well as ample ‘leisure’ time. The mix of walking, water activities, gardens, history/cultural activities was well chosen.’
'Very enjoyable; a good opportunity to see and learn about the history, geography, agriculture & economy of a part of the Caribbean that I had not visited before, balanced with interesting walks and gardens.'
DAY 1
D included
After meeting late afternoon at Bequia’s small airport, we have a 15 minute drive along the coast to our elegant 4 star beachfront hotel that features 2 freshwater pools in the tropical gardens, a spa and a first-class restaurant overlooking the sea. Time for a rum punch …
DAY 2
B, L, D included
Following a leisurely breakfast we have a short drive (the whole island is only 7 sq miles) to the capital, Port Elizabeth. We take our bearings from the 18C Hamilton Battery, located high above the harbour on Admiralty Bay, then walk down to visit the Bequia Maritime Museum and one of the model boat-builder’s workshops for which the island is famous. We stroll through the lanes with their colourful wooden cottages and visit the delightful blue-painted St Mary’s Anglican church, then take a water taxi around the bay to lunch at a sophisticated beach bar – the afternoon is free for swimming, snorkelling and relaxing on the beach.
DAY 3
B, L, D included
We are up in good time to board the ‘Friendship Rose’, a 100 ft Bequia schooner which served as the main island transport for decades. Once clear of the harbour the sails are hoisted to catch the Trade winds, refreshments are served and we settle back on comfortable cushions to enjoy the scenic 2 hour sail across to the island of Mustique. We go ashore for a guided open jeep tour to see the villas of the rich and famous, then have lunch on board. After a snooze in a hammock we snorkel (or swim) in an area with large shoals of tropical fish before sailing back to Bequia, hoping to see dolphins surfing on our bow wave.
DAY 4
B, L, D included
We visit a turtle sanctuary run by a retired fisherman in an effort to improve the survival rate of endangered hawksbill turtles, then walk on the wild Atlantic coast to ‘Firefly’, a 250 year old working plantation producing pineapples and coconuts. We have a guided walking tour and see their historic sugar mill before lunch on the estate. Back at our hotel, we relax on the beach or in the gardens, then enjoy live Caribbean music at dinner by the ocean.
DAY 5
B, L, D included
Embarking for a second full day trip on the Friendship Rose, we sail down the Grenadine chain, passing Canouan and Mayreau islands on our way to the Tobago Cays, a protected marine reserve within a horseshoe reef, with some of the clearest aquamarine waters and best snorkelling in the entire Caribbean. We also have the opportunity to land on a white powder sand beach and swim with turtles before sailing home to Bequia with a rum punch, or tea and homemade cake, served to us by the friendly crew.
DAY 6
B, L, D included
On a morning’s walk following an old smuggler’s trail we learn about the early European settlers and the wars between the French and the English for possession of the islands, passing the ruins of a French fortification and seeing cinnamon and gum trees and perhaps wild orchids along the way. Reaching Bequia Head, at almost 600ft above sea level, there are marvellous views across the Bequia Channel to St Vincent and tropicbirds and magnificent frigatebirds ride the air currents along the cliffs. This evening we enjoy grilled lobster at an excellent French restaurant in Port Elizabeth.
DAY 7
B, L, D included
This morning we depart from Bequia on the island ferry to St Vincent (1 hour crossing), arriving in Kingstown in time to see the busy fruit and vegetable market. We visit one of the oldest Botanical Gardens in the western hemisphere, founded in 1765, with 20 acres of indigenous and imported tropical plants, including a breadfruit tree descended from Captain Bligh of the Bounty’s original. A 40 minute flight brings us to Barbados where we have a private road transfer to our 4 star historic hotel on the east coast.
DAY 8
B, L, D included
We set off on foot from our hotel for a morning’s walk along a good coastal track to reach a beautiful sheltered beach, backed by shady casuarina trees and perfect for swimming and snorkelling. After a lunch accompanied by some of the island’s delicious fresh juices – soursop, mango, guava and paw paw – we visit the Andromeda Gardens, one of Barbados’ foremost gardens, with all the island species plus many specimens collected from Asia.
DAY 9
B, L, D included
When the English settlers arrived on Barbados in 1627, the first thing they did was clear the indigenous forest – today we walk through Welchman Hall Gully, following a deep ravine through the limestone cap which covers most of the island, passing bearded figs (the original ‘barbados’) on the cliffs, and seeing the last remnant of the original tropical mesophytic forest: silk cotton and sandbox trees and massively buttressed 100ft locust trees. At St Nicholas Abbey we have lunch on the garden terrace before a guided tour of this fine Jacobean Great House (opportunities to taste & buy estate vintage rum).
DAY 10
B, L, D included
Just outside Bridgetown we view the remains of St Ann’s Fort and Fort Charles, then walk round the Garrison Savannah, HQ of the British military for several centuries and full of well-preserved Georgian architecture. We visit the excellent Barbados National Museum (in the old military prison) before a lunch of Bajan specialities in a garden restaurant. Polo has been a major social event on Barbados since British cavalry officers introduced it in the 19C and we plan to attend a game this afternoon at one of the 3 polo grounds this small island can boast.
DAY 11
B, L, D included
A morning’s walk follows a coastal track, mainly on coral savannah, passing several inaccessible coves before we reach a fine swimming beach protected by a long offshore reef. A short drive brings us down an avenue of stately cabbage palms to explore the 17C Codrington College, built by a former governor of the Leeward Islands and now part of the University of the West Indies. We visit St. John’s parish church, whose graveyard contains the tombstone to Ferdinand Palaelogus, the final descendant of the last Emperor of the Byzantine Greeks, who fought for the English Royalist cause and fled to Barbados in 1646. After lunch we stroll round a wonderful garden established by a famous island horticulturalist, accompanied by classical music playing from hidden speakers!
DAY 12
B, L, D included
Another of Barbados’ magnificent botanical gardens, a landscaped former plantation in a stunning setting high above the coast, is our destination this morning. We follow footpaths through the Royal palms, heliconias and ginger lilies, looking out for inquisitive green monkeys, before continuing to a local Bajan lunch on the northeast coast. We walk on the splendid surf-pounded beach before returning to our hotel for a farewell candlelit dinner.
DAY 13
B, L included
After a lazy morning by the pool, or strolling by the surf in nearby Soup Bowl bay, we depart for the airport and flights home.
TBC per person sharing
TBC deposit per person
TBC double for single room supplement
Double for single rooms only are available on this trip.
Price includes
- All accommodation for Days 1 through 13, on a twin shared basis
- All meals (with wine & Caribbean beer at lunches and dinners) as listed in the daily notation
- Inter-island flight from St Vincent to Barbados
- Ferry passage from Bequia to St Vincent
- 2 day trips sailing on the historic schooner “Friendship Rose”
- All land transportation in a private vehicle as described except during free periods
- Tickets for a polo game as available
- All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods
- Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff (appreciation for tour leaders/managers is entirely at your discretion)
Price does not include
- Trip cancellation, medical or other insurance
- Immunisations, prescriptions or other medical requirements
- Passport, visa and health documentation
- International transportation to Bequia and from Barbados
- Personal expenses (laundry, alcohol other than wine/beer with group lunches and dinners, free time activities, etc.)
- Meals noted as excepted in the daily notation
- Transport and transfer of excess baggage
- Bequia, St Vincent and Barbados departure tax, if any
VALUE FOR MONEY - SO MUCH IS INCLUDED
On Kudu trips you will only need money for postcards, presents to take home, the odd G & T or an irresistible ice cream. Festival and opera tickets, museum and gallery entrances, National Park fees, all meals (with a very few exceptions specified in individual itineraries), wine with lunch and dinner, access to specialist books carried by the guides, gratuities for porters and hotel and restaurant staff, boat rides, train trips, internal flights, wine tastings, 4WDs with drivers, the services of skilled local guides and trackers etc are ALL INCLUDED in the cost of your holiday.
We are confident that, like previous very satisfied guests, you will discover that our tours give you excellent value for money.
-
6 nights on Bequia, in an elegant 4 star beachfront hotel that features 2 freshwater pools in the tropical gardens, a spa and a first-class restaurant overlooking the sea
-
6 nights on Barbados, in a 4 star historic hotel, beautifully restored and set right on the Atlantic Ocean
On board the Friendship Rose
St. Nicholas Abbey
Visa and Health Requirements
Visitors from EU countries, USA and Canada currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to Bequia, St Vincent (both part of St Vincent and the Grenadines) and Barbados. If you are a national of any other country you will probably be granted a short stay visa on arrival - please check visa regulations with your nearest High Commissions of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados.
At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to St Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados. You may wish to check the advice given to travellers by the Department of Health and the FCO.
Insurance
It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.
If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.
Size of party
This trip will run with a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 14 guests.