The Itinerary 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 8 days: Tobago Cays, Bequia and La Soufrière
A volcano that erupted in 2021 and a string of small islands south of it where the sailing is the point — including a marine park of uninhabited cays protected by a horseshoe reef, with green turtles grazing in the shallows.
- The Caribbean
- 8 days
- ≈ AED 3,250 / person
- Sailing a chain of 32 islands, and swimming with turtles inside a horseshoe reef
Before you go
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is 32 islands and cays, of which nine are inhabited, strung south from the main island towards Grenada.
The main island is not the holiday. Saint Vincent is steep, agricultural and dominated by La Soufrière, a live volcano that erupted explosively in April 2021, covering the north in ash, displacing twenty thousand people and destroying farmland. It is climbable again and the island is working, but it is not a beach destination and it does not pretend to be.
The Grenadines are. And the way to see them is by boat, because that is how they work — a chain close enough together to sail between in an afternoon, with anchorages at every one.
The Tobago Cays are the centrepiece: five uninhabited islands inside a horseshoe reef, protected as a marine park, where you anchor in turquoise water, snorkel over the reef and swim with green turtles in a designated grazing area. There is nothing on the islands at all.
Bequia is the island people fall for — a working harbour at Port Elizabeth, a boatbuilding and whaling tradition (the island still holds a tiny IWC aboriginal quota), model-boat workshops, and a pace entirely its own.
Mustique is the private one, where the houses are famous and the day visitor sees a beach and a bar.
Eight days. Figure XCD 2,400 (≈ AED 3,264) per person excluding flights. Go December–May.
Before you go: the 15-minute admin
Sailing versus ferries
- Chartering is how most people do the Grenadines, and a bareboat or skippered catamaran for a week splits well across four to six people. Union Island, Bequia and Saint Vincent all have charter bases.
- The ferries work too and are far cheaper: Kingstown to Bequia is an hour on the Bequia Express, and the mail boat runs down the chain to Canouan, Mayreau and Union a few times a week.
- This itinerary uses ferries and a day charter, which is the affordable version. If you can charter, do — the Tobago Cays really are best from a boat you sleep on.
- Schedules thin out at weekends; check locally.
Getting there
- Argyle International (SVD) on Saint Vincent opened in 2017 and takes regional and some direct flights.
- Most visitors connect through Barbados, Saint Lucia or Trinidad.
- Mustique, Canouan and Union have their own airstrips.
La Soufrière, after 2021
- The volcano erupted explosively in April 2021, the largest event since 1902. The north of the island took pyroclastic flows and deep ash; the recovery is ongoing.
- The hike is open again and runs from the windward or leeward side, three to four hours up through what is now a changed landscape. A guide is required and conditions change.
- Check the current alert level before planning the climb. The volcano is monitored and the status is published.
Visas and money
- Many nationalities enter visa-free for short stays. Check your own case officially.
- The East Caribbean dollar (XCD), pegged to the US dollar at 2.70. US dollars accepted at 2.60–2.65.
- Carry cash in the Grenadines. Bequia and Union have banks; the smaller cays have nothing at all, and the Tobago Cays have no facilities whatsoever.
Travelling with kids?
- The Grenadines are shallow, calm and warm — excellent.
- The turtle grazing area at Tobago Cays is the highlight and is easy snorkelling.
- La Soufrière is a serious hike, not a family walk.
- The inter-island ferries can be rough in the channels.
Day by day
Day 1 — Kingstown
- Afternoon — Arrive at Argyle, 30 minutes from town.
- 16:00 — Kingstown: the cobbled arcades of the old town, St George’s Cathedral, and the Botanic Gardens — founded in 1765, the oldest in the western hemisphere, with a breadfruit tree grown from the stock Captain Bligh finally delivered in 1793 after the Bounty mutiny interrupted the first attempt.
- 18:00 — Fort Charlotte above the harbour for the view down the coast.
Where to stay (one night Saint Vincent, then the islands)
- Mid-range: Villa and Indian Bay, just south of Kingstown.
Day 2 — La Soufrière
- 05:30 — Early start north. The windward trail from Rabacca is the usual route — three to four hours up through what was farmland and is now recovering ash field, into cloud forest and onto the crater rim at 1,234 metres.
- The 2021 crater is the thing you came to see: a vast grey bowl, a new dome, and steam. On a clear day you see Saint Lucia.
- A guide is required and the trail is hard — loose ash, steep sections and no shade on the lower half.
- Alternatively, if the volcano is closed or you would rather not: the Dark View Falls, the Vermont Nature Trail for the endangered Saint Vincent parrot, and the Owia Salt Pond in the Carib north.
Day 3 — Bequia
- Morning — Ferry to Bequia, an hour from Kingstown.
- Port Elizabeth is a half-moon harbour full of yachts with a waterfront path — the Belmont Walkway — running round to Princess Margaret Beach.
- Afternoon — The model boat workshops, where Bequia’s boatbuilding skill survives at one-twelfth scale and the work is extraordinary. The Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary at Park raises hawksbills for release.
- Evening — The harbour. Bequia at dusk is the reason people come back.
Where to stay on Bequia (three nights)
- Mid-range: guesthouses above Princess Margaret and Lower Bay, all walkable from the harbour.
Day 4 — Bequia, and Mustique
- Morning — Lower Bay and Princess Margaret, the two good beaches, reached on foot from town.
- Or the ferry across to Mustique for the day — 1,400 acres, about a hundred houses, Basil’s Bar on the beach, and a strictly managed quiet. Day visitors see the beaches and the bar; the rest is private.
- Afternoon — Moonhole, the abandoned cliff houses built into a natural arch at Bequia’s western end, reached on foot.
Day 5 — South to Union Island
- Morning — The ferry down the chain — Canouan, Mayreau, Union — which takes most of the day and is the cheapest way to see the Grenadines from the water.
- Union Island is the southern hub: Clifton harbour, Ashton, and Happy Island, a bar a man built himself on a conch-shell reef in the lagoon.
- Afternoon — Chatham Bay on the leeward side, or the climb up Mount Taboi.
Where to stay on Union (three nights)
- Simple: guesthouses in Clifton, which is small and walkable.
Day 6 — The Tobago Cays
- Full day by boat, which every operator in Clifton runs.
- The Tobago Cays Marine Park: five uninhabited islands — Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Baradal, Jamesby and Petit Tabac — inside Horseshoe Reef, which takes the Atlantic swell and leaves a lagoon of flat turquoise water behind it.
- The turtle grazing area off Baradal is roped and patrolled; green turtles feed on the seagrass and you snorkel above them. Do not touch, do not chase, and stay out of their path to the surface — they breathe.
- Petit Tabac is where the Pirates of the Caribbean rum-runner scene was shot.
- Lunch is lobster on the beach, cooked by the boat boys, which is the tradition.
- Nothing is sold in the park. Bring water.
Day 7 — Mayreau, or diving
- Either — Mayreau, the smallest inhabited Grenadine, with Salt Whistle Bay — a sandbar with the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other, and a village of about three hundred people up the hill.
- Or — diving. The reefs around Union and the Cays are in good condition and the operators are small. Sail Rock off Union is the serious one.
Day 8 — Fly out
- Morning — Fly from Union Island direct, or ferry back up the chain to Saint Vincent, which takes most of the day.
- If you are connecting from Argyle, come back the day before. The ferry is not a connection.
Costs and practicalities
Best time to visit
December–May is the dry season and the sailing high season, which is what the Grenadines run on.
- December–May — dry, breezy, and peak. The trade winds make this the best sailing window and the Bequia Easter Regatta is the event of the year.
- June–July — the rains begin; Vincy Mas, the carnival, peaks in early July and is the biggest party on St Vincent.
- August–November — the wettest and the heart of hurricane season. Some Grenadines properties close.
- La Soufrière erupted explosively in April 2021 and the volcano’s status governs access to the north of St Vincent — check before planning the climb.
The Tobago Cays are good year-round; the trade winds from December to May make the crossings livelier and the sailing better.
Travel tips
- St Vincent and the Grenadines are different holidays. St Vincent is green, volcanic and largely undeveloped; Bequia, Mustique, Canouan and Union are the island-hopping chain.
- Ferries link St Vincent to Bequia frequently and the southern Grenadines less so. Check the schedule before committing to a route; many visitors charter a yacht instead.
- The Tobago Cays are a marine park with a fee, and the turtles in the sanctuary must not be touched or chased.
- Driving is on the left on narrow mountain roads; a local permit is required.
- The East Caribbean dollar is pegged to the US dollar at about 2.70.
- La Soufrière’s trail requires a guide and its status changes. Confirm with the National Parks authority rather than assuming.
- Cash is needed on the smaller islands — card acceptance thins out quickly away from Kingstown and Bequia.
What this trip actually costs
Two people, 7 nights, mid-range comfort, flights excluded:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Guesthouses, 7 nights | XCD 2,450 (≈ AED 3,332) |
| Ferries and inter-island transport | XCD 700 (≈ AED 952) |
| Tobago Cays day boat, two | XCD 950 (≈ AED 1,292) |
| Soufrière guide, Mustique, entries | XCD 500 (≈ AED 680) |
| Food and drink, 8 days | XCD 200 (≈ AED 272) |
| Total for two | XCD 4,800 (≈ AED 6,529) |
- Roughly XCD 2,400 (≈ AED 3,264) per person — about US$890 — doing it by ferry and guesthouse.
- A week’s catamaran charter for four to six people often works out similar per head and is a better trip. Compare it properly before dismissing it.
- The Tobago Cays park fee is per person per night and goes to the marine park. Pay it.
- Bequia is the best value island and the one most people wish they had given more days to.
- Hotel picks here are chosen on location, not on commission — always check prices and recent reviews before booking.
What to pack
- Your own mask and snorkel — you will use them daily and rental in the Grenadines is thin.
- Reef-safe sun cream and a rash vest.
- A dry bag for every boat day, which is most of them.
- Cash in EC, in small notes, for the islands with no bank.
- Proper boots if you are climbing La Soufrière — ash and scree.
- Seasickness tablets for the channel crossings, which are open water.
FAQ
Should I charter a boat? If you can split it across four to six people, yes — the Grenadines are designed for it and the Tobago Cays are best from a boat you sleep on. The ferry version is cheaper and perfectly good.
Can I climb La Soufrière after the 2021 eruption? Yes, with a guide, and the crater is the reason to. Check the current alert level before you plan around it — it is an active volcano and the status is published.
Can I visit Mustique? As a day visitor, yes — the ferry from Bequia, the beaches and Basil’s Bar. The island is private beyond that and managed to stay quiet.
Can I touch the turtles at Tobago Cays? No. The grazing area is roped and patrolled, and the rules are snorkel-only, no touching, no chasing, and keep clear of their route to the surface.
What language do they speak? English, with Vincentian creole in everyday use.
Prices and entry rules change, and what you need depends on your passport; last checked 8 October 2026, so confirm with the embassy or your airline before booking.
