General Information
St. Kitts is located in the Eastern Caribbean roughly 1,200 miles from Miami, 1600 miles from New York, 4,000 miles from London and about 45 minutes by plane from Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. It is 69 square miles with a population of 32.000. The town of Basseterre is the capital, the only major town.
With a rich history due its vital strategic position (visit the Brimstone Hill Fortress!) in the Caribbean St. Kitts is a volcanic island, a fact to which it owes its dramatic central mountains, its rather unpredictable geologic history, and its lush tropical vegetation. In fact, St. Kitts' pre-Columbian Carib inhabitants knew their island as Liamuiga, or "fertile land," a reference to the island's rich and productive volcanic soil. Today that name, Liamuiga, graces St. Kitts' central peak, a 3,792-foot extinct volcano.
The recorded history of St. Kitts begins with the second voyage in 1493 of Christopher Columbus who sailed past the island but did not land. There is some doubt as to whether it is this island that Columbus gave the name St. Christopher (after himself ). In any case, by the time the Englishman Thomas Warner arrived with fourteen other settlers in 1624 to found the first non-Spanish European colony in the Caribbean, the island was known as St. Christopher's.
It was the oldest and wealthiest of the English colonies in the Caribbean. Annually it yielded a fortune in sugar and rum for its wealthy, mostly absentee, landholders. The valuable crop was used to make sugar, molasses, and rum. Today St. Kitts is the only Leeward Island, of the Caribbean, that still grows sugar cane.
The Kittian cultural heritage is easily observed the special foods they cook, and the way they are prepared. It is the stories that they tell or write about themselves, the toys and handicrafts they create, the architecture, and the traditional methods they use to fish or farm.
Language Description::
English
Getting there:
With a rich history due its vital strategic position (visit the Brimstone Hill Fortress!) in the Caribbean St. Kitts is a volcanic island, a fact to which it owes its dramatic central mountains, its rather unpredictable geologic history, and its lush tropical vegetation. In fact, St. Kitts' pre-Columbian Carib inhabitants knew their island as Liamuiga, or "fertile land," a reference to the island's rich and productive volcanic soil. Today that name, Liamuiga, graces St. Kitts' central peak, a 3,792-foot extinct volcano.
The recorded history of St. Kitts begins with the second voyage in 1493 of Christopher Columbus who sailed past the island but did not land. There is some doubt as to whether it is this island that Columbus gave the name St. Christopher (after himself ). In any case, by the time the Englishman Thomas Warner arrived with fourteen other settlers in 1624 to found the first non-Spanish European colony in the Caribbean, the island was known as St. Christopher's.
It was the oldest and wealthiest of the English colonies in the Caribbean. Annually it yielded a fortune in sugar and rum for its wealthy, mostly absentee, landholders. The valuable crop was used to make sugar, molasses, and rum. Today St. Kitts is the only Leeward Island, of the Caribbean, that still grows sugar cane.
The Kittian cultural heritage is easily observed the special foods they cook, and the way they are prepared. It is the stories that they tell or write about themselves, the toys and handicrafts they create, the architecture, and the traditional methods they use to fish or farm.
Language Description::
English
Getting there:
The most common way to get to St. Kitts by air from Europe or North America is via San Juan, Puerto Rico. Other options include coming via St. Maarten, Guadeloupe,Virgin Islands, Antigua or Nevis. The main airport for incoming flights is Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, which is about 2 miles from Basseterre. From Canada there are direct flights both scheduled and charter. From the UK and Germany there are also scheduled and charter flights to the island.
Immigration and Customs:
Citizens of Canada and the United States need only to present proof of citizenship – preferably a passport or birth certificate with the raised seal – in order to enter St. Kitts-Nevis. If the birth certificate is used, it must be accompanied by a government issued photo ID (a drivers licence, for example) showing the same name. Where applicable, documentation of a legal name change (for example, a marriage certificate) must also be presented.
Additionally, proof of sufficient funds and a return or onward passage might be required. There is a departure tax of $60 XCD (about $22 USD) payable in cash, or by credit card, at the airport.
Please reconfirm travel document requirements with your carrier prior to the commencement of your trip. Please check for information regarding recent changes to the entry/re-entry requirements (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html), as advanced by the United States Department of State. Citizens of some countries are required to have visas in order to enter St. Kitts-Nevis. Check to see if your country appears on this list (http://www.mofa.gov.kn/default.asp?pageidentifier=4). If it does, you can go to http://www.cuopm.com/pdf/Visa_Application_Form_SKN_2006.pdf to download the instructions for applying for a visa.
Currency & Banking:
Banks are open Monday-Thursday 8am-2pm; Friday 8am-4pm Saturday 8:30am -11am.
Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD$): Exchange Rate: $1.00 USD = $2.70 XCD. U.S. bills are accepted by most stores and businesses and change is given in E.C. currency. U.S. coins are not accepted.
Climate & Clothing:
Though dress is informal and light summer clothing may be worn all year, even at elegant hotels and plantation inns, you may want to dress up a bit for a nice dinner. Swim wear or scant clothing should never be worn in towns or villages and nudity is not permitted at any beach .
Electricity:
Immigration and Customs:
Citizens of Canada and the United States need only to present proof of citizenship – preferably a passport or birth certificate with the raised seal – in order to enter St. Kitts-Nevis. If the birth certificate is used, it must be accompanied by a government issued photo ID (a drivers licence, for example) showing the same name. Where applicable, documentation of a legal name change (for example, a marriage certificate) must also be presented.
Additionally, proof of sufficient funds and a return or onward passage might be required. There is a departure tax of $60 XCD (about $22 USD) payable in cash, or by credit card, at the airport.
Please reconfirm travel document requirements with your carrier prior to the commencement of your trip. Please check for information regarding recent changes to the entry/re-entry requirements (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html), as advanced by the United States Department of State. Citizens of some countries are required to have visas in order to enter St. Kitts-Nevis. Check to see if your country appears on this list (http://www.mofa.gov.kn/default.asp?pageidentifier=4). If it does, you can go to http://www.cuopm.com/pdf/Visa_Application_Form_SKN_2006.pdf to download the instructions for applying for a visa.
Currency & Banking:
Banks are open Monday-Thursday 8am-2pm; Friday 8am-4pm Saturday 8:30am -11am.
Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD$): Exchange Rate: $1.00 USD = $2.70 XCD. U.S. bills are accepted by most stores and businesses and change is given in E.C. currency. U.S. coins are not accepted.
Climate & Clothing:
Though dress is informal and light summer clothing may be worn all year, even at elegant hotels and plantation inns, you may want to dress up a bit for a nice dinner. Swim wear or scant clothing should never be worn in towns or villages and nudity is not permitted at any beach .
Electricity:
The domestic market is served by a 230 volt single phase supply. However, a 117 volt supply is available in most hotels.
Transportation:
Jeeps, vans and cars can be rented starting at approximately $55 per day (can be higher depending on choice of vehicle). Local taxis are available as are local mini-buses (inexpensive!) that go around the island.
Shopping:
Local batik and art are good buys and there are duty free shops selling quality jewelry, Cuban cigars and other goods. Essential items can be found in drugstores and supermarkets, but be prepared to pay a little more than at home. Books and magazines are good things to bring.
Transportation:
Jeeps, vans and cars can be rented starting at approximately $55 per day (can be higher depending on choice of vehicle). Local taxis are available as are local mini-buses (inexpensive!) that go around the island.
Shopping:
Local batik and art are good buys and there are duty free shops selling quality jewelry, Cuban cigars and other goods. Essential items can be found in drugstores and supermarkets, but be prepared to pay a little more than at home. Books and magazines are good things to bring.
posted by All Island Rentals @ 7:07 AM
