Hike St. Kitts Central Forest Reserve National Park ‘The Bench’ Trail – Description & Local Hiking Guides
Overview of hiking The Bench Trail (St. Kitts Central Forest Reserve):
- Time required: 1 – 3 hours
- Degree of Difficulty: 6 out of 10
- Height: Approximately 1,300 feet (400m) – Actual vertical is around 1,000 (305m) as the trailhead is 325 feet (100m) above sea level.
- Distance: Approximately 4.5 miles (7km) return, on a semi-loop trail
- Guide Required: Recommended – The trail appears to consist of 2 or 3 seperate trail segments. Besides, a guide is valuable as they can highlight the local flora and fauna, making the hike more enjoyable. You also don’t have to worry about accidentally wandering off and getting lost on some random side-trail (see below for guides / Tours).
The St. Kitts Central Forest Reserve National Park is home to the island’s most popular ‘tourist’ trails. The Central Forest Reserve covers all land on St. Kitts above 1000 feet (305m) above sea level, essentially covering most of the island interior, north of the Southeast Peninsula. The trailhead is just behind the ruins of Wingfield Estate, in Old Road Town, which is less than a 20-minute drive up the west coast from Basseterre.
This St. Kitts hike starts along a dirt road that passes by the remains of the recently abandoned Sky Safari Zipline. Before long, the trail turns into a narrow path that disappears into the jungle. The semi-natural trail follows beside a dried-out riverbed, which is now a green carpet with little water, as the river is dammed much higher up the mountain for water collection/storage. This part of the trail follows small pipes that bring clean water down into the local houses and businesses in Old Road Town and the surrounding area.
The trail is bordered by a wide variety of trees and plants, some with edible fruit, others with leaves, bark, and roots that have traditionally been used for medicinal purposes. One tree of interest is the massive locust tree, which bears fruit called ‘stinking toes’ by the locals due to their visual likeness and repugnant odour once cracked open. The area is also home to more pleasant cocoa trees, almond trees, mammee apple, large tropical gommier trees as well as the scary-looking spike-covered sandbox tree.
After half an hour or so the trail, now marked with blue/white blazes on the trees, heads uphill twisting and turning around large trees. While a bit of a workout, it is relatively easy to hike although the incline does get steeper over time. This section of the trail is home to plenty of doves, which you will likely hear as well as monkeys, which you might be lucky enough to see or hear. In another half hour or so, hikers will arrive at “the bench”, partway up the mountainside. There’s a small gap in the rainforest canopy with a partial view down into a gully, or what they call a ghut in St. Kitts. While the trail continues much further up the mountainside, with a series of ropes tied from tree to tree, the bench marks the end of this particular hike.
The return route starts off down the same trail, however it takes a hard turn over and down the hillside towards the ghut. This short section of trail is very steep, with ropes to assist hikers with the quick rappel to the gully floor. There is a bit more of a stream in the ghut here, especially after heavy rainfall. The area is also filled with incredibly long and sturdy vines hanging from large trees – It makes for quite a sight! At this point, the trail crosses the shallow water, again following the riverbed and pipes until it returns down to the dirt road behind the estate.
In summary, the St. Kitts Central Forest Reserve National Park “Bench” Trail is a decent rainforest adventure, filled with a wide variety of interesting plant life, including amazing “swingable” vines. It also provides a decent workout.
For a more colourful review, check out our personal St. Kitts hiking experience with our Hiking through a veil of vines in St. Kitts Blog Post.
Note: I suspect that different tour operators and hiking guides may provide hikes utilizing a few different trails in the Central Forest Reserve to provide a similar experience.
For a guide / tour to hike the St. Kitts Central Forest Reserve National Park, these local Tour Operators will take good care of you:
- Greg’s Safaris
- Captain Sunshine Tours
- Tropical Tours
- Pereira Tours St. Kitts
- Annie’s Caribbean Tours and Excursions
- Poinciana Tours
- Kantours
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