A lively odyssey on the “Last Railway in the West Indies”
I’ve been wanting to ride the “Last Railway in the West Indies” for several years now, so when we finally decided to vacation in St. Kitts & Nevis, the first thing I did was get tickets for this tour. I’m glad I did – It may be the most enjoyable way to see the island.
To catch the train, we arrived early at the Needsmust Train Station, located right next to the airport on the outskirts of the island’s capital, Basseterre. I stood on the railway line, first looking at the colourful double-decker train behind me, then I gazed ahead at the narrow tracks that disappear into a carpet of green that is St. Kitts. As we were visiting during the interesting times of covid-19 restrictions, we were unable to choose which railway car we would travel in. If I had my choice, I would have gone to the last car, looking forward (pun intended) to awesome views of the locomotive and train cars in front as we traveled around corners. However, there were 3 different cruise ships in port the day of our tour, with each cruise line being assigned its own railcar. A good precaution that makes sense during the pandemic. So, along with residents of St. Kitts and other folks staying on the island, we were assigned to the first car, immediately behind the engine. It’s all good – We still managed to get cool shots of the train cars trailing behind us.
Once we boarded the train, we went up the tight spiral staircase to the open-air upper deck so we could enjoy the Caribbean breeze and take advantage of the height. From this vantage point, we could see over tall vegetation and fully appreciate the amazing panoramic views of the island and sea. As we slowly pulled out of the train station, I noticed the locomotive graveyard off to the side which appeared to include some old 20th century power plants. For you train buffs out there, I believe they are of the PKP class Lyd2 variety. It’s incredible to think that this unique “narrow gauge railway” system was originally built between 1912 and 1926 – I can’t say I’ve ever been on a 100-year-old railroad before.
Leaving the station we headed north through Canada, a surprisingly named district of St. Peter Basseterre Parish – That got a good chuckle from the North American Canadians on board. Running along the north-eastern coast of St. Kitts provided spectacular views of the island’s coastal region. Near the town of Cayon, the train tracks hugged the coastline while the main road we had run parallel to, veered inland. This stretch presented us with a beautiful view of the shoreline of St. Kitts, flanked by the endless blue of the Atlantic Ocean. I was pleasantly surprised to see the friendly people of St. Kitts waving to us as we passed by their villages. A very welcoming experience.
Throughout the tour, a wonderful guide narrated our journey. She enthusiastically provided passengers with insight as to the regions we were passing through, sprinkling in bits of island history as we advanced northward. I recall her telling us about how the railway system was originally built to collect sugar cane from the island’s plantations, delivering the sweet bounty into Basseterre for processing and export to markets overseas. That the “sugar train” was still running up until 2005 is a testament to the success of Saint Kitt’s sugar industry! Our guide also talked about life on the island prior to the railway, typically recounting stories of the English and French rulers of the time. She successfully painted a mental picture of Caribbean rural island life in the 18th and 19th centuries.
As we rumbled along the tracks, the train wobbled a bit from side to side – All part of the experience of riding on this historic railway. For the most part, the train line ran along a fairly straight path, although I felt us taking a few horseshoe-shaped turns inland once in a while, likely to get around some of the more dramatic landscape features of the island. Speaking of which, a highlight of the train ride occurred every time we traversed a gulley, or what they call “ghut” in St. Kitts. Crossing over tall steel bridges amplifies the engineering wonder of how this tall wide train safely traverses the narrow tracks.
Did I mention that the tour included an open bar? Well ya, it does! While I hesitated for a second, I couldn’t help myself from ordering a mango daiquiri, even if it is only 9:30 in the morning. There were servers on each car, offering a variety of rum-based or virgin fruit juices, as well as soda/pop and water. We wanted for nothing on this full-service tour.
Just past the town of Belle Vue, famous for the island’s outcrop of volcanic ‘black rocks’, the train tracks crossed over the main road and headed slightly inland. I appreciated our tour guide pointing out a couple of large bat caves in the cliffs we passed, as I would have otherwise missed them. Meanwhile, the train continued to clackity-clack along the track. As should be expected from a train cruising through the rustic Caribbean countryside, the locomotive driver also blew the horn from time to time. What I didn’t anticipate was that it was not warning people of our approach, but it was signalling the sheep, goats and the occasional cow to get off the tracks – Now that’s not something you see every day. What a hoot!
Not that we needed an interruption from the scenic beauty of St. Kitts, but the tour also included a unique entertainment experience as well. For an interesting change of pace, a couple of costumed characters suddenly appeared in the train car, dancing to the beat of festive music. For anyone who has attended the annual St. Kitts & Nevis’ Sugar Mas Carnival, you would instantly recognize the traditional costume of the Moko Jumbie – ‘ghosts’ of folklore.
While we had already enjoyed great views of the island, perhaps the most scenic part of the journey was at the north end of St. Kitts. I thought it was really cool to see pairs of windmill and smokestack ruins, revealing the remains of old sugar plantations in an expanse of lush vegetation. Of course, the majestic Mount Liamuiga towering in the background really added to the scenery! That said, looking away from St. Kitts was just as nice, first with St. Barts and St. Maarten on the distant horizon, then followed by the sublime close-up views of Sint Eustatius with Saba in the background.
Rounding the northeast corner of St. Kitts, our guide spent some time explaining how, due to reduced tourism thanks to the covid pandemic, the residents of the island have once again turned to agriculture for income and self-sufficiency. St. Kitts & Nevis have such fertile land, it’s easy to understand that fruits and vegetables would grow well, where tobacco, cotton and sugar cane once flourished. Just past the St. Kitts Eco-Park near the village of Fig Tree, the train portion of our tour sadly came to an end. A loop in the tracks mark the end of the line, where we were met with buses filled with folks anxious to enjoy their tour back to the train station.
So we swapped rides, transferring to a bus for the journey down the west coast. We journeyed through quaint little villages before passing Basseterre’s waterfront and eventually heading back to the train station. The bus tour took us past several old churches as well as the iconic St. Kitts tourist attractions of Brimstone Fortress and Romney Manor. The bus driver pointed out areas of interest along the way – I was especially keen to see Bloody Point, near the town of Challengers. I had been unable to find the exact location of this infamous historical spot on any map. On a brighter note, I liked seeing the Carib distillery, as we’ve been enjoying the refreshing beverage while vacationing on the island.
All in all, the tour lasted just under 3 hours, although it seemed that we learned and experienced so much in such little time! Apparently, we had travelled 18 miles by train and a further 12 miles by bus. For those visiting St. Kitts for the first time and wanting to see the island without the stress of renting a car, there’s probably no better option than the St. Kitts Scenic Railway. By the way… If you’re looking for increased comfort and protection from the elements the upper deck may not provide, you might prefer the plush, well-appointed lower cabins of the train. They have air conditioning, carpeted floors and spacious cushioned chairs enabling you to enjoy the view out the large windows in luxury.
For more information on the St. Kitts Scenic Railway Tour, including the ability to book your own Caribbean railway experience of a lifetime, check out their website at StKittsScenicRailway.
For an overview of the beautiful Sister Islands, take a look at our St. Kitts & Nevis Vacations page.
For some other great Tourist Attractions and tours on the islands, check out our Things to Do in St. Kitts & Nevis blog post.
If you’re looking for some exciting and physically challenging things to do while vacationing on the islands, click on our St. Kitts & Nevis Adventures blog post for some great ideas!
ACT Staff
