St Vincent & the Grenadines

Getting around

Boat

Fares from St Vincent are EC$15 to Bequia, EC$20 to Canouan, EC$25 to Mayreau and EC$30 to Union Island. The schedule is a bit flexible; it’s always a good idea to check around the port for updates on the progress of a boat.

The Bequia Express (458-3472; www.bequiaexpress.net) and the MV Admiral (458-3348; www.admiralty-transport.com) ferries run between Bequia and St Vincent. Between the two companies there are numerous daily sailings on near identical boats. Boats leave Bequia at 6:30am, 8:30am, 9:30am, 2pm, 4:30pm and 5pm Monday to Friday; at 6:30am, 9:30am, 4:30pm and 5pm Saturday; and at 7:30am, 4.30pm and 5pm Sunday. Departures from St Vincent are at 8am, 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, 4pm, 4:30pm, 6pm and 7pm Monday to Friday; 8:30am, 9am, 12pm, 12:30pm, 6pm and 7pm Saturday; and 8:30am, 9am, 6pm and 7pm Sunday.

The mail boat MV Barracuda carries passengers and cargo five times weekly between St Vincent, Bequia, Canouan, Mayreau and Union Island. According to the published timetable, on Monday and Thursday it leaves St Vincent at 11am, Bequia at 1pm, Canouan at 3pm and Mayreau at 4:30pm, and arrives finally at Union Island at 5pm. On Tuesday and Friday it leaves Union Island at 6:30am, Mayreau at 7:30am, Canouan at 8:45am and Bequia at 11am, and arrives in St Vincent at noon. On Saturday the boat skips Bequia, leaving St Vincent at 11am, Canouan at 3:30pm and Mayreau at 4:30pm, arriving at Union Island at 5pm, and then departing Union at 6:30pm, finally arriving back in St Vincent at 11:30pm. However, all of these times are very approximate; it’s best to arrive on time and be patient – there is no way the mail boat is going to be punctual.

The MV Gem Star leaves Kingstown on Tuesday and Friday at 12pm, stops in Canouan and arrives in Union Island when it feels like it. On Wednesday and Saturday it does the reverse route, departing Union Island at 8:30am.

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Car & motorcycle

Rental

Rentals typically cost from US$50 a day for a car and from US$65 for a 4WD. Seventy-five free miles are commonly allowed, and a fee of EC$1 is charged for each additional mile driven. Note that collision-damage insurance is not a common concept, and if you get into an accident you’re likely to be liable for damages.

There are car-rental agencies on St Vincent and Bequia, but most of the Grenadine islands have no car rentals at all. On some islands there are no roads.

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Bus & tram

Bus

Buses are a good way to get around St Vincent; you can catch a bus on Bequia and on Union Island, but these islands are so small that buses are usually redundant.

The buses themselves are little more than minivans that are often jammed to a capacity not seen in the outside world. You can expect to get to know at least 20 fellow commuters as you are jammed, packed and squeezed into every available space in the bus. There’s a conductor on board who handles the cash and assigns the seats. When you get to your stop, either tap on the roof or try to get the attention of the conductor over the thumping music and they’ll stop for you just about anywhere.

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Local transport

Taxi

Taxis are abundant on most islands and affordable for shorter trips. Agree on a fare before departure.

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Air

See left for information about flights within St Vincent and the Grenadines.

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Bicycle

Bikes are hard to come by; perhaps it’s because of the hilly topography, crazy drivers and compact nature of the islands. On St Vincent there is at least one place to get your gears on, and you can also hire bikes on Bequia.

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