There is no better way to experience the beauty, history and culture of St. Kitts than by taking the Scenic Railway tour, a fun, open air train that weaves you through the countryside on a historical track built from the sugar plantation era.  

St. Kitts Scenic Railway Route

The St. Kitts Scenic Railway takes passengers on a 3-hour tour that makes a 30-mile circle around the beautiful Eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts, with 18 miles by narrow gauge train and 12 miles on sightseeing buses.   

Built between 1912 and 1926 to transport sugar cane from the island’s sugar plantations to the sugar factory in the capital city of Basseterre, today the “Last Railway in the West Indies” provides visitors an unsurpassed opportunity to experience the scenery and culture of this unspoiled country. The Railway hugs the Northeastern coastline where spectacular vistas of the ocean, surf, cliffs and lush vegetation surround you.  The train rolls across tall steel bridges spanning deep "ghuts", or canyons, and winds through small villages and farms.  Dark green rain forests are skirted by rippling fields of sugar cane, with the volcanic cone of Mt. Liamuiga rising above the railway. Complimentary island cocktails are available on board.  

St. Kitts Scenic Railway Experience

This unique rail and highway experience allow visitors to see the country in a very short period of time.  Your tour conductor will point out all the sights as the train passes old sugar cane estates with abandoned windmills and chimneys.   

See St. Paul's Village, home of St. Kitts Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas; Brimstone Hill Fortress, the British "Gibraltar of the Caribbean"; and Old Road Town, where Sir Thomas Warner, founder of the English colony on St. Kitts is buried beside his friend Samuel Jefferson, American President Thomas Jefferson's great great grandfather.  (Alexander Hamilton was born on the neighboring island of Nevis).   

The 18 miles by rail and 12 miles by bus make a complete 30-mile circle around the island, with the rail portion about 2 hours, and the bus tour 45 minutes.  There is nothing more special than watching the Kittitian school children in their uniforms running out into the school yard to wave at the train as it passes by. It warms the heart. For more information, please visit stkittsscenicrailway.com     

More St. Kitts and Nevis Tips: 

St . Kitts and Nevis Destination Page 
For that special evening in St. Kitts: Pavilion 
Explore Brimstone Hill in St. Kitts – a UNESCO world heritage site 
Insiders Tip: Fully equipped kitchens at Royal St. Kitts Hotel 
Fisherman’s Village or Stone Barn for dinner at Park Hyatt St. Kitts?