One Day St. Kitts Itinerary for Driving Around the Island
When I think back to my 5 year wedding anniversary, I’ll always remember this trip and the adventure-packed day I spent clinging to my husband on the back of an ATV while we drove around St. Kitts!
It was such a genuinely fun day, we tasted the island’s oldest rum (it was sooooo good!), sipped refreshing drinks while overlooking the rainforest canopy, stopped for several sweeping panoramic views of the island, ate delicious local ital food, and soaked in some sun at the cutest little beach bar!
If you’re visiting St. Kitts for a day (perhaps on a cruise?) and thinking about exploring the island with an ATV, scooter, or car rental, this article is for you! I’m outlining our exact one day St. Kitts itinerary and how we rented an ATV for a day!
🌋 St. Kitts Excursion Recommendation: If you want to explore St. Kitts with a local guide, I’d highly recommend the ATV island tour with Sunny Blue Rentals (the ATV company we went with!) We also considered this Mt. Liamuiga volcano hike (next time!!)
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How to Spend One Day on St. Kitts (Basseterre Cruise Guide)
Our number one priority on St. Kits was to see the view from Timothy Hill—and everything after that was a bonus! We reserved an ATV rental and mapped out our drive around the northwest side of the island, starting and ending in Basseterre.
Since there’s a road that loops around the majority of the island, its pretty easy to navigate and ATVs are allowed on the road! The entire drive takes just over an hour, but you’ll want to budget quite a bit longer for each of your stops.
🏝️ Quick St. Kitts History: St. Kitts—originally called St. Christopher—was the first island in the West Indies to be colonized by Europeans. Both the English and French established settlements here in the early 1600s and shared control of the island between 1627 and 1713. The island’s indigenous population was nearly wiped out, and enslaved Africans were brought to work on sugar plantations, laying the foundation for the plantation system that would shape Caribbean society for centuries.
Renting an ATV in Basseterre
We were visiting St. Kitts on a cruise, and Sunny Blue Rentals made it super easy for us by picking us up from the cruise terminal first thing in the morning!
They brought us to their office, about a 15 minute drive from the port, where we were matched with our ATV rental. They also provided helmets, of course. Our rental for the day cost $132, which included our drive back to the cruise terminal afterward.
Sunny Blue also offers a guided ATV tour of the island if you want to go with a group! Details here.
What we brought for our day on St. Kitts
Since we were exposed to the elements—sun and maybe rain—on the ATV, we both brought sun shirts from REI, along with the obvious essentials like sunscreen and sunglasses. We also packed:
- 🩹 Small first aid kit. I have this tiny basic first aid kit, which has band-aids and antibacterial ointments. It takes up much less room than a full first aid kit, and I’ve needed it so many times with little cuts and scrapes while traveling.
- 🐛 Bug spray, I love this natural (yet effective) bug balm and itch relief stick from Badger
- ✨ Deodorant wipes, these wipes are my new favorite thing—they remove sweat and swipe on a layer of deodorant so you can always feel fresh
- 💦 Travel towel, I love my Nomadix travel towel which repels sand and folds down quite small
- 👙 Swimsuits in case we stopped at a beach (and we did!)
- My camera, our passports, wallets, etc.
And put it all into my amazing waterproof Booe bag (which I think makes the perfect day bag!)
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Stop 1: Old Road Rum at Wingfield Estate
20 minute drive from Basseterre | free parking
The helpful team at Sunny Blue rentals gave us some directions on how to get out of Basseterre and onto the main road that loops around the island.
From there we headed to the Wingfield Estate, 400-year-old sugar plantation once owned by Sam Jeffreson II, Thomas Jefferson’s great, great, great grandfather—which happens to also be the oldest rum distillery in the Caribbean!
Although rum production paused for several decades, locals recently opened up Old Road Rum here, so you can taste the delicious caramely rum and explore the surrounding ruins.
We got to taste the 12-year-aged rum and it was absolutely delicious—it reminded us of our favorite rum from Belize. We bought a travel-size bottle and have it saved at home for a special occasion!
Stop 2: Romney Manor & Caribelle Batik
5 minute drive from Old Road Rum | $3 per person
Our next stop is just a stone’s throw away from Old Road Rum, but you’ll want to jump in the car and drive over!
Romney Manor is another historic estate dating back to the 1600s, renamed after the Earl of Romney, who bought the property and freed the estate’s enslaved Africans in 1834.
Today Romney Manor is home to Caribelle Batik, where intricately designed hand-printed textiles have been produced since 1972.
We saw a short demonstration of the batik-making by a local artisan, then had the opportunity to buy clothing, pillow cases, and other textiles.
But the highlight for me was the small bar overlooking the surrounding rainforest and lush mountains, with a view of one of the neighboring Wingfield Estate’s chimneys peeking out of the canopy.
We wished we would have been here in the afternoon to enjoy some Old Road Rum with the view, but it was serene nonetheless!
Stop 3: Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park
20 minute drive from Romney Manor | $15 per person
After a short scenic drive along the coastline, we exited the main highway and began climbing up Brimstone Hill to the well-preserved British military fort at the top. The basalt-brick fort’s construction took 100 years, beginning in 1690, built by enslaved Africans.
Brimstone Hill is a national park, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so it’s certainly worth a stop for the history, and even better views—you can see Nevis from up here!
Keep in mind that the walk up to the fortress from the parking lot is quite steep, and not accessible for folks with mobility challenges.
Stop 4: Blackrocks & St. John’s Church
25 minute drive from Brimstone Hill Fortress
Next, drive along the northwest edge of St. Kitts for 25 minutes until you reach Blackrocks, the main ‘roadside attraction’ on the eastern side of the island.
A short walk from the parking area will take you to a viewpoint overlooking ashy black volcanic rock formations along the coastline. When we visited, there were several souvenir vendors here, too.
But one of my favorite sites on the island was the stunning 1600’s St. John’s Church, which is right before the turnoff for Blackrocks.
Optional: Farm-to-Table Lunch & Coffee Tour
10 minute drive from Blackrocks | $161 per person
After Blackrocks you can add-on a three-course farm-to-table lunch, and coffee farm tour at Liamuiga Natural Farm. I didn’t book this for our day on St. Kitts because I thought we’d feel to rushed… but I honestly wish we would have done it!
This exact lunch experience at Liamuiga Natural Farm was named as one of the best travel experiences in the world by National Geographic in 2024!
The serene farm is tucked away in the jungle at the base of the volcano, and you get there via a ride in an old military truck from the meeting point on St. Kitts’ eastern side.
Lunch Option: Ital Creations at Bliss Farms
25 minute drive from Blackrocks
Since we didn’t book lunch at Liamuiga Natural Farm we instead headed back into Basseterre for lunch a ital food! If you’re unfamiliar, ital is the plant-based cuisine associated with Rastafarianism, rooted in the idea that food should be our medicine.
Ital Creations is a lovely little food stand located on the small Bliss Farms right in Basseterre. We absolutely loved our lunch here—the rich, creamy curries, perfectly crispy fritters, and fresh greens were a welcome healthy change after days of eating on the cruise ship. And it was the perfect place to see a few locals and eat real Caribbean homestyle food!
Stop 5: Timothy Hill
11 minute drive from Ital Creations
Our next stop is Timothy Hill, the island’s famous viewpoint—which is just as stunning in real life as in photos! And what you might realize is that you get not one, but two views from here!
First, that iconic view of the lush green hills along the narrow peninsula sandwiched between the turquoise Caribbean on both sides.
Then, looking down the other side of Timothy Hill you’ll get a glimpse of Mt Liamuiga’s slopes, Basseterre and waves crashing on the white sandy Frigate Bay below.
The small parking area at Timothy Hill was certainly crowded when we arrived in early afternoon, but finding a spot to park our ATV wasn’t difficult—and neither was finding some to snap a photo of us together!
Stop 6: Shipwreck Beach Bar at South Friars Bay
After soaking in the views (and getting plenty of photos) at Timothy Hill, drive to the southeast base of the hill and turn off to the right when you see the signs for Shipwreck Beach Bar.
It’s the last beach bar along South Friars Bay, with free lounge chairs on the beach and decently priced drinks and food! We spent the last bit of our time in St. Kitts here, soaking up a bit of sunshine and enjoying the shallow, calm water. As always, my husband had to try the local beer.
There’s also a small massage stand here, and some resident monkeys that the staff leave food for. I’m not a fan of feeding wildlife, but this is an easy spot to see monkeys if that’s on your bucket-list!
More Things to do on St. Kitts
- Mt. Liamuiga volcano hike
- Ride St. Kitts scenic railway
- ATV tour of the island
- Catamaran boat ride to Nevis island
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