Transport in Saint Kitts and Nevis
Encyclopedia
Transport within the Caribbean
islands of St. Kitts & Nevis (one country, a two-island federation) includes normal road traffic, public buses, taxis, ferries, airports, and one unusual railway.
Basseterre
is the hub for all major roads on the island of St. Kitts. Charlestown is the equivalent hub for Nevis
. Driving is on the left.
The speed limit in settled areas is 25 mph, with special caution to be taken around school zones. In rural areas the speed limit is 40 mph.
The grand total of roadways on St. Kitts and Nevis is 320 km. In 1999 it was estimated that 136 km were paved, and 184 km were unpaved.
A bus may be flagged down anywhere along its route (not only at bus stop shelters), and the bus will also stop anywhere along its route (on request) to let off a passenger.
All bus fees (in Eastern Caribbean or EC dollars) are $2.50 for a trip of 5 miles or under, $3.00 for a trip of 5 to 10 miles, and $3.75 for a trip over 10 miles. ($1 US = $2.7 EC)
Destinations off of the main route are often possible on request, at the discretion of the driver, on payment of a small extra charge.
(No public buses travel southwards to the main resort areas in Frigate Bay and the Southeast Peninsula of St. Kitts.)
Buses traveling north out of Charlestown wait to leave from the southwest end of D. R. Walwyn Plaza. Buses traveling south from Charlestown wait to leave from the northern end of Memorial Square.
The main taxi stand on St. Kitts is in Basseterre, on The Circus, phone number 466 6999.
The main taxi stand on Nevis is in Charlestown, on the west side of D.R. Walwyn Plaza.
A taxi can traverse any accessible area on the islands, including even dirt roads and trails, if the driver agrees. It is a good idea to agree on a price in advance, and be clear about which currency the price is quoted in ($ EC or $ US.)
stations exist at Sandy Point Town
and Dieppe Bay Town. The Deep Water Harbour at Basseterre is capable of both hosting and berthing of cruise ships or the handling of cargos. It is located to the extreme East of Basseterre Bay.
Port Zante, in the center of Basseterre Bay, is for use of docking cruise ships only. The Port can accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world. It also has a marina facility.
The bay is also home to the popular ferry connection between Basseterre and Charlestown. There are several trips daily. Ferry service between Basseterre and Oranjestad
, Statia also exists, but those trips are irregular and infrequent.
A relatively new (started in 2007) car ferry, which can take up to 35 cars and also takes pedestrian passengers, is called the "Sea Bridge" ferry, and is in operation between the two islands. This ferry traverses the narrow, 2-mile wide straight named 'The Narrows' between the two islands in 15 minutes, from Major's Bay in St. Kitts, to Cades Bay in Nevis. Cars can also be ferried by some of the ferry boats that operate out of Basseterre.
The "Sea Bridge" ferry, which takes cars (and also pedestrians), docks in the northwest part of Nevis at Cades Bay, and runs between there and Major's Bay on St. Kitts. The Sea Bridge ferry runs six times a day in each direction http://www.seabridgeskn.com/schedule.cfm.
(IATA airport code
SKB/TKPK) serves the city of Basseterre, and by extension the island of Saint Kitts. The airport is located in the south of the parish of Saint Peter Basseterre on the north-eastern periphery of the city of Basseterre. The 8001-foot runway airport has direct flights to London, New York and Miami, and seasonal flights to Charlotte, NC, and Philadelphia, PA, in addition to other major cities in the U.S.A. and Canada during the tourist season.
(IATA airport code
NEV/TKPN) serves the island of Nevis. The airport runway is 4002 feet in length. Many flights connect from here to other Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico.
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
islands of St. Kitts & Nevis (one country, a two-island federation) includes normal road traffic, public buses, taxis, ferries, airports, and one unusual railway.
Basseterre
Basseterre
Basseterre , estimated population 15,500 in 2000, is the capital of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kitts Island, and it is one of the chief commercial depots of the Leeward Islands...
is the hub for all major roads on the island of St. Kitts. Charlestown is the equivalent hub for Nevis
Nevis
Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies...
. Driving is on the left.
The speed limit in settled areas is 25 mph, with special caution to be taken around school zones. In rural areas the speed limit is 40 mph.
The grand total of roadways on St. Kitts and Nevis is 320 km. In 1999 it was estimated that 136 km were paved, and 184 km were unpaved.
Public Buses
The public buses are privately-owned, but government-licensed, vans. They usually have a decorative name on the front, and they all have a green license plate where the number starts with the letter "H".A bus may be flagged down anywhere along its route (not only at bus stop shelters), and the bus will also stop anywhere along its route (on request) to let off a passenger.
All bus fees (in Eastern Caribbean or EC dollars) are $2.50 for a trip of 5 miles or under, $3.00 for a trip of 5 to 10 miles, and $3.75 for a trip over 10 miles. ($1 US = $2.7 EC)
Destinations off of the main route are often possible on request, at the discretion of the driver, on payment of a small extra charge.
St. Kitts
There are 5 main bus routes on St. Kitts:-
- Basseterre to Sandy Point traveling west, starting at the Ferry Terminal
- Basseterre to Capesterre traveling west, starting at the Ferry Terminal
- Basseterre to St. Peter's traveling north, starting at College Street Ghaut
- Basseterre to Molyneux traveling east, starting at Baker's Corner
- Basseterre to Saddler's traveling east, starting at Baker's Corner
(No public buses travel southwards to the main resort areas in Frigate Bay and the Southeast Peninsula of St. Kitts.)
Nevis
In Nevis all buses run both ways various distances along the main ring road around the island. They terminate in the capital of Nevis, Charlestown.Buses traveling north out of Charlestown wait to leave from the southwest end of D. R. Walwyn Plaza. Buses traveling south from Charlestown wait to leave from the northern end of Memorial Square.
Taxis
Taxis are privately owned, but government licensed, vans. These vans usually have a name, and they all have yellow license plates where the number starts with the letter "T" or "TA".The main taxi stand on St. Kitts is in Basseterre, on The Circus, phone number 466 6999.
The main taxi stand on Nevis is in Charlestown, on the west side of D.R. Walwyn Plaza.
A taxi can traverse any accessible area on the islands, including even dirt roads and trails, if the driver agrees. It is a good idea to agree on a price in advance, and be clear about which currency the price is quoted in ($ EC or $ US.)
St. Kitts
Basseterre is the location of all official harboring services on Saint Kitts, though Coast GuardCoast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
stations exist at Sandy Point Town
Sandy Point Town
Sandy Point is the second largest town of St. Kitts. It is situated on the north-west coast of St.Kitts and is the capital of Saint Anne Sandy Point Parish....
and Dieppe Bay Town. The Deep Water Harbour at Basseterre is capable of both hosting and berthing of cruise ships or the handling of cargos. It is located to the extreme East of Basseterre Bay.
Port Zante, in the center of Basseterre Bay, is for use of docking cruise ships only. The Port can accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world. It also has a marina facility.
The bay is also home to the popular ferry connection between Basseterre and Charlestown. There are several trips daily. Ferry service between Basseterre and Oranjestad
Oranjestad, Sint Eustatius
Oranjestad is a small town of nearly 1,000 inhabitants, and is the capital of Sint Eustatius island in the Caribbean Netherlands.Oranjestad is a historic harbour town...
, Statia also exists, but those trips are irregular and infrequent.
A relatively new (started in 2007) car ferry, which can take up to 35 cars and also takes pedestrian passengers, is called the "Sea Bridge" ferry, and is in operation between the two islands. This ferry traverses the narrow, 2-mile wide straight named 'The Narrows' between the two islands in 15 minutes, from Major's Bay in St. Kitts, to Cades Bay in Nevis. Cars can also be ferried by some of the ferry boats that operate out of Basseterre.
Nevis
Charlestown is the harbor for the government ferries which run between Charlestown and Basseterre on St. Kitts http://www.stkittstourism.kn/DiscoverStKitts/GettingAround_Ferry.asp. There is a deep water port on the southern coast of Nevis for cargo ships.The "Sea Bridge" ferry, which takes cars (and also pedestrians), docks in the northwest part of Nevis at Cades Bay, and runs between there and Major's Bay on St. Kitts. The Sea Bridge ferry runs six times a day in each direction http://www.seabridgeskn.com/schedule.cfm.
St. Kitts
The Robert L. Bradshaw International AirportRobert L. Bradshaw International Airport
Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport is an international airport located just northeast of Basseterre, on the island of Saint Kitts, serving the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It was named after the first Premier of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla , Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw.A major renovation was...
(IATA airport code
IATA airport code
An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association...
SKB/TKPK) serves the city of Basseterre, and by extension the island of Saint Kitts. The airport is located in the south of the parish of Saint Peter Basseterre on the north-eastern periphery of the city of Basseterre. The 8001-foot runway airport has direct flights to London, New York and Miami, and seasonal flights to Charlotte, NC, and Philadelphia, PA, in addition to other major cities in the U.S.A. and Canada during the tourist season.
Nevis
The Vance W. Amory International AirportVance W. Amory International Airport
Vance W. Amory International Airport serves the island of Nevis in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The airport has a single runway of about 1,220 metres.The airport was previously known as Bambooshay Airport, then Newcastle Airport...
(IATA airport code
IATA airport code
An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association...
NEV/TKPN) serves the island of Nevis. The airport runway is 4002 feet in length. Many flights connect from here to other Caribbean islands, including Puerto Rico.
Railway
St. Kitts has 58 km of narrow (0.762m) gauge railway, which centers in Basseterre, and circles the island. The railway line was originally built to transport sugar cane to the central sugar factory in Basseterre http://www.stkittsscenicrailway.com/ourstory.html. The railway is now used as a tourist attraction. The "St. Kitts Scenic Railway" train currently runs from Sandy Point to Basseterre, traveling east.See also
- Saint Kitts and NevisSaint Kitts and NevisThe Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis , located in the Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island nation in the West Indies. It is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in both area and population....