Guide to the Grenadines: an island for every traveler

Long the domain of savvy sailors and fly-in millionaires, the spectacular Grenadines also offer plenty for the independent traveler – you don’t need your own boat to fully explore the magnificent archipelago. Spanning the nations of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, the Lesser Antilles region offers a wide variety of authentic Caribbean experiences where nature is never far from the spotlight.

What you should know before visiting the Grenadines

Comprising 32 islands and cays stretching between Saint Vincent and Grenada, the official language of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is English; however, most residents also speak Vincentian Creole. You’ll often hear the English-based Creole in informal settings – influenced by French, Spanish, Portuguese and the languages of the Garifuna and West Africa. The multi-island Caribbean nation is known for its unspoiled natural beauty, luxury accommodations, and sailing and pirate history. Visitors also flock to the island chain for marine and wildlife encounters and outdoor wonders like the active La Soufrière Volcano. 

Throughout the region, there is no shortage of cultural activities across islands – from blues and gospel festivals to regattas and Carnival. Each island’s traditions and history are as lush as its landscape, making this the ideal destination for island hoppers and history buffs.

Most recently, the July 1, 2024, landfall of Category 4 Hurricane Beryl caused considerable devastation and infrastructural disruption to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, more so than any of the other Caribbean islands. While Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and its people remain in recovery, ports are open and islands are safe to explore.

Read on to discover which island in the Grenadines you should include in your trip.

Bequia 

Best for: Dining out

The most visited of the Grenadines and rightly so, beautiful Bequia is the quintessential slow-paced Caribbean island that really does have it all. Visitors can swim, dive or hike through dazzling natural beauty by day and then soak up the tropical atmosphere in the evening, sipping cocktails or tucking into a gourmet meal on a panoramic terrace.

Among its many draws are Princess Margaret Beach and Lower Bay, two wonderful stretches of sand backed by lush greenery, just a short hike from the capital Port Elizabeth.

As the second-largest island in the chain, Bequia offers plenty of attractions for nature lovers. There are good drift dives along the leeward side of the north of the island while the remote hilly north of the island affords ample opportunity for exploration; climb some of the imposing forested peaks for fine views of Saint Vincent and other Grenadine islands.

Bequia is an island that’s bound to entertain regardless of the time of year. The four-day Bequia Music Festival, one of the island’s most popular events, kicks off the year in January. A smaller-scale Carnival celebration takes place at the end of June, as part of the regional Vincy Mas, while Bequia Fisherman’s Day is the largest annual fishing event (held the Saturday after Vincy Mas). For a bit of holiday spirit during vacation, partake in the tradition of Nine Mornings – a local pre-Christmas activity where residents sing and celebrate throughout the island over the nine nights leading up to the holiday.

Getting there: Visiting Bequia is a breeze thanks to its efficient regular fast ferry service linking it with Kingstown on Saint Vincent Island. SVG Air has flights from the airport on the south of the island to Kingstown, Barbados and St Lucia.

Mustique 

Best for: Kicking back with rock stars

Mysterious Mustique, home to rock stars and the uber wealthy, is the island that fomented the image of the Grenadines as playground for the rich and famous.

The private island has some of the priciest accommodations in the region – if you have the bank balance, you can crash at the Balinese themed villa built by David Bowie. Mustique is also reported to be a longtime home of music and fashion icons like Mick Jagger and Tommy Hilfiger. But you don’t need to be rolling in it to visit – day trips on yachts from Bequia allow visitors to get a taste of Mustique’s manicured lawns and pure tropical perfection. Visitors can lie on pristine beaches and have a drink at the iconic Basil’s Bar overlooking the main harbor – you never know who might be at the next table.

Mustique Blues Festival, celebrating its 30th year in 2025, is a highlight of the island’s event calendar. This gathering of the world’s biggest blues acts typically occurs at the end of January and through February. Artsy travelers will enjoy aligning their visit with the annual Mustique Charitable Trust craft fair, where local vendors sell handmade beauty products, banana art, baskets, jewelry and other SVG-made keepsakes to add to your decor collection. Like other islands in the region, the shared traditions of Carnival, Nine Mornings and regatta culture are equally important in Mustique.

Getting there: There are no public ferry services to Mustique. Travelers can visit on a day sailing cruise from Bequia; a recommended boat is the elegant Caribbean schooner Friendship Rose. Visitors with accommodation can find regular flights from Barbados, Kingstown, Grenada and Saint Lucia with Mustique Airways.

Tobago Cays 

Best for: Snorkeling

Uninhabited and protected as a marine park, the gorgeous Tobago Cays are the highlight of any trip to the Grenadines. Surrounded by an impressive barrier reef, they offer some of the best snorkeling in all of the Caribbean with warm, shallow waters filled with hard corals that are alive with marine life, including a thriving population of marine turtles.

The beauty of the cays is no secret among travelers, but they rarely feel overrun thanks to their remote location and lack of development. A day trip here is a thoroughly relaxing experience with bouts of snorkeling, swimming and lazing on the sands interrupted only by freshly caught seafood meals.

Getting there: There is no public transportation to the Tobago Cays, but it's possible to charter a small boat for a day trip from any one of the populated Grenadine islands; Mayreau is the cheapest departure point, followed by Union Island. To see the cays in style, book a sailing tour from Union Island on the pirate ship Scaramouche.

Mayreau 

Best for: Relaxing beaches, bar hopping

Tiny Mayreau may not have a hospital, school or any police, but the lack of development doesn’t stop the small population of locals from having a good time. Mayreau is famed locally for its hard partying. In fact, those that work on the boats swear that Mayreau’s weekly beer order far eclipses that of far larger neighbor Union Island.

Apart from bar hopping, there are plenty of other reasons to pay a visit. The island is part of the Tobago Cays Marine Park and has spectacular beaches. Long a secret amongst yachties in the know, Salt Whistle Bay on the northern tip of the island is one of the most perfect bays in the Grenadines: a full horseshoe-shaped crescent of brilliant white sand lined with coconut palms that looks almost too good to be true. It’s a fantastic place to swim.

The undeveloped nature of Mayreau means there are plenty of rarely visited smaller bays to discover, and the small size of the island means you’re never too far from home (or cold beers) once you tire of exploration.

Getting there: Some southern Grenadines ferry services, including the MV Barracuda, call at Mayreau on the Kingstown-Union Island run. Alternatively, a school boat runs between Clifton on Union Island and Mayreau every weekday morning and afternoon. There’s no airstrip on Mayreau.

Canouan 

Best for: Private beaches, snorkeling

A tale of two islands – Canouan is a peculiar place that, in some ways, shows the perils of tourism development. Once a normal Grenadine paradise, more than half of the island was sold off by the SVG government to private investors for a mega resort project, leaving local residents bunched up in the village on the southern reaches of the isle without access to some of Canouan’s loveliest spots. Of course if you’re staying in the resort, you will enjoy access to absolutely stunning beaches with first class snorkeling and zero crowds.

While many of the nicest beaches are within the resort boundaries, there is also fine snorkeling and some lovely sands to the south and east of the village of Charlestown, although infrastructure on the island is limited for independent visitors.

Held typically in May, the Canouan Regatta attracts visitors from around SVG for several days of boat races, family-friendly cultural activities, and sporting and dance competitions.  

Getting there: Canouan is accessible by ferry services running between Kingstown on Saint Vincent and Union Island with MV Barracuda. There are flights to Kingstown and Union Island – a five-minute hop over the channel – with SVG Air.

Union Island 

Best for: Kiteboarding, meeting locals

An outpost at the far southern end of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and across an international border, mountainous Union Island has traditionally been off the radar for many visitors but has recently been discovered by a new wave of adventurous independent travelers.

With a couple of laid-back villages and no major resorts, it’s one of the best islands for visitors to mix it up with locals. The main street in Clifton is lined with little cafes and restaurants, and it's a fun place to relax in the evening after sun-soaked adventures.

As a true Grenadine, Union Island is not without its share of astonishing natural beauty. Big Sand on the west side of the island is a wonderful crescent of powdery white fronted by brilliant turquoise sea and framed by jungle covered bluffs. The waters to the east of the airport runway on the north side of the island offer some of the best kiteboarding in the archipelago.

Union Island is the home of a uniquely special Caribbean celebration, the Maroon Festival. Taking place on the full moon of May each year, the festival draws inspiration from the harvest rituals of enslaved West Africans, acknowledged today in the form of ancestral song, dance and drum rhythms passed down generationally. 

Getting there: Union Island is the last stop on the southern Grenadines ferry routes from Kingstown, and both the MV Gem Star and MV Barracuda spend the night here. The small local airport receives regular flights from Kingstown as well as less frequent services from Grenada, St Lucia and Barbados. Bookings can be made through SVG Air.

Carriacou 

Best for: Culture

Home to the Grenadines’ most vibrant Carnival as well as one of its leading music festivals, Carriacou is the archipelago’s largest island and also its most culture-focused. Sure, it has the requisite first-class beaches – Paradise Beach on the west side of the island very much lives up to its name, while secluded Anse La Roche is a delightful cove surrounded by bush with coral reefs just offshore – but there’s also plenty going on once the sun goes down.

Carnival in Carriacou is a raucous affair involving oil-covered bodies dancing in the street until the early hours. But Carriacou Carnival’s biggest claim to fame is the intriguing Pierrot or “Shakespeare Mas,” where pairs of costumed men recite verses from the bard and bash each other with sticks if they fluff their lines.

Other cultural showpieces include the Big Drum Dance – an ancestral dance performed on special occasions and accompanied by plenty of rum – and the Carriacou Maroon and String Band Music Festival, a full-on celebration of drumming, dancing and smoked foods.

Getting there: Carriacou is one of the easiest islands in the Grenadines to visit thanks to the regular fast ferry service run by Osprey Lines from St Georges on Grenada, which has good international air links.

Know before you go

While Saint Vincent and the Grenadine Islands are still in recovery mode from Hurricane Beryl, the islands remain open for tourism, depending largely on visa-exempt travelers from the US and United Kingdom as an economic source, especially in times of restoration. 

The unprecedented impact of the storm on this region of the West Indies has affected approximately 52% of the island’s population, although many of the resorts now operate as normal for guests. As resiliency projects continue to support each island’s recovery, the outlook for a full recovery is approximately two years, according to the Minister of Tourism for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Honourable Carlos James.