St. Kitts Scenic Railway

Heritage railroad · Basseterre ·

St. Kitts Scenic Railway

Heritage railroad · Basseterre ·

Island tour by historic train past beaches plantations sugarcane

Information

Needsmust Train Station, Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis Get directions

@travelleisure

28,641 Postcards · 5,542 Cities

This Stunning Caribbean Island Has Cloud Forests, a Volcano, and Pristine Beaches—and You Can Drive Around It in an Hour

"If a volcano hike isn't quite your speed, the St. Kitts Scenic Railway is made for a more leisurely encounter with the island's natural beauty. Originally built to transport sugarcane, this double-decker train now traces a three-hour route across gorges, past historic sugar mills, and along the dramatic coastline for a top-to-bottom tour of St. Kitts." - Carley Rojas Avila Carley Rojas Avila Carley Rojas Avila is a bilingual travel writer, editor, and content marketer. She is an expert on Latin America, the Caribbean, and Cuba, as she lived and worked in four different countries in that region. Carley founded the digital travel publications Loosely Local and Home to Havana. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines

https://www.travelandleisure.com/st-kitts-travel-guide-11866204

St. Kitts Scenic Railway

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,702 Cities

"A combination of train and bus, this three-hour tour weaves a fascinatingroute past some of the island’s most historic sights. Constructed from 1912 to 1926, the rail system originally carried sugar from St. Kitts’ estates to the factory in Basseterre, but today serves as a fun tourist attraction. Visitors ride in double-decker cars—the lower is air-conditioned, the upper open-air—past black-sand beaches, old plantations,andsugarcane fields, and then up a portion of Mount Liamuiga."

The Best Things to Do in St. Kitts

Photo courtesy of St. Kitts Tourism Authority

St. Kitts Scenic Railway

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,702 Cities

12 Reasons We Love St. Kitts

Photo courtesy of St. Kitts Tourism Authority

St. Kitts Scenic Railway

Mitch M.

Google

Older small/narrow guage train. Train sways quite a bit due to the need for the tracks baserock needing repacking but that is part of the fun. I recommend riding up top for a better view and thrill. Great commentary about the island history and villages. They had to historic dressed dancers that went to each car. Brochure picture shows a sailboat catamaran but you ride on a modern fiberglass powerboat catamaran and the music was load and not altogether suited for the older crowd on this particular day.

Karen H.

Google

Do this trip! A fabulous way to see 18miles of the island in a relaxed and beautiful old gorge train built in the 1920’s used once for the sugar cane transport. We combined this rail route with a bus that continued around St Kitts giving us a wonderful chance to encounter the beauty and lush landscape of St Kitts. The complimentary drinks and even rum punch or rum pina colada are free and delicious onboard, the history and tour guide information you hear whilst the train chugs through villages and lush fauna to the right and to the left the blue turquoise sea, the sound of the steam horn hooping as we pass right through the villages waving at school children or bystanders, the screeching sound of the wheels on the tracks as we jig about gently on the top open balcony of the train is delightful. Honestly such a lovely beautiful trip. It did rain waiting for the train to depart but stopped after 5 mins. There are plastic rain curtains that would be pulled down if the downpour would have continued but it was dry for the journey. We would def do this again and the time just flew by in the most relaxing way. Kids would love this too. There is a closed carriage downstairs if someone finds it difficult to climb about 10 circular steps but the magic happens at the top as views are beautiful.

Karen S.

Google

A nice way to see the island. Very responsive team and great tour. The tour guide could make it a little more fun, but not a take away from the tour because she was very informative and pleasant. The unlimited drinks is a nice touch, I enjoyed the mango daiquiri a lot. I highly recommend sitting on the top, because the inside seating gives no justice to the " scenic tour" I sat on the upper cart but resorted to inside because of heavy rains, that made the tour less interesting because you no longer could hear the tour guide properly ( busted speakers) on top of no view of anything really. I sat in cart 5, so I'm not sure if other carts had better hearing quality from inside. Pleasant and helpful staff, boarding just a tad bit confusing , with passengers departing and boarding at the same area . We lost an item and I'm sure it was on board or on the tour bus, or left at the shed on property but after reporting the lost item within minutes after completing the tour, it was not retrieved- very odd because we went nowhere else. Overall, wonderful experience and I recommend it...unique way to see an island and get the history while getting complimentary drinks.

S S

Google

This is a beautiful way to see the island and get a lot of the history. You learn so much of the people, the sugar mills, and some talented young men even come on the train to do a dance handed down from generations. Tip them separately, they actually are separate from the tour! I was on the first train on top, so I was with a lady who really knew her history. She grew up in nevis, so we were lucky to get someone who could answer all of our questions! Everyone there is friendly. Wave at EVERYONE or else your considered rude!! You will leave with a smile!!

Daphne and Jon S.

Google

Fabulous views on this 18 mile line round St Kitts and lots for train buffs! 2'6" guage track, 1981 Rumanian diesel locomotive, open double decker coaches, trestle viaducts, tight curves, steep inclines. And a great commentary with complementary drinks to suit all tastes.

Tim H.

Google

Fabulous experience with Sweet Pea narrating the journey and explaining everything from the history to the plant life and wishing good morning to everyone. You get to see parts of the island that are otherwise inaccessible. Well worth a visit.

Anthony R.

Google

We were so excited to enjoy this unique experience. However, about 5 minutes into the ride, the train derailed and we were stuck. After quite a wait, we had to be towed back to the depot. They offered a ride after the rail was repaired but due to obvious concerns, we declined and got a full refund. The staff were amazing but the experience was, preventable or not, a let down as we moved our plans around to accommodate this date for the train and we are only here for a week. We are so disappointed.

Rasheeda B.

Google

Kurt was THE BEST bus tour guide and Sweet Pea (Patricia) was a lovely & fun train cabin host. Special thanks to Ambrosia for efficiently serving us our beverages!!! Unfortunately, there was a derailment that ended our adventure prematurely, but next time we're here in SKN, we'll schedule our tour!