When I travel, I typically make all of our excursion arrangements in advance. On this trip, however, I decided to be a little spontaneous. Arriving at the island, I saw billboards for Greg’s Safari and decided it would be a perfect adventure for our family.
After looking over the tour options at Greg’s Safari, we opted to book the Plantation tour. I thought the tour would be a great experience for us, and I wanted to ride in a zebra print Land Rover! Our adventure began when our guide picked us up from St. Kitt’s Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino.
Great House at Shadwell Estate
From the resort, we headed straight towards Monkey Hill and our first stop. Our first stop was at the Great House at Shadwell Estate, an old sugar plantation. The construction of the estate is amazing. The original architect design Great House to withstand storms and to utilize the trade winds as a form of air conditioning.
We were able to wander through the first floor of Great House and we marveled at its construction from wood and concrete stone. During the 18th century, a ton of sugar from St. Kitts fetched more than $3,000!
Great House is currently undergoing a massive makeover and will likely open next summer as a bed and breakfast. If you look closely at the tree standing outside the house, you’ll find a family of local vervet monkeys.
Rainforest Adventure
We left Great House and embarked on a journey that took us through three villages before arriving at our destination. Driving through the villages, we were able to see how native islanders live and work on a daily basis.
Our trek also took us through part of Saint Kitt’s protected rainforests. Inside the rainforest, we were able to view monkeys in their natural habitat and admire the foliage of the forest. The journey through the rainforest was breathtakingly beautiful, peaceful, and informative.
Mountain View Picnic
The Greg’s Safari tour includes a stop at a private 5-acre estate for a traditional Kittian picnic. The views at the estate were breathtaking, and my camera was unable to capture the true beauty of the panoramic views of the coastline.
We were able to pick fresh mangos from the rainforest to enjoy with our picnic. The mangos were incredible!
Our Kittian picnic included sugar cane, fresh coconut bread, local candies, guava cheese, and an assortment of soursop and star fruits.
Windmill at Whytes Estate
After enjoying our local lunch, we continued on our safari to the ruins of a windmill at Whytes Estate. The windmill was from the colonial era and was the power source for crushing the sugar cane stalks. During our time at the windmill, we were given an overview of the sugar cane production process.
St. Mary’s Anglican Church
The last stop on our safari was St. Mary’s Anglican Church. The historic church was built 200 years ago and is still a functioning church today. Local lore says that John Newton was inspired to write Amazing Grace during his time on St. Kitts.
Greg’s Safari was one of my favorite excursions during our time at the island. We learned so much about the island’s history and culture, explored the rainforest, and enjoyed fresh mangos. If you find yourself in St. Kitt’s, this is one of the excursions you have to take!
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- Amanda is a native of Richmond, VA. She enjoys writing, blogging, traveling, shopping, and spending time with friends and family.
