Some of the best-kept secrets in the Caribbean are hidden away among the forests, mountains, harbours and shorelines of St Vincent and the Grenadines. The 109,000 inhabitants of the 32 islands and cays that make up this intimate, off-the-beaten-track nation, typically refer to their country as SVG. Even on the main island of St Vincent, where 90% of the nation’s land and population are found, the airport is only large enough to handle inter-island aircraft, so SVG has been largely spared the attentions of mass tourism. This leaves the islands’ many charms free to be enjoyed, far from any madding crowds. But for how long?

Agriculture and fishing were much more important than tourism to the Grenadine’s economy until recent EU legislation ended the preferential status some Caribbean Islands  enjoyed as exporters of bananas to Europe. In response the SVG government has now declared an intention to actively promote the tourist industry.

St Vincent’s first experience of becoming more than a mere blip on the tourist radar came when it was used as one of the locations for filming the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Remnants of the film set, in the picture perfect bay of Wallilabou, are still a low-key tourist attraction, and an aquatic playground for gangs of giggling local children long after Johnny Depp and Kiera Knightly sailed off into the sunset. But what else does SVG have to offer?

I was relieved to find a still relatively un-spoilt land where a concerted effort is being made to avoid some of the mistakes other islands in the region had made in the past, in the rush to tap into tourist dollars. There are trails through verdant rainforest to hidden waterfalls, where rainbow-feathered parrots cavort in splintered sunlight under a canopy of towering ferns. A fire-breathing volcano, that spends most of its time obscured by clouds and lost in mists, occasionally reveals itself to reward those who climb it with views to die for. There are splendid antique botanical gardens, elegant old colonial houses, and dramatic ruins of shoreline forts with cannons still pointing out to sea in search of pirates, beautiful old churches and vibrant markets, on St Vincent alone.

Although some of the smaller islands have become covert haunts of the super rich and hidden hideaway destinations for celebrities, there are still some which are simple natural paradises and others with a thriving local culture of fishing villages and traditional cassava farmers.

My first stop was at the Grand View Hotel on St Vincent, a charming locally-run guesthouse with not one but two great views, over the sparkling calm waterfront of Indian Bay and Young Island, and the other right onto the manicured pitch of Amos Vale cricket ground. There is never a spare room on match days. From here it was a short walk over a hill to the capital Kingstown, where I cruised the colourful market piled high with seductive displays of tropical fruits, vegetables and spices. I drank some welcome coconut water from one of the stalls and ate a delicious lunch of bul jol – a popular local dish of roasted breadfruit and saltfish – at the atmospheric Cobblestone Inn, a restored Georgian warehouse of cobblestone walls and polished wooden floors on the waterfront. Then I climbed up to Fort Charlotte high above the bay for some more great views and to get in some practice for my next days epic ascent of La Soufriere volcano.

My driver Sam picked me up early and we drove up the dramatic Windward highway to the pretty provincial town of Georgetown. Here we went off-road, driving over dried-up lava flows and past banana and coconut plantations until we met Jamal at the trailhead. The climb was demanding but well worth the effort: we climbed through a primeval forest of elfin woodland, giant bamboo and dripping creepers until we were above the tree line. The swirling mist at the barren summit cleared just long enough for the ultimate reward of a glimpse down into the ominous crater-lake below. Jamal had a seeming boundless knowledge of the island’s flora and fauna, pointing out hummingbirds and mockingbirds and a rare rufous-throated solitaire.

I was glad he was free the following day to guide me along the Vermont Nature Trail at Buccament. His two young sons accompanied us: “I want to teach them all the secrets of the forest... how to recognise all the varieties of heliconias, anthuriums and mahogany”. He was keen to spread the word that preserving the natural habitat was essential to the future of the endangered birdlife. Seeing several pairs of majestic St Vincent parrots gliding above the trees from a viewing platform at sunset was one of the highlights of my trip. As we stood alone in the wilderness Jamal mused: “We must be careful to ensure that if more tourists come here they do not frighten away these beautiful birds.”

Sam, my driver, had fewer reservations about increasing tourist numbers; he was looking forward to “more fares, and jobs for his children”. Before I left St Vincent to explore some of the smaller islands of SVG, he wanted to give me one more extraordinary experience, the Bat Cave of Petit Byahaut. This involved jumping off a boat out at sea with a mask and snorkel, then swimming underwater into a cave system, then surfacing in an underground chamber with a cathedral ceiling covered in hanging bats – incredible!

Next stop on my exploration of SVG was a boat trip across to Bequia. I arrived from St Vincent on a ferry full of returning school children and women laden with baskets of mangos and pineapples. As soon as I disembarked I had a good feeling about the place: no unwanted hassle or hawkers, just friendly smiles.

Every fresh catch that arrives at Bequia’s ramshackle fish market is announced by the loud blast of a conch shell. The island’s capital, Port Elizabeth, spread out along the palm-fringed crescent of Admiralty Bay, is almost small enough for all to hear it. The trumpeting does little to inspire anything like a rush to buy fish though. Bequia is an island where the word ‘rush’ has little meaning. Apart from the occasional blast from a conch shell, it was quiet enough to hear the animated conversation coming from the benches beneath the harbour-side almond trees. Known locally as “the house of parliament”, it is a popular place to rest a while and catch up on island gossip. Near the port’s fine old colonial era customs house, there is a colourful fruit market run by some very relaxed dreadlocked Rastas, a couple of rum shops and a bakery.

I walked along the Belmont Walkway, a narrow beachside promenade, shaded by palms and frangipani trees, beside the sparkling clear water of the bay, to Jack’s Bar on Princess Margaret Beach. Sipping a rum punch, I watched the sky turn deep orange as the sun set behind the moored yachts in the harbour and waited for a taxi to arrive and take me across the island to Friendship Bay.

There is little need to hire a car on Bequia: distances are short and taxis plentiful. Some of the best places, like Hope Bay (a great arch of deserted golden sand, looking over a deep blue swathe of the Caribbean towards Mystique) can only be reached on foot.

On a walk there from Friendship Bay I encountered a timeless, bucolic scene of local villagers in a field engaged in the traditional method of making flour from cassava roots. They were using a pedal- powered mill, an ancient hand mangle and giant iron pans over an open wood fire. The flour is used to bake bam bam bread, a flat pancake-shaped bun eaten with fish stews to soak up the flavour.

The beaches on the western leeward coast south of Port Elizabeth are the island’s calmest, and the best for children. The bars and restaurants along the seafront are popular haunts of the cosmopolitan yacht charter crowd. Locals tend to head down the back streets to cafes like the Hibiscus, where the charismatic owner, Beige, serves up deliciously-spiced freshly-grilled fish and homemade rum punch.

Until now the majority of visitors to St Vincent and the Grenadines have been windswept sailors and ex-pat owners of opulent villas. With the opening of several new hotels and more regular inter-island flights, it looks as if a more diverse type of visitor will be exploring these shores – and if they keep the promises made to protect what makes this group of islands so special, surely that’s no bad thing. It seems only right that the delights of these magical islands should be shared.

Factbox
• Locations
St Vincent & The Grenadines are part of the Windward Islands and lie 34km south of St Lucia and 70km west of Barbados. St Vincent is the largest of the 32 islands and cays, which extend southwest down to Grenada, covering roughly 150 sq. miles.
• Passports and visas
All visitors must have a valid passport and a return ticket. The departure tax is EC$40
• Currency
EC Dollar, although US dollars are widely accepted, as are credit cards.
• Seasons
SVG is a year-round destination with an average yearly temperature of 27° C (81° F). The coolest months are between November and February, while the months of May to October are more humid. The dry season is from the first week of November through to June.
• Language  - English
• POPULATION - 109,022
• TIME ZONE - GM –4
• Customs regulations
Visitors can bring in 200 duty-free cigarettes or 50 cigars or 1/2 lb of  tobacco and 1 quart of wine or spirits.
• Insurance
It is advisable to have medical insurance. 
• Health precautions
As with any tropical destination, it is advisable to take insect repellent, but there are no particular innoculations needed before travel.
• Electricity
British plugs are used in most places, however some of the bigger resorts like Raffles also have American plugs.
• LIAT flies into St Vincent 182 times a week.

Top 10 must-dos in SVG
Whether you’re a first-time tourist, a regular visitor, or even a resident of St Vincent and the Grenadines, ZiNG recommends
you take in the following incredible sights and experiences.

1 La Soufriere volcano rises 1234m above the lush tropical foliage of St Vincent’s northern interior. It last erupted in 1979 and still rumbles and hisses deep inside a vast crater, reached on a full day trek on well-marked trails.

2 Vermont Nature Trail, home of beautifully-plumaged St Vincent parrots and Whistling Warblers, both unique to the island.

3 Owia Salt Pond is a collection of tidal pools of crystal clear warm water near Sandy Bay on St Vincent’s remote north coast, protected from the crashing Atlantic by a shield of volcanic stone.

4 Fort Charlotte, named after George III’s wife, was built in 1806, on a 600-foot cliff above Kingstown. There are magnificent views over the city below and Grenadines archipelago to the south. 

5 Carnival Vincy Mas is the highlight of the St Vincent calendar, a spectacular carnival of costumes, shows, calypsos, parades and live music held in late June.

6 The Two-beach Trek on Bequia between Admiralty and Friendship Bays on Bequia. Walk out of Port Elizabeth past the cricket ground towards Mount Pleasant.

7 St Mary’s Anglican Church at Port Elizabeth on Bequia is a lovely church, rebuilt after a hurricane in 1798 with a peaceful, light and airy interior.

8 The panoramic view over the picture-postcard-perfect atolls of Tobago Cays from the atmospheric hilltop church on Mayreau.

9 The Botanical Gardens in Kingstown are the oldest in the western hemisphere. It is a perfect retreat from the bustle of the town and a great introduction to the flora of the islands. A descendent of the original breadfruit tree brought to the Caribbean by captain Bligh can be seen there, as well as several rescued St Vincent parrots.

10 A fresh grilled marinated fish or chicken roti served with a spicy homemade barbeque sauce and a cold beer at Hibiscus on Bequia. Delicious.