Yes, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is easy to backpack independently: English is the official language, the main island has cheap shared minibuses, and ferries link most inhabited islands.
The hard part is cost and timing, not difficulty. There is almost no hostel scene, so expect guesthouses at US$40 to 80 (EC$110 to 215) a night and a daily budget of roughly US$70 to 110. The ferry from
Kingstown to
Bequia takes about 1 hour and costs EC$25 to 30, but boats to
Union Island and
Mayreau run only a few days a week, so plan the southern Grenadines around the timetable rather than improvising.
Five to seven days is the right amount of time for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, enough for the main island plus two of the Grenadines without rushing.
With 2 days, stay on
Bequia, an hour by ferry from Kingstown. With 3 days, add a day for the
La Soufrière hike (5 to 6 hours round trip) and one for Kingstown and the rainforest. Five days lets you work south to
Union Island, a 3 to 4 hour ferry from Bequia, for a
Tobago Cays boat tour. A week or more adds slack for weather and the limited ferry schedules, which matters more here than almost anywhere in the Caribbean.
You can get around Saint Vincent and the Grenadines without a car: shared minibuses cover St. Vincent, and ferries, water taxis and small planes connect the islands.
Minibus fares on St. Vincent run about EC$1.50 to 8 (US$0.55 to 3), with Kingstown to Georgetown taking 1 to 1.5 hours. Service fades by early evening and is thin on Sundays, so trailheads like
La Soufrière often need a taxi for the last stretch. The
Bequia ferry runs several times daily, while the slower boat to Canouan, Mayreau and
Union Island sails a few days a week. Flights from Union Island to Argyle take about 25 minutes.
The must-visits in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are
Bequia, the
Tobago Cays,
La Soufrière Volcano and
Salt Whistle Bay, with the
Botanical Gardens in Kingstown as the best half day on the main island.
Bequia, an hour from Kingstown by ferry, gives you
Princess Margaret Beach and a walkable harbor village. The Tobago Cays are reached on day tours from Union Island at about EC$160 to 270 (US$60 to 100), with turtles in the shallows off Baradal. Those tours usually stop at Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau. La Soufrière is a 5 to 6 hour round-trip hike to a 1,234 meter crater rim.
If you are short on time in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, skip
Mustique and
Canouan, which are built around luxury villas and resorts and offer little for budget travelers.
On the main island, half a day covers
Kingstown itself, and black-sand beaches like
Cumberland Bay can wait while Bequia’s sand is an hour away.
Fort Duvernette needs a boat transfer and a steep climb for a view you get more easily from Fort Charlotte. The long leeward coast road is also the first thing to cut on a 3-day trip, since
Bequia and
La Soufrière deliver more per hour.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for St. Vincent & the Grenadines in seconds. Try it out!
Try the itinerary plannerv2.webp){kind=logo}
Best Backpacking
