St. Kitts was was the second port of our 10 day Royal Caribbean cruise. (See a recap of the first island we visited here.) After relaxing and doing our own thing in Tortola, we decided to book a Royal Caribbean excursion and go horseback riding in St. Kitts.
My dad took my sister and I horseback riding growing up. I find it so relaxing and a wonderful way to connect with nature. Josh and I went horseback riding in the ocean when we visited the North Shore in Hawaii, so we thought it would be fun to try horseback riding in the mountains this time.
While I’m sure avid cruisers are all about booking their own tours, we went through Royal Caribbean for all of our excursions on this vacation. It’s a little more expensive than going to the tour companies directly, but if there’s bad weather or your ship doesn’t make the port, you’re not out the money for a tour you’re not able to take. You also don’t have to worry about language barriers or currency exchanges. And all tours booked through the ship guarantee you make it back on the ship. So if your tour runs late the boat will wait for you, instead of you know, just leaving (Which apparently really happens!).
We met our tour guides at the boat and then they drove us to the stables. It was nice because we were able to see the surrounding area by car and ask questions. St. Kitts has wild monkeys roaming the streets which was really neat to see in action, though I’m sure if one showed up unexpectedly in my house I’d find it a little less cool.
Something I didn’t realize about St. Kitts was how mountainous it is.
We went all the way up!
It really is an island where the mountains meet the sea.
Also a big shoutout to Josh for taking all these pictures because I was in total vacation mode and didn’t even bring my phone on this excursion.
I was too busy taking in these gorgeous views!
An old sugar cane mill, which is how St. Kitts used to make their money before tourism became their cash crop.
It amazes me that people actually live here. And that for a place with so much natural beauty there is so much poverty. This was the first island we really got out and explored and it was a little eye opening.
Our tour took us pretty deep into the rain forest. I loved getting to see all the different fauna and hear all the various birds.
A stop at the top of the mountain to take a photo. You could see everything! Can you spot our ship in the background?
On the hike back down we ran into so many different animals! Shortly after this picture was taken a cow wandered into the middle of the path and blocked the rest of us from making our way down the mountain until the guide was able to move him along. 😉
So many goats!
Josh and I had so much fun on this tour and would highly recommend it for those looking to do something a little outdoorsy but still incredibly relaxing. You are not going to see this girl up on a zipline.
I pet the horses goodbye before we drove back into town.
At this point Josh and I were hungry for lunch and I wanted to check out a beach. I heard great things about Frigate Bay, so we hopped in a cab and were on our way. Cabs were so cheap here, it was maybe $10 for a 20 minute ride to the beach. Everyone was super friendly and we felt incredibly safe (Although the vehicles on the road would not pass inspection in the US. We are talking holes in the sides of the vehicle and absolutely bald tires I tried not to think about it too much 😉 ). St. Kitts made us think all island fares were this cheap, so imagine our surprise the next day in Dominica when we asked how much a cab was for a 20 minute ride and were told $100. I stupidly asked them if they were joking and found out that no they were not.
Frigate Bay is a beautiful beach. And it’s affordable! It’s like $20 bucks for two beach chairs with umbrellas and a bucket of beers. You could lounge here all day and have an amazing time. While the beach was pretty calm during the day, you could tell this place is a party town at night. There were lots of signs for music and dancing and tons of booze specials.
We had unlimited drinks back on the boat so I didn’t drink on the island, but Josh was excited to try all the local beers at the different islands. I love this photo of him. 😀
We soaked up this gorgeous view for a while before heading back to the boat. St. Kitts was a fun island. I loved getting to see it from both the mountains and the beach.
Questions of the Day: Have you been to St. Kitts? If you had to pick, would you choose a day of horseback riding, or a day of beaching?
That sounds like an amazing experience. I haven’t been on horseback in a LONG time, but I would love to do this.
I love St. Kitts! We have family friends who live there, and my mom and I went to visit. Such an amazing country. Carib is a great beer! My parents are from Trinidad, so we always had it in the house when I was growing up. Actually, they still have it in their fridge, so whenever I go to visit them I’ve got to have at least one 🙂
Wow, jealous! What a great experience! And these photos are out of this world. What kind of camera do you use?
These were all taken on my husbands cell phone! I just edited them with the app Pic Tap Go before posting. 🙂
Wow, well nicely done!
Oh wow, what an amazing area to horseback ride. My daughter would love this! I don’t mind riding a bit, but she could do it for hours and be fine.
Found your blog through RTS. I love horseback riding. This looks like a dream! Great pictures, thanks for sharing!
What a marvelous place, it was so close to nature! The mountains meeting the sea, the view, the animals! Experiencing all of this on a horseback ride was the best thing on earth.
Oh gosh! How beautiful is that view! I love that you got to ride a horse and tour such a beautiful place in the process. I sure miss horseback riding!
St. Kitts has long been one of destination dreams, have not made it yet. It looks lovely. Thanks for sharing.
What an absolutely wonderful experience! It looks so warm and tranquil there. I’d love to visit one day!
I have traveled to the Caribbean numerous times, but never get tired of the gorgeous greenery. Your horseback riding experience looks awesome and I love that booking through Royal Caribbean directly comes with additional guarantees.
Looks amazing! I want to go.
never tried horesback riding! it’s because of two reason! Firts, im afraid. Second, i am really afraid. haha! lol that looks like a lot of fun tho!
Wow this view is amazing!! Horsebacking in a place like this sounds like the dream : )
What a great place to go horseback riding!!! I know my whole family would love this activity!
looks like you guys had a lot of fun! we have done horseback riding before too and its fun!
St Kitts seems beautiful – a perfect mix of mountains and ocean. Glad you were able to go riding and still spend some time on the beach!
You look like you had such an amazing time and like you were on a mini adventure. Congrats on all the St. Kitts fun!!!
Though, I do not think it is okay to use animals for ourselves, it looks like you enjoyed yourself. The landscapes were beautiful.
How beautiful those views are amazing. I love to horse back ride.
Looks like so much fun. I always wanted to go horseback riding. The trails look so nice with the water off to the side. You look like you had a great time.
Oh my goodness! I am so jealous! Horseback riding is one of my favorite things and I have always wanted to go to the Bahamas! Pretty much my dream trip! Why am I not on a beach right now?
What a beautiful island! I’ve always wanted to visit St. Kitts. I’ve been to some of the surrounding islands, but I have got to make it a point to get there! Lovely! 🙂
I love horseback riding everywhere we go. I am only a beginner but it is a great way to see the world – on the back of a horse.
Beautiful views & it’s funny as they feel nicer from land, than from the cruise ship … so guess we need the contrast between land & water
I have never been to St. Kitts but it surely looks hilly! I have thought about going on a cruise in the past but never made it happen. I really think I should start though. No worries about luggage or the boat leaving me behing lol. I would like to go horseback riding one of these days as well. Looks like you and Josh had a lot of fun on your tours. By the way, that Carib beer that he is drinking was brewed in my country Trinidad and Tobago. It’s very good!
St Kitts is gorgeous. And horse riding in that paradise is storybook awesome. Thanks for sharing this cool adventure.
you must have had an amazing day … i never in my life did a horse riding but now am gonna try this
How beautiful! I’ve got friends with family from here and get always say how beautiful it is. it must have been amazing to do all that on horseback as well.
This place is breathtaking! It’s tough not to enjoy the view as you go through the whole path with your horse! It’s definitely worth going to.
I can use some of those blue skies and dreamy clouds and don’t even get me started about a horseback ride. Sounds like a great excursion no matter whether you saved a couple bucks or not.
Amazing photos! I haven’t been to St Kitts but it looks like a nice place to visit. I love the scenery of the track of the horseback riding but I don’t think I’ll be brave to ride a horse. So, I’ll prefer to stay at the beach to soak in the sun. It looks like you and Josh had a lot of fun there!
I’ve never been horseback riding, but I rode a camel when I went to Tunis. It was awesome, even tho the camel hated me… However I’d love to experience this trip, the photos are absolutely amazing.
My goodness I would be in absolute heaven! Here I am adding another thing to my ever growing bucket list!
A stunning place and just the perfect way to discover the island – horseback .. so fun!
The pictures are soooooo pretty 🙂 I bet this was an amazing trip! I went to Nevis once for a week and it was such a beautiful vacation. Would love to go horse back riding surrounded by pretty nature!
These are really beautiful shots. Good job, Josh. Honey would be on camera duty. This just makes us want a vacay. And at $20 for a spot on the beach, not bad.
So beautiful! My husband and I want to take a cruise but it’s hard to find just the right one for the both of us. I would love to find one like this, to be able to go horseback riding in such an amazing place. Absolutely breathtaking! I’m just not sure my husband would appreciate it as much as I would.
Beautiful shots! Horseback riding would be fun for our whole family. Thanks for sharing 🙂