Montserrat
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1. Montserrat Volcano Observatory
The island's must-see sight occupies capacious, strikingly postmodern quarters with stunning vistas of the Soufrière Hills volcano—a lunarscape encircled by brilliant green—and Plymouth in the distance. Unfortunately, the MVO staff no longer offers tours that explain monitoring techniques on sophisticated computerized equipment in riveting detail. But you can see graphic photos, artifacts like rock and ash, and diagrams that describe the various pyroclastic surge deposits. The Interpretation Center screens a high-impact film with IMAX footage.
Fleming, St. Peter, Montserrat664-491–5647Sight Details
Rate Includes: Observatory free, screening EC$10, Closed Sun. -
2. Plymouth
Montserrat's former capital had been off-limits to general tourists because of volcanic activity since the 2006 dome collapse of the Soufrière Hills volcano. Before that, the adventuresome could stroll its streets, albeit at their own risk; the situation has changed with the volcano's relative quiescence, but entry is still somewhat limited. Many cabbies and tour operators, who have undergone basic safety training, can arrange escorted tours with advance clearance from the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (the price varies). Once one of the Caribbean's loveliest towns, facing the vividly hued sea, it now resembles a dust-covered lunarscape, with elegant Georgian buildings buried beneath several feet of ash, mud, and rubble (though rain is slowly washing layers away). There is a hazard allowance of EC$150.
Plymouth, St. Anthony, Montserrat664-491–2230-Montserrat Tourist Board -
3. Foxes Bay
The ravages of volcanic ash and hurricanes are visible at this deserted taupe crescent: a former bird sanctuary and mangrove swamp with denuded tree trunks and the ruin of a former Rotary Club refreshment booth. The beach lacks facilities and shade. Plans perennially call for rebuilding the coastal main road, but for now the only access is via the old Belham Valley Road. After years of being off-limits, it's now listed as Zone C (accessible, but check daily). Amenities: none. Best for: solitude.
Belham Valley Rd., Montserrat -
4. Jack Boy Viewing Facility
This vantage point—replete with telescope, barbecue grill and tables for picnickers, landscaped grounds, and bathrooms—provides bird's-eye views of the old W. H. Bramble airport and eastern villages damaged by pyroclastic flows.
Jack Boy Hill, St. Georges, Montserrat -
5. Little Bay
Boats chug in and out of the port at the northern end of this otherwise comely crescent with calm waters. Several beach bars—Pont's (fine cheap local lunch Tuesday through Sunday), Soca Cabana, Seaside and Sylvia's—provide cool shade and cooler drinks. Carlton's Fish Net Bar specializes in barbecued stuffed trunkfish (a shellfish delicacy). A number of bars and restaurants were recently built in the adjacent section dubbed Marine Village, including Monty’s Bar and Montserrat Island Dive Centre. You may see locals casting lines for their own dinner. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: partiers; snorkeling; swimming.
Montserrat -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Montserrat National Trust Botanical Gardens
The MNT's main headquarters and collections relocated to Little Bay's Montserrat National Museum in 2012. But the lovingly tended botanical gardens and nature trails at the original site make for a pleasant, self-guided stroll. Among the plants are herbs used in folkloric medicine, former economic staples like Sea Island cotton and limes, and uniquely indigenous flora. A collection of endemic orchids, found in the hills, is on display in the Orchid House. You'll also find charming local keepsakes in the gift shop on the premises.
Main Rd., Olveston, St. Peter, Montserrat664-491–3086Sight Details
Rate Includes: EC$5, Closed weekends -
7. National Museum of Montserrat
The National Trust, which aims to conserve and enhance the island's natural beauty and cultural heritage, moved its headquarters and collection to this handsome new building in March 2012. The museum features permanent and rotating exhibits on Arawak canoe building, colonial sugar and lime production (the term limey was first applied here to English sailors trying to avoid scurvy), indigenous marine life, West Indian cricket, the annual Calabash Festival, island folklore like mocko jumbies (spirits), and the history of Sir George Martin's AIR Studios, which once lured top musicians from Dire Straits to Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. The back room houses a charming small-scale re-creation of pre-eruption Plymouth via blown-up photos, cutouts, and dioramas.
Little Bay, St. Peter, Montserrat664-491–3086Sight Details
Rate Includes: EC$5, Closed Sat.–Mon. and Wed.–Thurs. -
8. Old Road Bay
Follow the yellowing signs to Old Towne's Vue Pointe Hotel to reach this mile-long, pearl-gray beauty, a favorite swimming beach that has expanded greatly thanks to volcanic flow. There's little shade, but now that the Vue Pointe has reopened on a limited basis, the restaurant offers lunch most days. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.
Old Road Bay, Montserrat -
9. Rendezvous Bay
The island's sole white-sand beach is a perfect cove tucked under a forested cliff whose calm, unspoiled waters are ideal for swimming and offer remarkable snorkeling. It's accessible only via the sea or a steep trail that runs over the bluff to adjacent Little Bay (you can also negotiate boat rides from the fishermen who congregate there). There are no regular facilities or shade, but its very remoteness and pristine reef teeming with marine life lend it exceptional charm. Quan Jo Boat Tours & Camping offers Sunday beach activities, including boat rides and snorkeling, as well as food, music, and tents for shade. Amenities: none. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; swimming.
Montserrat -
10. Richmond Hill
This once affluent suburb of Plymouth is just north of the former capital and also offers a riveting panorama. You can see the 18th-century sugar mill that once housed the Montserrat Museum and poke around the abandoned Montserrat Springs Hotel, where a few items remain just as they were left on the front desk during the mass exodus in 1997. You might encounter a goat or cow nibbling mushrooms growing through the cracks in the pool and tennis court. The hotel's hot springs are down the hill by the beach, which has grown substantially and was long a favorite liming spot of locals and expats.
Richmond Hill, St. Anthony, Montserrat -
11. Runaway Ghaut
Montserrat's ghauts (pronounced guts) are deep ravines that carry rainwater down from the mountains to the sea. This natural spring, a short, well-marked walk into the hilly bush outside Woodlands, was the site of bloody colonial skirmishes between the British and French. The legend is more interesting than the trail: "Those that drink its water clear they spellbound are, and the Montserrat call they must obey." If you don't want to hike or picnic, a drink from the roadside faucet should ensure that you return to Montserrat in your lifetime.
Main Rd., Montserrat -
12. St. George's Hill/Garibaldi Hill
The only access to this incredible vantage point over the devastation is across the Belham Valley, through a once-beautiful golf course now totally covered by volcanic mudflow, resembling a lunarscape. Be aware that routes aren't signposted on the rough road, which is often impassable after heavy rains, so it's best to hire an experienced guide. You'll drive through Cork Hill and Weekes, villages for the most part spookily intact (there's no way to provide utilities, though geothermal drilling as an alternate energy source is under way). Close to the summit, the equally eerie, abandoned, stark-white wind-generator project and the giant satellite dishes of the Gem and Antilles radio stations resemble abstract-art installations awaiting completion by Christo. At the top, Ft. St. George contains sparse ruins, including a few cannons, but the overwhelming sight is the panorama of destruction, an unrelenting swath of gray offset by vivid emerald fields and the turquoise Caribbean. If access is ever again unrestricted to St. George's, you may be able to drive partway to Garibaldi Hill, which also affords sweeping vistas of the devastation.
St. George's Hill, St. Anthony, Montserrat -
13. The Cot
A fairly strenuous Centre Hills trail leads to one of Montserrat's few remaining historic sites—the ruins of the once-influential Sturges family's summer cottage—as well as a banana plantation. Its Duck Pond Hill perch, farther up the trail, dramatically overlooks the coastline, Garibaldi Hill, Old Towne, abandoned villages, and Plymouth.
Montserrat -
14. Woodlands
The only drawback to this secluded strand is the occasionally rough surf (children should be closely monitored). The breezy but covered picnic area on the cliff is one of the best vantage points to watch migratory humpback whales in spring and nesting green and hawksbill turtles in early fall. From here, you can hike north, then down across a wooden bridge to even less trammeled Bunkum Bay, which has a friendly guesthouse and beach bar. Amenities: restrooms. Best for: solitude; surfing.
Montserrat
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