Montserrat: an unspoilt Caribbean island paradise
The Caribbean Island of Montserrat. Tiny, unknown (by us at any rate) and not to be confused with its namesake: the Montserrat mountain and monastery located to the north of Barcelona in Spain. They are not the same!
The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean
The Caribbean Island of Montserrat is a tiny British overseas territory, located in the Leeward Isles to the north-west of Guadaloupe. Often described as the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean, and/or as the friendliest of all islands, it has many charms to entice and reward the adventurous, curious traveller.
Little Bay beach, Montserrat
Montserrat has a turbulent recent history whereby it’s been beset by a series of devastating natural disasters.
Montserrat viewed from the International Space Station on 11/10/09.
The first was Hurricane Hugo which hit the island in September 1989 – the eye of the storm raged over the island for a terrifying 14 hours and winds of up to180mph lay waste to many buildings, including George Martin’s Air Studio which had attracted many rock stars and celebrities to the island. More than 2,500 people were made homeless.
Then, in 1995, just as Montserrat was hauling itself back to its feet, the dormant Soufrière Hills Volcano erupted for the first time in almost 400 years. Two-thirds of the southern part of the island, including the capital, Plymouth, was devastated and still remains buried beneath thick hard-baked layers of ash, mud and boulders, up to two storeys high. Thousands more people found themselves homeless. Volcanic eruptions continued until 2010, and many people had to leave the island – often still having to repay a mortgage on a home they could no longer even visit, much less live in. There were no insurance pay outs.
The remaining Montserratians migrated to the north-west of the island and rebuilt their homes and communities, and to this day live in a place where nature is firmly in control, demands the utmost respect and yet repays both locals and visitors many times over through a stunningly beautiful, natural and wild landscape and environment.
As a result of these natural disasters, Montserrat is an island that won’t suit everyone: if your goal from a Caribbean holiday is to treat yourself to the luxuries of life; stay in a high-end hotel (or indeed any hotel); eat in beautiful restaurants and recline on sunbeds on white sand beaches; then look elsewhere – Montserrat is not for you!
But if you love adventurous travel, nature, wildlife, chatting with locals and exploring non-touristy places, then add Montserrat to your bucket list. Unless you’re scared of flying, in which case, cross it straight off again.
At the moment (April 2025) you can only reach Montserrat by means of a tiny twin-prop plane from VC Bird International Airport on Antigua, where 6 passengers are squashed in with their bags and the pilot.
It’s an exceptionally noisy flight and can also be rather bumpy, but it is short (20 minutes) and the views are spectacular. Plus it’s one hell of an experience! There used to be a ferry between Antigua and Montserrat but it wasn’t economically viable, as outside St Patrick’s week, visitor numbers to Montserrat are very low. You can fly to Montserrat with one of two airlines: Fly Montserrat, and SVG Air.
Just six people squeeze into this
Yes, it really is that tight!
Montserrat is tiny and furthermore two thirds of the island is now completely unpopulated because it lies in the Exclusion Zone – the only natural disaster exclusion zone in the world. The remaining population of 5,000 now mainly lives in the north-west of Montserrat – in the area around Little Bay, Brades and Cudjoehead, plus further south in and around Salem. There are some villas (mainly owned by British, Canadian and US expats) in the hills around Woodlands and Old Town and that’s basically it.
Getting around the island
We fondly imagined we’d be able to walk most places, but in reality you can’t actually walk anywhere because it’s hot, humid and incredibly hilly.
So you’ll probably want to rent a car, although you could just get around by taxi. Be prepared to wait though – ‘island time’ very much exists in Montserrat and you’ll soon relax into a wonderful state of not actually minding what time things happen – ‘just being’ is enough. You probably won’t relax when driving though – the roads are always narrow, always winding, always going steeply up or steeply down, and are often in a poor state of repair. Everyone ignores the 20mph speed limit and also drives in the middle of the road – we saw two bad accidents in just a few days. But on the positive side, everyone smiles, waves and beeps at each other and there’s a very friendly atmosphere!
Hiking in Montserrat
The trails provide complete immersion in nature: a goatherd moving his flock through the forests was one of only a few people we saw in several days’ hiking. (photo/video) Heliconia, the Montserrat national flower, grows in towering clumps – the vibrant yellow and scarlet bracts holding water and acting as tiny little reservoirs for wildlife, and the strong fibrous leaves being easily pulled apart by the endemic Montserrat Oriole to make a delicate nest that it secures to the underside of the leaf, thereby protecting it from possible danger. Photo Tropical birds sing their hearts out in the canopy but are elusive – a guide such as Scriber will help you spot the Montserrat Oriole (we failed to do so without one). But we did see a Bridled Quail Dove which our ‘twitcher’ friends were very impressed with!
The Central Hills area of Montserrat provides excellent hiking trails of varying levels of difficulty. They wind through lush, verdant, tropical forests and landscapes of immense natural biodiversity and beauty – progress is slow due to frequent photo stops.
You can also hike near the edge of the exclusion zone: a narrow trail runs from above Isles Bay around the cliffs to Foxes Bay and then you can follow what remains of old roads to Bransby Point where there are several old canons still watching guard.
The tracks take you past abandoned, decaying homes that nature is reclaiming, and the droppings (and distant braying) of apparently now unfriendly feral donkeys give a stark reminder of the island’s history. This area doesn't feel so welcoming, and the incredibly spikey re-growth seems to warn you not to linger.
Montserrat beaches and snorkelling
The beaches on Montserrat, other than Rendezvous Bay, are black sand due to the volcano, and the Caribbean Sea is choppy and of many different hues. Not as picture perfect as the white sand and turquoise sea in Antigua, but they are blissfully quiet, natural, and the iguana and turtle tracks are truly wonderful to see. Sitting on our deserted local beach watching the sunset while pelicans and egrets flew lazily by, and an iguana scuttled off into the undergrowth remains one of my most magical moments ever.
Montserrat has some great snorkelling, and we did a couple of trips to the sheltered Rendezvous Bay where we were bowled over (not literally!) by fish of every possible colour swimming on the coral reef – absolutely magical and mesmerising. There are also coral reefs at Woodlands Beach and Bunkum Bay, but the sea was too rough while were there. We’d thoroughly recommend Scuba Montserrat, run by the lovely Andrew and Emmy, who provide boat tours around the island, snorkelling and dive trips and also Monday morning yoga sessions at Isles Bay Beach Bar – surely THE most beautiful place to do yoga in the world. They even saw a whale during one session last year!
So, is Montserrat a Caribbean paradise?
In our view, most definitely, but be honest with yourself before you book: can you cope without the luxuries of modern tourism? Even getting an ice cream is a challenge on Montserrat! But if you are a relaxed and accepting traveller, precious memories of Montserrat will linger for a very long time and even maybe tempt you to return. Memories of warm, friendly people, living in a stunningly beautiful place where nature is king, and where every moment of every day is incredibly special. A true paradise.
How we got to Montserrat
*We had 24 hours in Antigua between our flights and stayed at Orries Beach Bar & Hotel. It was 30 minutes taxi ($48) from the airport (longer when traffic is heavy) but was well worth it – an authentically Caribbean experience. Located across a narrow, quiet road from a stunning golden beach fringing the bright turquoise Caribbean Sea. Orries is owned and run by the lovely Shawn - it has just 6 beautifully furnished rooms, all with balconies, comfy beds and a great bar/restaurant. We loved it and wish we could’ve stayed longer – next time!
** On Montserrat, we did a house exchange – staying in a lovely villa, Waters Reach, with fantastic views over both the sea and volcano. It can be rented at Tradewinds Montserrat – we thoroughly recommend it!