Fort George
The citadel on top.
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Brimstone Hill Fortress is a large stone fort on a steep hill by the sea on the west coast of Saint Kitts. Black volcanic-stone walls, a square citadel on the summit and cannons facing the ocean make it a World Heritage Site and one of the best-preserved fortifications in the Americas. British military engineers designed it, and enslaved Africans built and maintained it. The first cannons went up on the hill in 1689, and it then became an English fort that used its height of about 296 m. By 1780 it was thought impregnable and called the Gibraltar of the Caribbean. In January 1782 the French besieged it for a month until the garrison surrendered. You drive up the winding road, walk the walls among the cannons and reach Fort George, the citadel at the top. From there you see the coast and fields and the islands of Sint Eustatius and Saba out at sea. The fort has a small museum and a stone arch holding an old bell. The fortress is 13 km in a straight line north-west of Basseterre. The official site gives entry at US$15 for adults, about EC$40, half price for children 12 and under, with cash preferred. A visitor guide gives opening hours of 09:30 to 17:30 daily.
The citadel on top.
Facing the ocean.
Saba and Sint Eustatius.
Brimstone Hill, west coast of Saint Kitts, near Sandy Point
US$15 for adults per the official site; cash is preferred.
Steep and winding; driving is easiest.