The white crown
Cloud on the summit.
David Broad — CC BY 3.0 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0 · David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada — CC BY 2.0
Nevis Peak is a volcano at the centre of the island of Nevis, rising to 985 m, the island's highest point. It is a green cone covered in forest, with cloud on its summit most of the time, so from the sea it looks as if it wears a white crown. The volcano has not erupted since prehistory, but low-level activity shows in steam vents and hot springs on the coastal slopes. Its upper slopes are so steep they were never farmed even in the sugar era, so much of the original plant and animal life survives. It rises through dry forest, then moist forest, then rainforest, with cloud forest at the top. You see the peak from everywhere on the island and from the ferry as it nears Charlestown. For those who want to climb, there is a hard trail that needs fitness and a qualified guide. On clear days the summit looks over the Atlantic, the Caribbean and the nearby islands. The forest has green monkeys, brought long ago and now part of the wildlife, and wild pigeons. The peak is 4 km in a straight line north-east of Charlestown. The view is free. The climb takes hours and only with a guide at extra cost; the trail is slippery and steep.
Cloud on the summit.
Dry to cloud forest.
In the forest.
Centre of Nevis, east of Charlestown
Yes with a qualified guide; the trail is hard.
From the ferry nearing Charlestown.