Discover the magical rainforests of this Caribbean island

My partner and I started our trip on St. Vincent. The northernmost and by far the largest of the islands, this is also where you’ll find the islands’ rainforests, volcanoes and waterfalls.

One of the most celebrated hikes on St. Vincent is the Vermont Nature Trail, which traverses a glorious 10,870-acre rainforest reserve. Birds are the stars here, as there aren’t a lot of four-legged creatures on the island. With a good pair of binoculars you can spot whistling warblers, black hawks, cocoa thrushes, crested hummingbirds, red-capped green tanagers and green herons.

However, the most sought after feathered friends here are the St. Vincent parrots. Endemic to the island, their numbers had declined to 1,500. However, the good news is they’re resurging. Our trek passed right through one of their main nesting areas where we were lucky enough to see a small flock of these amazing green, red, yellow and blue birds. Interestingly, they are not the most graceful flyers, and their call is even less attractive, resembling a shrill noisy squawk.