– A visit to the volcanic Caribbean Island of Montserrat, via the nearby “hub” island of Antigua.
On Montserrat, we stayed at the magically peaceful Gingerbread Hill, with elevated views over the Caribbean towards Redonda (a volcanic remnant) and Nevis in the further distance.
Whilst on the island, we visited the volcanic “exclusion zone” and were able to get into the ruined and abandoned city of Plymouth (destroyed by pyroclastic flows and mudslides). We also got a sneak peek at the derelict Air Studios and called into the Montserrat Volcano Observatory on a couple of occasions. We also took a drive on the eastern side of the island (largely uninhabited) to Jack Boy Hill (with great views of the “new” land).
In terms of scuba diving, we enjoyed several days of dives with Andrew of Scuba Montserrat, who guided us on some enjoyable dives to some nice sites including Little Redonda (on the Atlantic side), Sea Studios, Sunshine Boulders and Bat Cave (where you can swim in, surface and look up to see hundreds (maybe thousands) of bats.
Other highlights were trekking with the islands premier naturalist “Scriber” where we were able to see the endemic and endangered Montserrat Oriole on the (you guessed it) Oriole Trail, visits to Hanks Beach Bar, Little Bay, Bunkum Bay and some of the local eateries such as the Hilltop Coffee House, Lava Java, Tina’s and the Olveston Estate (there’s a restaurant in Beatles producer and Air Studios founder George Martins old house)