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Christophe Harbour Blog

Paradise regained: the natural world of Sugarloaf Peak

By Katherine Verano in Adventure, St. Kitts

When life means being stuck on a highway chock-a-block with fuming vehicles, or pounding the pavement in a mad rush to get to work, it’s time to walk your way to sanity.

Where better to savour nature at its sweetest than with a calypso saunter up the sugarloaf trail, Christophe Harbour’s newest amenity. The trail leads from Cardinal Point up to Sugarloaf Peak high above Sandy Bank Bay. A lower and upper trail means endless opportunities to enjoy nature at its finest and get in a good workout.

Keep an eye out for wild goats and multi-hued birds, exotic trees and flowers. There’s plenty to observe in this small dose of Caribbean wilderness, from wild frangipani framing the rocks to frigate birds soaring in the thermals. Don’t miss the so-called “tourist tree” with its peeling, red bark that resembles tender skin after lounging too long on the beach.

Another tropical surprise is troops of wild Green Vervet monkeys, nimbly working their way up the ridge Tarzan-style via vines and branches. Wise black faces set in grizzled-grey bodies peer brazenly down at you. the real showstopper is the hummingbird, decked out in Disney-esque electric greens and blues, waves flapping in a blur at 50 times a second. Feeding voraciously on nectar from brilliantly coloured flowers, these petite feathered marvels whiz exhaustingly forwards and backwards.

In the pursuit of happiness, stretch your legs and refresh your spirit as you venture out along the trail. Stop for a breath at the top and take in the panoramic views high above Sandy Bank Bay before heading back down to the trail head and reality.