Saint-Vincent-et-les-Grenadines is a State of the Small West Indies (Caribbean) composed of a main isle, Saint-Vincent, and other small islands that constitute a large part of the Grenadine archipelago. The capital is Kingston and it has a surface area of 389 square km for 102 098 inhabitants (2017). Saint-Vincent was a British colony until 1979. The main island Saint-Vincent is a volcanic island : the higher volcano, La Soufrière, peaks at 1220 m above sea level.
The official language is English but the inhabitants also speak the local creole.
Currency : East Caribbean Dollar (EC$ or XCD).
The dollar of the West Indies is also legal currency in 7 other English-speaking islands of the Caribbean : Anguilla, Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Saint Lucia.
Catering : less than 10 maybe 8 EC$ for a burger, cod accras or a slice of pizza. We generally add 10% of tip.
A local beer (Hairoun) : 5 EC$.
Transport : by bus between 1 and 6 EC$ and by boat between 20 and 45 EC$ depending on the distance.
Name of the local currency : East Caribbean Dollar ( $ )
The Creole cooking of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is composed of cooked meals from local products like fruits (especially the fruits of the breadfruit tree, very common in the Caribbean), vegetables and sea products depending on the day fishing (tuna, skipjack, flying fish, grouper, etc..). Some typical dishes : callaloo soup, green pigeon peas soup, curried goat, conch souse.
For the drinks, the light local lager beer, the Hairoun, won the gold metal in the Brussels contest of 1993.
For the music lovers, it is possible to discover the calypso, the soca and the “steel bands” (sort of metal percussions orchestra).
Vaccine and specific advice :
Find out what vaccines are recommended for the country and what are the diseases preventive and/or treatment measures on site.
Checklist :
Vaccine renewal, country-specific vaccinations: 1-3 months before leaving
Visit your doctor or specialist for any health problem, repeat of medical prescriptions, contraception, to have a sufficient initial stock of drugs, adjustment of dosages. Moreover, you will need to send your coordinator a certificate from your doctor certifying that you are well able to participate in an international volunteer project.
Dentist: a dental check-up can be useful before you leave !
We recommend you to visit the mentioned below websites to consult the travel advice :
UK : https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/st-vincent-and-the-grenadines/safety-and-security
Canada : https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/saint-vincent-the-grenadines
By training citizens from Saint Vincent and all over the world, the objective of our partner is to develop the skills, the knowledge and the self-confidence of its students. Young people need to feel blossomed so that future heads of Saint Vincent and the all over the world will work in favor of a fairer and more sustainable world. The small island States have already been suffering from the global warming and the poorest population is the most vulnerable. It is in this perspective that the “Project in favor of the climate” was set up in 2012 and will be undertaken until 2021. A small group of teachers and volunteers will collaborate with people from Saint-Vincent in order to prepare the island and its inhabitants to cope with the global warming. Through research, development and setting up of projects in the surrounding villages, through the setting up of campaigns of awareness and through examples, the students will help the population from Caribbean to prepare themselves to the dangers of the global warming.
With regard to obtaining a visa and entry requirements, we invite you to contact the embassy in question.
Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the UK :
Kensington
W8 5DL
London
United Kingdom
+44-207-565-2874
Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the USA :
Washington
D.C. 20016
United States
Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in Canada :
K1P 5K7
Ottawa
Canada