Climbing to Nevis Peak is a challenging adventure and hiring a guide is an absolute must. We used Reggie of Nevis Adventure Tours. The trail is not marked and many parts are overgrown with the lush flora and fauna of the rainforest. As many have stated before 90% of the accent is a climb, straight up at times, using only rocks, roots and sometimes ropes (but not the ropes you hook you into). I wanted to turn back many times because I was afraid of the steep climbs. The climb is physical but it is also a mental challenge. Reggie provided tips and guidance that kept me going and calmed my nerves. In the end I am really glad I didn't turn back because it felt amazing to complete the roundtrip journey. Physically, the climb was not tough for me. Although my legs were sore the following days. In 6 months leading up to the climb I completed 2 sprint triathlons, 1 half marathon and strength train several days a week. The real challenge for me was getting over my fear of the steep climbs.I highly recommend Reggie. In addition to owning Nevis Adventure Tours, he is an accomplishedprofessional athlete and coach to the local children interested in cycling. You'll welcome his calming personality and deep knowledge of the mountain and island.
We took the 3+ mile hike up to the first waterfall in Nevis. It is a strenuous hike but with a good guide and some time achievable. The scenery along the way is lovely and the waterfall is beautiful. Colis Caines was a very informative and patient guide.
We climbed the volcano 2 days ago with Ervin Weekes as our guide and found it far more exhilarating than we expected! Ervin was a terrific guide - very knowledgeable, helpful, easy going. We kept a steady pace and arrived at the peak in just under 2 hours. It was very challenging - not at all a hike - definitely a climb. Anyone without a fear of getting dirty, and not terribly out of shape can do it, although if you're carrying extra body weight it's going to be more difficult. You are pulling yourself up using roots, rocks, ropes, whatever you can find - using lots of upper body strength in some parts. There are also a few big step ups and step downs. If you have the extra weight but are in good physical condition and are strong, then you can probably do it. The climb is also hard on the knees. You wear them out on the way up and then are completely dependent on them to get down. We wore shorts, t shirts and tennis shoes - shoes were completely covered in mud. In fact my show got stuck in the mud at one point and my foot came right out of it. Lots of mud on the top 1/4. Take water and an energy bar. There's no store - just a man and his mountain. I found Ervin through Reggie, who lots of folks talk about on Trip Advisor. Reggie wasn't available on the day we wanted to go so he gave me Ervin's number. Really happy with Ervin and definitely recommend him!
My wife and I "climbed" up to the peak today with Reggie from Nevis Adventure Tours. It was an amazing experience but these reviews are spot on, it is a challenging climb not a leisurely hike. It is a steep ascent and decent using only rocks, roots, ropes and sound advice from Reggie. No chance we could have done this on our own. So if you aren't sure you can do 4 straight hours of exhausting exercise you may want to try a different activity. With that said we are not world class athletes by any means and we completed the trip in 4 hours with about 20 minutes at the top for pictures, water, a granola bar or two and to sign the log book. We were very lucky with the day we had. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and if you ask most people they say that is extremely rare. We got to take some amazing pictures at the top and had a few spots up and down that we took some additional photos. It was very hot so make sure you bring lots of water and expect to get muddy and have a few scrapes when all is said and done. If you are going to do the climb make sure you hire Reggie. He was awesome. He couldn't have been more friendly and positive and it was refreshing/motivating to see just how much he enjoys his job. He even helped me with some encouragement when I was struggling a bit halfway up. He also had the taxi stop at the hot springs when we were on our way back to loosen up our legs which was a welcome surprise. All in all it was a terrific morning with a great guide. If you are the adventurous type don't miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity.
I wanted to review this, as before I hiked this some of the reviews had me very nervous that it was going to be too hard, but it really isn't. I hiked this with my 10 and 12 year old sons and 16 year old nephew. I am a 42 year old woman. I am pretty fit, and the kids definitely are. We did it in three hours round trip, and at no point did it feel too scary or dangerous. It is somewhat harder for a child only because their legs are shorter and it is hard to stretch to some of the holds, but kids are generally better climbers than adults! It was extremely muddy and pretty slippery and I was glad for some real hiking shoes. We used Reggie, who is amiable and easy. I was only mildly sore in my arms the next day. Overall, definitely a highlight of our time here. I would do it again any time! Enjoy!
Where to start, first read the reviews on this, they are accurate. Its not a hike by any means but a Climb up cliffs of roots, mud, and ropes. You will be covered in mud by the time you come back down. The trip to the top starts off up a nice a size trail but quickly the trail becomes very small and hard to follow, there are parts where its no wider than about 6 inches. Its mostly through the rain forest so there are not many picturesque views on the way up, but the ones that you do get to see are amazing views of the island. When we got to the top we unfortunately couldn’t see anything because of the cloud cover, but had a great time climbing up. Our guide was knowledgeable of the island and trail. He brought us up at our pace and was very helpful. Coming back down was hard on the knees. At the end, my wife and I were both very happy that we did it, however we would never do it again. We've done our share of hiking and are both runners, however this was a challenge. It was worth it because of the experience and we really did have a good time, just be aware of what you are getting yourself into. Taxi to and from the start is about $40 round trip. Make sure you bring plenty of water, gloves (the ropes and roots are rough), a change of clothes and a small towel. We climbed it in under 4 hours which the taxi driver told us was quick, however we paid for it through soreness and exhaustion that afternoon. We used sunrise nature tours (http://www.nevisnaturetours.com) which I found online, we took the first ferry over from St. Kitts and they had a taxi meet us at the dock. We had intended to tour Nevis afterwards; however were so exhausted we opted to head back to St. Kitts. The company was easy to communicate with and it was straight forward.
This was on my husbands bucket list after reading the reviews I wasn't sure if I could do it or even wanted too but he jumped out of a plane with me so I decided I owed him :) I had stressed for weeks but found "Reggie" and he convinced me you only live once and nothing in life is easy! So off we went nervous excited and hopeful. About half way up I was like you have to be kidding me lol ! It is NOT EASY ! Much more challenging than I even dreamed but Reggie encouraged us the whole way and we made it!!! Thanks Reggie it took us 4 1/2 hours, sorry we slowed you down Kevin lol . take lots of water good shoes and a I think I Can Attitude! Our names are in the guest book maybe our children can add theirs one day!! Got some beautiful pics and an experience of a lifetime One more for the old bucket list!
This hike was awesome! We almost skipped it since all the reviews made it sound like it was more pain than it was worth...but we were so glad we did it. I loved the fact that it was more of a climb than a hike and it was a different kind of challenge. It wasn't very difficult at all, just different. Yes you will get muddy, especially if it's raining like it was when we were hiking...but it isn't that bad. Give it a try, you'll be glad you did!
Climbed with my bf on the second day of our visit. Very muddy and difficult at parts - get ready to get your hands dirty - but the view at the top was worth it all. We began hiking at 7:45am and were back at our hotel by 11 (1.5hrs each way). Important to wear shoes with good traction!! It was a great way to spend the morning and still left us time for some pool side lounging and lunch at the Montpelier. I'll probably do this hike every time I'm on Nevis form now on!We used a guide but it's really not necessary.
Climbed Mt. Nevis in Dec. 2014 with Sunrise Tours. Agree with all recent reviews but would emphasize that this is a CLIMB not a hike and sturdy boots and long, trekking pants are necessary as is a guide. Gloves would have been welcome because the ropes and roots are hard on the hands. The descent is far harder than the climb up because of the slippery conditions. We are avid hikers (currently ages 56, 55, 21, 16 and 18) and have hiked on 5 continents and this little peak was an unexpected, but fun challenge.