An hour inside the fortressUS$15 admission paidAbout two and a half hoursGuided

St Kitts Brimstone Hill Fortress Tour

Two and a half hours, with the hour in the middle spent inside the fortress instead of the twenty minutes a four hour island tour can spare for it. The vehicle is US$269 for up to four people, from US$67 each with four sharing, with the US$15 admission already paid. Take this one if Brimstone Hill is the reason you wanted to come ashore.

Inside the fortress, Brimstone Hill. Photo xiquinhosilva, CC BY 4.0.

Looking out from Brimstone Hill. Photo Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Admission paid

The US$15 fortress admission for everyone in the party is in the price.

Your driver waits

Pickup is set by the time the ship actually ties up, and a dropped call costs you nothing.

No paying to stand in cloud

If a front sits over the hill we move you to a later slot the same day, or cancel and refund you in full.

What do you see on the Brimstone Hill Fortress tour?

The fortress sits on a volcanic cone about 800 ft above the sea on the north west coast, so you see it from the road ten minutes before you reach the gate.

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Sandy Point Town, with Sint Eustatius behind. Photo giggel, CC BY 3.0.
The drive out
The road runs through Old Road and Middle Island along the Caribbean coast, cane land on one side and the water on the other. Your guide talks on the drive. That is half of what you are paying him for.
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Brimstone Hill Fortress. Photo xiquinhosilva, CC BY 4.0.
The fortress
Enslaved Africans built it, course by course, from 1690 and for roughly a hundred years after that. Walls and bastions cut from the rock the hill is made of are laid out across the whole upper slope, with the Citadel at the top. UNESCO put it on the World Heritage list in 1999.
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The Citadel, Brimstone Hill. Photo Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Citadel
From the top the water goes all the way round you. Nevis lies south across the channel. Sint Eustatius and Saba sit out to the north west, with St Barths beyond them on a clear day, and you will be told which grey shape is which.
4
Cannon on the walls, Brimstone Hill. Photo xiquinhosilva, CC BY 4.0.
The lower bastions
The part a rushed tour skips. Cannon still sit in the embrasures pointing out to sea, and the stone gun platforms are worn where two centuries of boots went over them.

How long is the Brimstone Hill Fortress tour, and does it fit a cruise day?

About an hour is on the hill and about an hour is driving. Ships lie alongside Basseterre from roughly 8am to 5pm or 6pm, and the fortress gate is open daily from 9:30am to 5:30pm. If your ship docks at 11am you have time and to spare. A late afternoon call leaves you watching the clock, because the last run up the hill has to be back through the gate before it shuts. Send us your docking time and we will tell you straight whether it fits.

PickupCollected at Port Zante or your hotel
The drive outAlong the Caribbean coast through Old Road and Middle Island
About 1 hourInside the fortress: the Citadel, the bastions and the view
The drive backBack down the west coast
2.5 hoursBack where you were collected

How much does the Brimstone Hill Fortress tour cost?

US$269 covers up to four people, so two or three of you pay the same US$269 as four. Children 3 to 12 count inside the four, and the fortress half price for 12 and under is already off. The gate takes EC$10 from anyone with a St Kitts and Nevis government ID, so tell us and we take it off. A fifth or sixth person adds US$65 an adult or US$39 a child 3 to 12. If we have another booking on your date we will offer to pair you and bring the price down, and the form asks whether you are willing to share.

Included

Air-conditioned vehicle with a guide
The US$15 fortress admission for everyone in the party
Bottled water
Collection and return at Port Zante or your hotel

Not included

Lunch
Anything in the gift shop at the gate

Party	Total	Per person	Agency rate at US$89 each
1 person	US$269	US$269	US$89
2 people	US$269	US$135	US$178
3 people	US$269	US$90	US$267
4 people	US$269	US$67	US$356
5 people	US$334	US$67	US$445
6 people	US$399	US$67	US$534

What to bring

Closed shoes with a grip. The surface is cobbled, uneven and steep in long stretches, with steps and no handrail in places, and sandals are how people turn an ankle on this site.
A hat and sunglasses. Put sunscreen on before you get out of the vehicle. The fortress is open rock with almost no shade on it at any time of day.
Extra water. Bring more than the bottle we give you in the hot months.
Small notes in US dollars. The shop at the gate takes cards but is quicker in cash.
A camera with room on it. The view off the Citadel is the one photograph people get printed when they get home.

Is it right for you?

Anyone unsteady on uneven ground should skip this one. The climb from the car park to the Citadel is steep, the cobbles are loose in places, and there are flights of steps with nothing to hold.
Anyone who cannot be out in the sun for an hour. The site is bare rock and the shade is a handful of doorways.
If you use a wheelchair, tell us on the form. A vehicle can be arranged with notice, there is parking partway up the hill, and we will tell you before you pay which levels you will get onto and which you will see from below.
Five or more changes the vehicle and the price, so say so when you book.

Questions people ask

Would a taxi be cheaper?

For the driving, yes. A taxi from Basseterre to Brimstone Hill and back, up to two hours, is US$55 or EC$149 for one to four people. Four people arranging it themselves pay that US$55, plus US$15 a head at the gate, plus the waiting. Waiting is US$5 or EC$13 for every 15 minutes after the first 15, and an hour on that hill is four of those. About US$135, then, against our US$269. The difference is the admissions settled, a guide who can tell you what you are standing on, and no clock running while you stand there.

How much are Brimstone Hill Fortress tickets?

US$15 at the visitor rate, and it is already in your price. Children 12 and under are half price at the gate and residents pay EC$10 with a government ID, and either way the saving comes off your price.

Is an hour enough time up there?

For the Citadel, the bastions and the view, yes. People who want the whole site at a slow pace take the five hour private tour and give it ninety minutes.

Can we add Romney Manor on the way back?

Yes, and most people do. It is US$3 at the gate there, the stop adds about forty minutes, and we price it when we confirm.

Can we get up there without the walk?

Partly. There is parking well up the hill, which saves the lower slope, and the last rise to the Citadel is on foot over cobbles. Tell us what you can manage and we will be honest with you about it.

What happens if it rains?

Rain is the one thing that changes this tour. The cobbles go slippery and the Citadel view goes grey, so if a front sits over the hill we will tell you and move you to a later slot the same day, or cancel and refund you in full.

What if our ship is late or the call is dropped?

The driver waits, because pickup is set by the time the ship actually ties up. If your call is dropped altogether, you pay nothing, and anything already taken comes back whole.

Can we do Brimstone Hill from the cruise port?

Yes. We collect you at Port Zante and the tour is two and a half hours door to door. Ships lie alongside Basseterre from roughly 8am to 5pm or 6pm, and the fortress gate is open daily from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Send us your docking time and we will tell you straight whether it fits.

Send a request. Pay only once it is confirmed.

Tell us your date, your docking and all aboard times if you are on a ship, how many adults and children, where to collect you, and whether anyone holds a St Kitts and Nevis ID. We confirm with the driver and come back inside one working day, then send a payment link. Nothing is charged until the slot is confirmed.

St Kitts Brimstone Hill Fortress Tour

What do you see on the Brimstone Hill Fortress tour?

The drive out

The fortress

The Citadel

The lower bastions