Owia Salt Pond

This tour begins with a scenic coastal drive alongside the Atlantic Ocean passing through banana, coconut and arrowroot plantations. The road passes through the Byera Tunnel, which was built in 1813 to open up Carib lands to settlement. View the Black Point Tunnel built in 1815 by Colonel Thomas Browne with the help of Caribs and African slaves. The 350 ft. tunnel was built to provide an access route for sugar exports and was a masterpiece of engineering ingenuity for its time.

Just outside Georgetown the road passes over the Rabacca Dry River, an interesting legacy of the volcanic nature of this island. The river drains the eastern slopes of La Soufriere and Mount Brisbane and has become filled with volcanic sand and stones. The road to La Soufriere leaves this coastal road at Rabacca.

At the northwestern tip of the island are the villages where the Yellow Caribs settled following the Carib Wars. These picturesque villages are still home to a large number of Vincentians of Carib descent. We pass through the villages of Orange Hill, Overland and Sandy Bay then on to Owia, where the Owia Salt Pond is located.

Here the Atlantic Ocean cascades over lava peaks and ridges into a large bathing pool with a breathtaking view of the mountains in the background. Enjoy a local picnic with unlimited rum punch then off for swimming and snorkeling. On the return trip a drive through the fertile, intensively cultivated Marriaqua Valley, the bread-basket of St. Vincent, can be arranged depending on schedules.

Climate And Clothing

Due to traveling in a vehicle for most of the time, casual, cool dress wear is recommended. Please do not forget to bring along your swimsuit and towel