Tobago Cays catamaran day trip

From St. Vincent it is a long way down the island chain to the Tobago Cays, five small uninhabited islands in the Southern Grenadines past Bequia and Canouan, just east of Mayreau. Four of the cays (Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Baradal and Jamesby) sit inside Horseshoe Reef, a 4 km reef that shelters a shallow sand lagoon. Petit Tabac lies outside it, and it is the island where Jack Sparrow was marooned in the first Pirates of the Caribbean.

The turtles graze in a buoyed reserve off the southwest edge of Baradal, where boats are kept out but swimming is allowed. Snorkellers also find starfish, conch and sea urchins in the grass, and soft corals, sea fans and reef fish on the reefs. On land there are white sand beaches, palms and dry scrub, and the low bushes on Petit Rameau, Baradal and Jamesby include manchineel, which is highly poisonous, so leave it alone. Vendors are allowed only on the north beach of Petit Bateau, selling T-shirts, crafts, fruit and fresh fish.

The cays are a marine park with a visitor fee, usually included in the price of a boat trip. Cruise ships also visit from November to April, the busy season.