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Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Things to Do in Union Island

Things to Do in Union Island

Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Complete Travel Guide

Union Island sits at the southern tip of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, twelve miles north of Grenada, and carries an energy you won't pin down easily. The twin volcanic peaks—Mount Taboi and Richmond Hill—dominate the skyline like stage scenery. Locals call it the "Tahiti of the Caribbean." Sounds like brochure talk until late afternoon light hits those green ridgelines and you get it. Clifton, the main town, curls around a natural harbour packed with sailing yachts, catamarans, and weathered fishing boats. The waterfront shifts gears hard—morning fish market chaos, slow rum-punch nights. This is your best base for southern Grenadines island-hopping. Tobago Cays sits twenty minutes by water taxi. Palm Island needs five minutes on the ferry. The small airport lands Barbados and Grenada in forty minutes flat. Stay longer and Union Island starts paying out. Ashton Bay's kitesurfing is excellent—locals barely shrug. Chatham Bay on the west coast stays quiet, one of the Caribbean's calmest anchorages. The Mount Taboi hike will punish your legs, then hand you a view that explains why nobody leaves on schedule.

Top Things to Do in Union Island

Tobago Cays Day Trip

Snorkel with sea turtles the size of coffee tables—then call it clichéd. Five uninhabited islands ringed by a horseshoe reef, the Tobago Cays Marine Park is why most travelers come to Union Island, or at least why they linger. Wade into the protected shallows off Baradal Island; a green turtle glides past, indifferent. Most boats drop anchor for a beach lunch—local vendors grill lobster on the sand, overpriced by EC standards and worth every dollar.

Booking Tip: Clifton dock water taxis run EC$80-120 per head—cost shifts with group size and what's included. Leave before 10am and the reef is yours; after that, charter boats swarm in and the whole place becomes a floating party.

Kitesurfing at Big Sand Beach

November through April, the trade winds pipe up like clockwork. Serious kiters descend on Ashton then—a 3km hop from Clifton on the sheltered southern coast. Behind the reef, the flat water forgives beginners. Two kite schools run here; their rental gear stays in decent shape. Already ride? You'll lose track of time—six-hour sessions happen more often than anyone plans.

Booking Tip: Mid-January to February? Forget it—fully booked. Union Island goes wild then, packed with visitors while trade winds rip across the bay at 20 knots steady. Kitesurf Union Island, the island's main school, demands your name on their list two weeks ahead if sixteen-square-metres of kite is why you bought the ticket. November or March—you can still gamble on a walk-in.

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Mount Taboi Hike

Two hours of sweat buys you the best view in the southern Grenadines. Union Island's highest peak at around 305 metres sounds modest—but the trail is steep enough that you'll arrive worked. The path starts behind Clifton, winds through scrubby hillside vegetation and past old stone walls, then opens abruptly to a panorama taking in Tobago Cays, Palm Island, Petit St Vincent, and on clear days the northern tip of Grenada. The whole circuit runs about two hours if you move at a reasonable pace.

Booking Tip: Start before 8am. No guide required, no fee. By midday the exposed upper sections turn brutal—sun, heat, glare. Bring more water than you think you need. The trail isn't always well-marked; two minutes asking at your guesthouse about current conditions pays off.

Chatham Bay by Water Taxi

Chatham Bay on the leeward western coast has no road access. None. Just two informal beach barbecue operations that flicker in and out with the seasons—nothing more. The place feels wrong. Empty. Calm to a fault. The snorkeling along the rocky bay edges delivers—better than you'd guess. Most people come by boat—either their own charter or a water taxi from the Clifton docks.

Booking Tip: EC$40-60 per boat each way—Clifton water taxis won't leave without you. Bargain hard for the round trip and set your pickup time before the driver hits the throttle. Bring cash. Bring sunscreen. Bring a book. Once you're on the beach, there's nothing to buy. That is exactly why you'll stay.

Happy Island at Sunset

Janti built an island. Not just any island—he built an entire man-made island from conch shells in Clifton Harbour. One lobster dinner at a time, year after year, he piled those shells until something impossible stood firm. It shouldn't work. Somehow, it does. The rum punches arrive strong. No ceremony. Late afternoon light hits the harbour just right—views so lovely you stop mid-sip. Everything feels improvised, held together by stubbornness and rum. This quality fits Union Island's character well. Some call it gimmicky. They're wrong. The place earns every bit of its reputation.

Booking Tip: Happy Island shuts at 6pm sharp—sometimes 5:30. Flag a water taxi from Clifton waterfront: EC$10-15 round trip. Ask that morning for the real last-call, then plant yourself on the sand by 4:30pm if you want the sunset to behave.

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Getting There

Fly or float—those are the only real options. SVG Air and Mustique Airways both sling small props from Barbados—40 minutes, EC$250-400 one-way—and from St Vincent's E.T. Joshua Airport on the mainland, 25 minutes. Union Island's airstrip perches right at Clifton Bay's lip; the low swoop over water stays with you. Ferry is slower, easier on the wallet. MV Barracuda and MV Jaden Sun chug down from Kingstown through the Grenadines on rotating timetables—expect 3.5 to 4 hours depending on stops and sea mood, with fares around EC$25-40 one-way. Check the current schedule; it drifts with the seasons. A solid slice of travellers simply sail in—Clifton Harbour has the customs shed and moorings ready.

Getting Around

Clifton shrinks to a fifteen-minute stroll, end to end. Ashton village—kite beach central—sits 3km south. Shared minivans leave the Clifton waterfront when seats fill; EC$3-5 per rider. Private cab? EC$20-25. Hauling kite gear or creeping back after dark—pay it. Scooters buzz around the harbour: EC$60-80 a day, bikes cheaper. Test the brakes first. No road reaches Chatham Bay, Tobago Cays ferries, Happy Island. Water taxis line Clifton dock. Haggle hard; small EC bills grease the deal.

Where to Stay

Clifton waterfront: this is where everyone ends up. Yachts slide by like commas in slow motion. Restaurants stand shoulder-to-shoulder—you'll stroll to dinner. Nights stay soft. The sound doesn't roar; it whispers. Mid-range guesthouses pile along the water's edge.
Ashton village stays quiet. You're closer to the kite beach and you'll pay slightly less than in Clifton. A handful of guesthouses court wind sport junkies here. Trade-off—fewer dinner choices. The water's right there.
Clifton hillside (upper streets): Locals run the guesthouses perched above the harbour. These rooms catch breezes the waterfront never sees. You pay less. Five-minute walk downhill to everything.
Chatham Bay: one or two eco-style operations run here—intermittently—on the remote western coast. Check availability. Seriously. Water taxi only. Plan every meal, every move.
Palm Island Resort—five minutes by ferry—sits as Union Island's upmarket neighbour. This private island flips the script completely. Pools. Restaurants. Reef snorkeling. You get the full resort package while staying close enough to hop the ferry back for Clifton's waterfront character.
A live-aboard charter yacht isn't a gimmick—it's the smartest move in the southern Grenadines. Clifton Harbour ranks among the better bases for bareboat or crewed charters, period. You'll spend nights anchored off Tobago Cays or Chatham Bay, and that's exactly how most travelers stumble into the best version of a Union Island trip.

Food & Dining

Lunch in Clifton can wreck your dinner—Lambi’s Restaurant on the waterfront proves it. Their stewed lambi with rice and provisions runs EC$25-35 and keeps you full until sunset. Most tourists never taste this level of Vincentian cooking. The Anchorage Yacht Club restaurant is the most polished option in town. They lean toward international fare yet keep local seafood front and centre. Happy hour from roughly 5-7pm draws sailors and island regulars in equal measure. The kitchen handles fish well. Expect EC$80-120 with drinks for dinner there. Captain Gourmet near the dock masquerades as a provisioning shop for yachties. Don't be fooled. They make excellent sandwiches and keep cold drinks flowing. Grab breakfast here before a Tobago Cays run—you'll thank yourself later. Every Friday night, the fish fry near the Clifton waterfront kicks off around 7pm. This is one of the best value meals on the island. It's also the closest Union Island gets to a proper weekly social event. Bring EC$20-30 and an appetite. That's it. For evening drinks, the Green Flash bar delivers harbour views that justify slightly elevated prices. The rum punch is reliably strong—exactly what you'll need after a day on the water.

When to Visit

December through April is the sweet spot. Dry, breezy, the northeast trades knock the heat down and kite season peaks. January and February hit hardest for wind—exactly what kiters and sailors chase. The catch? Clifton Harbour jams with charter yachts in high season and waterfront room rates jump. November and May deliver the best of both. Weather perks with fewer people and lower prices. Hurricane season officially runs June through November and Union Island has taken direct hits before; the risk isn't hypothetical. Some guesthouses and restaurants shutter or scale back. Yet off-season brings a different pulse. Quieter beaches. Locals with time to talk. If empty sand beats a packed anchorage, September or October delivers surprising calm and serious savings.

Insider Tips

Water taxis in Clifton Harbour won't name a price—you haggle. EC$10-15 per person for short harbour hops to Happy Island or the main dock is standard. Carry small bills. Lock in the fare before you board. Not once you're drifting away.
Tobago Cays lobster vendors quote in US dollars—always. Tourists arrive. They'll take EC at the going rate—almost always—and you'll often shave a few cents off. Bring both currencies.
Mount Taboi's upper path turns lethal when it rains—slick patches hide beneath innocent-looking leaves. Trail markers? They're a joke. Ask at your guesthouse first. Twenty minutes of local gossip beats three hours of backtracking.

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