Montserrat

One of the coolest and uber mysterious places that IYC Cruises brings you to is the volcanic island of Montserrat. Montserrat (Mont-se-rat) is a territory of the United Kingdom in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles and the chain of the West Indies. Montserrat boasts 8 volcanoes and 9 beaches. Montserrat means Serrated Mountain in Catalan as the mountains have a rugged look that distinguishes the island from others in the Caribbean.

Montserrat is blessed with the splendor of natural wonders. There are tropical forests with trails that you can hike on your own or take one of IYC Cruises’ excursions to have a tour guide.

For swimmers and snorkelers, the island is surrounded by reefs. And the beaches are quite private so you don’t have worry about crowds.

You can scuba dive at Redonda, which is a secluded island 15 miles west of Montserrat. You may even see a nurse shark in these amazing waters, but you will surely see coral reefs and fish.

This is something you surely never seen – and IYC Cruises brings you there – the black sand beaches of Montserrat. So why are they black or shadowy grey? It’s because the volcanic eruptions of Sufriere Hills have changed the consistency of the beach sands such that they have turned now grayish black. The mysterious color of the sands contrast with the beautiful water and skies making it a super cool site for an instagram photo.

Montserrat Volcano – The Thrilling Story

A thrilling story of the Montserrat Volcano is that it erupted as recently as 1995 – wow!  Its last major eruption, prior to the current one, is thought to have been about 400 years ago. The current eruption began in 1995 and continues to the present day. Unfortunately, due to this, two-thirds of the island was rendered uninhabitable, with over half of the people immigrating to the UK, US and Canada. Still the same, this gives you some phenomenal breathtaking views of the summit – of course from a safe place!