St. Eustatius
Statia The Island
St. Eustatius, or ‘Statia’ as the locals like to refer to this beautiful Caribbean Island, is located between the islands of Saba and St Kitts, immediately south of St Barths. Where Statia used to be part of the former Dutch Antilles, Statia is now a special municipality within the Kingdom of The Netherlands.
Statia has a rich history with landmarks that were built in the 1700th century. Statia’s Landscape is dominated by the volcanic cone of the dormant Quill volcano, which houses a unique tropical ecosystem. The Quill volcano is a popular hiking destination, offering stunning ocean views and forming a perfect whale-watching site during the season. The rainforest inside the crater, with trees reaching up to 40 meters, attracts bird watchers from across the globe.
The story behind Statia
On November 16, 1776, an American ship approached Oranjestad harbor and confirmed by firing that the island had gained independence from that moment. The British were not happy with this and conquered Sint Eustatius in 1781. In 1816 the island officially became Dutch territory.
Go on an adventure
The island has three nature parks, namely Sint Eustatius National Marine Park, Quill – Boven National Park, and Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden.
St. Eustatius National Marine Park
This park is the first national park on St. Eustatius and aims to maintain the conservation and management of marine resources. The park surrounds the island and extends from the high tide mark to a depth of 30 meters. Within the Marine Park, there are managed reserves where you are not allowed to moor with a boat, and you are not allowed to fish to protect the coral reef there.
Quill – Boven National Park
This park is 5km2 in size and consist of two parts:
- The Quill – The sleeping volcano
- Boven – A savanna area full of hills.
Miriam Schmidt Botanical Garden
This is a botanical garden and is full of local flora from St. Eustatius. This garden borders The Quill – Boven National Park.
From January to the end of April you can spot the whales from the Whales Tailes Club.