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Soufrière Hills

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The volcano that woke in 1995 and took the south of Montserrat, watched today from the island's green northern hills.

Fly to Soufrière Hills All of Montserrat
Arrival
John A. Osborne · MNI, from Antigua
To the volcano
About 8 km south of the airport, seen from viewpoints
Private jets
Land at Antigua (ANU), 57 km away
Best time
February to April

The city

A mountain still at work.

For centuries the Soufrière Hills were a green ridge above Plymouth. In July 1995 the volcano began to erupt; in June 1997 a flow killed nineteen people, and the capital, the airport and most of the south were given up. About fifteen thousand people lived on Montserrat before. Today just over five thousand do, all of them in the north, and the summit has grown from 915 metres to about 1,050.

The mountain has been outwardly calm since February 2010, though the scientists who watch it say it is still active. Plymouth, on the coast below, lies under ash and rock. The south is an exclusion zone, divided into sectors that open and close with the hazard level, and the zone nearest the crater stays shut to everyone.

  • Montserrat Volcano Observatory On the Centre Hills near Flemings, facing the volcano, with a film of the eruptions and a viewing deck that is open to all.
  • Jack Boy Hill A lookout in the north-east, and the one viewpoint left open even at the highest hazard level.
  • Garibaldi Hill The closest viewpoint over Plymouth and the volcano, open when the hazard level allows.

Arriving

Twenty minutes from Antigua.

The volcano destroyed the old airport in 1997. Its replacement at Gerald's, in the north, opened in 2005, and its runway is under 600 metres long. Almost everyone comes through Antigua.

Business & First Class Flights and ferry FlyMontserrat and BMN Air fly from Antigua in about twenty minutes, FlyMontserrat on nine-seat Islanders, and Winair comes twice a week from Sint Maarten in about fifty. A seasonal ferry, when it sails, needs an hour and a half. Business & First fares Private Jet Private jets Jets land at V.C. Bird International on Antigua, which has a Signature private terminal and a runway of over three kilometres. From there a FlyMontserrat charter takes you on to Gerald's. Times below are counted from Antigua. Charter a jet
Approximate flying time by midsize jet
  • Barbados 1 h 00
  • Punta Cana 1 h 15
  • Palm Beach 3 h 10
  • Madrid 8 h 15 long-range jet
  • Johannesburg 14 h 15 long-range jet

When to go

February to April.

These are Plymouth's figures, from the coast below the crater. Days stay near 27 to 30 °C all year. February and March are the driest months, April is close behind, and from May the totals climb to a peak in September.

  1. 27° J 107
  2. 27° F 66
  3. 27° M 71
  4. 28° A 91
  5. 29° M 137
  6. 29° J 132
  7. 30° J 165
  8. 30° A 180
  9. 30° S 203
  10. 29° O 168
  11. 29° N 163
  12. 28° D 119
Best months weather2travel.com, long-term averages for Plymouth

Elsewhere in Montserrat

More reasons to come.

All of Montserrat

Flying to Soufrière Hills?

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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.

Business & First Private Jet