When Christopher Columbus sighted Nevis in 1493 he called it Las Nieves, Spanish for “snow,” because of the cloud forest shrouding Nevis’ peak.
Today that same volcanic mountain dominates the tiny island and all its treasures. Mineral hot springs made it famous as a spa in the 18th century and the sugar-cane estates that grew up at the same time now mingle with gingerbread cottages making up most of the island’s architecture. The Arawak and Carib Indians left more than two dozen archaeological sites marked with piles of shells, pottery and old tools to prove their existence.
