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Funky Monkey Tours & Rentals

Off-road Nevis on four fat wheels

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Why Go

Fifteen years in, this locally owned Polaris outfit still gets to the corners of Nevis that safari buses can't touch ΓÇö sugar-mill ruins swallowed by jungle, hidden black-sand coves, savannah ridgelines with St. Kitts on the horizon ΓÇö and they do it in small, story-rich groups instead of a convoy of strangers.

The Experience

You'll roll out of the Cades Bay base on an easy, automatic 4x4 Polaris (no helmet, no clutch, no motorcycle license needed ΓÇö just point and go) with a Nevisian guide on the lead buggy narrating as you climb. The route is a genuine 'both sides of the island' loop: dust-track climbs into rainforest above the Nevis Peak skirt, drops onto empty windward beaches on the Atlantic side, cuts through Coconut Walk's tumbledown estate mills and past the Hermitage's colonial-era plantation grounds. Expect roughly three-plus hours of actual driving, a bottomless cooler bouncing along in the back, and enough stops to swim, poke around ruins, and get the local history on why a monkey population outnumbers the humans here. Groups run two to six vehicles, which keeps the pace and the storytelling personal.

What to Try

Book the morning 9 a.m. departure for cooler air and the best light on the ruins, and ask for the route that includes the windward beach and a sugar-mill stop rather than the shorter resort loop. If you're two or more days on-island and comfortable driving, the standalone Polaris rental (they'll sort a local permit and hand you a map) is the single best way to reach the north-end beaches and hidden shacks on your own clock. Seadoo tours across The Narrows to St. Kitts are the other move ΓÇö very few operators run them and the water between the two islands is glassy in the morning.

Insider Tip

The tour price includes an actual bottomless cooler, so skip buying drinks beforehand ΓÇö but do bring a dry bag or ziplock for your phone. The 'beaches and bush' segments involve real water crossings and dust, and the guides will happily detour to Lovers Beach or a favorite lookout if you ask early in the ride rather than at the end.

The Practical Stuff

Base is on Main Island Road in Cades Bay (Cotton Ground side of the island), open daily 8:30 a.m.ΓÇô6 p.m. Guided group tours depart 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; private and custom tours are bookable direct. Automatic 4x4 Polaris vehicles seat 2, and no motorcycle license is required for tours. Wear closed-toe shoes, bring sunscreen, a swimsuit under your clothes, and a bandana or buff for dust. Book by phone (+1 869 665 6045) or via their site ΓÇö high-season slots (DecΓÇôApr) go fast, especially around cruise days.

Pair It With

  • Chrishi Beach Club Guide — Ideal post-ride wind-down ΓÇö a barefoot lunch and swim on the leeward coast, ten minutes from Funky Monkey's Cades Bay base.
  • Drift Restaurant Guide — Sunset dinner after a morning tour; the Caribbean-facing terrace catches the same coastline you rode along earlier.
  • 5Trees Bar & Lounge Guide — Elevated sundowners with a view over the island you just explored ΓÇö a good storytelling stop after the 1:30 p.m. departure.
  • Eden Life Rejuvenation Centre Guide — Book a massage the day after a full-day ATV tour; your shoulders and lower back will thank you.