When you fly a Twin Commander, you’re always looking for new and exotic destinations. Planning now for flights that will take place in the middle of the winter toward the countries of the Caribbean brings smiles and thoughts of warm, tropical temperatures to the mind.
Let’s explore a rather unique way of seeing different places in the Caribbean from a recent Air Journey trip.
Caribbean Adventure (Bay Islands, Jumika, & St.Christopher)
This journey can start either from Texas or Florida since our first stop is the island of Roatan in Honduras. It’s located south of the Yucatan Peninsula, north of the country of Honduras. Roatan has primarily been well-known as a diver’s paradise over the years. Tourism has reached the shore as there are now numerous hotels that can be enjoyed. Air Journey is using the boutique Ibagari Hotel for the exciting discovery of this place. Snorkelers can enjoy discovering the barrier reef and expert divers can go very deep and see the beautiful colors and fish of the barrier reef at greater depths than the surface.
Flying over there is pretty easy. Coming from Florida, fly IFR and skirt the coast of Cuba, and the people coming from Texas can fly over the Yucatan Peninsula and land there. It’s a long runway, plenty of parking space, and general aviation is welcome in Roatan (MHRO) Honduras with easy parking and good handling.
From there, we flew on to Jamaica and the airport of Montego Bay on the western side of the island of Jamaica. An easy flight south of the Cuban airspace, Montego Bay (KJS) is also very open to general aviation, has good facilities with a dedicated FBO, and fast and easy Customs. We can also use the smaller airport of Ochos Rios (MKBS). For this stop we chose the intimate and luxurious Jamaica Inn for its spectacular white sand beaches and enchanting views of the Caribbean Sea. For golfers, there is a golf course available on the north side of the island.
We then left Jamaica on our way to the island of St. Christopher (TKPK), which is also known as St. Kitts, and is the sister island of Nevis. Why St. Christopher this time? Because there is a new hotel called Belle Mont Farm, which is different than the other Caribbean destinations with the sand and the ocean. This property is high up on the side of an extinct volcano overlooking the south shore with a distant vision of Nevis. Everything is made for sustainable travel with many excursions of the surrounding area, including guided hikes through the lush rainforests, zip-lining, kayaking, and snorkeling.
From then on, we refuel at the airport and fly back to the first airport of entry in Florida, which can be anything between Key West and Fort Pierce. Or you can elect to land in Puerto Rico (about 120 miles to the north), clear US Customs, refuel with very inexpensive jet fuel, and then head north towards any destination in the US since you’ll be considered on a domestic flight.
We have another journey available this December. Use the QR code attached to this article to learn more.
Thierry Pouille is the founder of Air Journey – a leader in escorted flying experiences around the world. Learn more at www.airjourney.com.
