News

Richard Branson’s Caribbean Climb

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - March 31, 2015

Above: Branson at the Pitons (Photos: Greg Rose)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

It’s not an easy hike.

In other words, the perfect challenge for the Caribbean’s most famous resident entrepreneur: Richard Branson.

In a post to his company website this week, Branson described his recent hike up the famous Pitons of St Lucia.

Branson, a resident of the private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, recently moored his Necker Belle yacht just off St Lucia’s iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site.

v1

“We were playing an early morning game of tennis and stopped to look up at The Pitons, St Lucia’s two beautiful volcanic mountains,” Branson wrote on the Virgin website. “There had been a quick shower just before we began our game and the mist was rising over Gros Piton. It looked absolutely magnificent. As I stared, I wondered: could we climb it?”

Branson and his group said yes.

And after a long hike and after the group’s water ran low, Branson and company scaled the big rock.

v2

“I wasn’t expecting such a steep climb, or such huge volcanic rocks to overcome,” said Branson, whose climbing experience includes time at Mont Blanc.

And it took just two hours.

Gros Piton towers 2,619 feet above sea level.

The move was the latest in the Caribbean for Branson, who has become one of the region’s most famous ambassadors in recent years, from hosting the Necker Cup to creating the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship.

And Branson continues to chart his Caribbean endeavours in recent months, from saving a Caribbean honeymoon to his famously sharing a LIAT complaint letter in 2013.

Popular Posts w punta cana

A New All-Inclusive W Hotel Is Opening This Year in Punta Cana 

The first-ever all-inclusive W Hotel in the Caribbean is opening this year in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Caribbean Journal has learned.  The hotel, part of a broad expansion for parent company Marriott International, is on the list of expected 2024 […]


Why Grenada Is a New Caribbean Luxury Hotspot

beach house silversands

From its world-renowned chocolate to its pristine beaches to a region-leading focus on sustainability, Grenada is as fascinating and unique as destination as you’ll find in the Caribbean.  But in the last few years, the lush Eastern Caribberan island has […]


5 Adults-Only Resorts to Visit Right Now in the Caribbean 

galley bay

Sometimes you just want that extra degree of serenity, of privacy, of seclusion. There is a reason, after all, that adults-only resorts are booming in popularity, particularly in the Caribbean: travelers want to know that when they arrive, they know […]


Related Posts nobu los cabos

Frontier Is Adding a New Nonstop Flight to Los Cabos 

It’s one of the most popular hotel destinations in Mexico: Los Cabos, which has seen a broad boom in recent years with the entry to market of brands like Nobu, Thompson, Marriott and Waldorf Astoria, among others.  That has led, […]


This Former Caribbean Rockefeller Resort Is for Sale

caribbean rockefeller resort

In 1986, Laurance Rockefeller, the founder of Rock Resorts, developed 27 acres of prime beachfront land into what was for decades one of the sought after places to stay in the Caribbean. Now, the four-star, 150-room resort is for sale, […]


Vote for the 2024 Caribbean Green Awards, from Green Energy to Sustainable Hotels

caribbean green

Hotels serving organic food grown by local farmers. Airports powered by large solar fields. Pristine coastlines protected by marine parks. Real estate developments fueled by clean energy. It’s an exciting time for the Green movement in the Caribbean, a region […]


SUBSCRIBE!

Sign up for Caribbean Journal's free newsletter for a daily dose of beaches, hotels, rum and the best Caribbean travel information on the net.


No. Thank You