This tiny British Caribbean island is half lush green refuge, half haunting volcanic wasteland. The Soufrière Hills eruption of the 1990s buried the former capital, Plymouth, leaving a modern-day Pompeii that can be glimpsed from hilltop viewpoints or visited with a licensed guide. The unscathed north keeps black-sand beaches, forested hills, hiking trails and reefs, plus a famously warm Irish-tinged culture. Quiet, rugged and offbeat, Montserrat rewards divers…
At George Martin's AIR Studios — he produced the Beatles — Dire Straits recorded “Brothers in Arms”, and The Police and Stevie Wonder laid down vocals, before the volcano rewrote history.
The Soufrière Hills eruption (1995-1997) buried Plymouth, the capital — a modern-day Pompeii visible from lookout points.
The island is reached by ferry or small plane from Antigua. An eSIM helps: connection timetables, the volcano observatory (MVO) and St Patrick's festivities — a public holiday here, a rarity outside Ireland.