Clifton Harbour is the heart of Union Island — a compact waterfront strip of small guesthouses, provision stores, rum shops, and a concrete jetty where the ferry from St Vincent and the water taxi to Canouan and Mayreau arrive and depart. It has the cheerful, slightly ramshackle atmosphere of a working Caribbean port.
The immigration office here handles the paperwork for yachties arriving into St Vincent and the Grenadines from abroad, making Clifton the official port of entry for the southern Grenadines. In the evenings, the bars facing the harbour fill with a mix of sailors on passage, local fishermen, and a handful of travellers waiting for the next ferry. The market near the dock sells fresh fish in the early morning — the best time to buy just-caught wahoo or mahi-mahi from the boats tying up at the pier.