On Sint Eustatius, a Dutch-speaking island in the Caribbean, the Quill crater is 760 meters in diameter and plunges to a depth of more than 300 meters. This volcano, which has been dormant for about 1,600 years, is large enough to harbor an entire tropical forest at its base, invisible from the sea.
The main trail on the Quill, maintained by the STENAPA Foundation (St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation), climbs for 1.6 kilometers before reaching the crater’s rim. The round-trip takes between one and two hours, depending on the route you choose. In this southeastern part of the island of Sint Eustatius, the vegetation changes in just a few meters. The dry scrub that covers most of the island gives way to a volcanic cliff face and then, at the summit, to the entrance of a rainforest found nowhere else on the island.
The Quill crater rises to an elevation of 601 meters, with a diameter of 760 meters and a depth of more than 300 meters, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program. This andesitic volcano formed approximately 22,000 to 32,000 years ago and has not erupted for about 1,600 years, an event radiocarbon-dated to around the year 250 CE, with a margin of error of 150 years.
The Quill Crater, an andesitic volcano that has been dormant for 1,600 years
The Quill Crater is located at the southeastern tip of Sint Eustatius, a Dutch-speaking island in the Caribbean covering approximately 21 square kilometers. Unlike the classic image of a volcano topped by a cinder cone, the Quill features a wide and deep crater, with no visible lava or active fumaroles on the surface today. The Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program It dates its last known eruption to approximately 1,600 years ago, with pyroclastic flows radiocarbon-dated to around the year 250 CE. The volcano itself formed between 22,000 and 32,000 years ago, according to the same source.
The neighboring island of Saba is home to Mount Scenery, the highest peak in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands at 887 meters. Mount Quill, at 601 meters, is lower, but its crater is significantly wider and deeper than that of its neighbor.
A tropical rainforest invisible from the sea
At the bottom of the Quill Crater lies a rainforest that stands in stark contrast to the dry vegetation found elsewhere on Sint Eustatius. STENAPA, the national park’s managing agency, has identified at least 17 varieties of orchids there, alongside mahogany, breadfruit, banana, fig, and tree ferns. Iguanas, anoles, snakes, and several species of birds also live there. Along the main trail, hikers pass by one of the largest trees in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands, according to STENAPA. This high humidity, concentrated within a closed crater—while the rest of the island of Sint Eustatius remains dry for much of the year—explains why this forest is unlike any other on the island.
A national park on Sint Eustatius that has been protected since 1997
Quill/Boven National Park, on Sint Eustatius, was established in 1997. It was subsequently recognized in 1998 as the first official national park in the Netherlands Antilles, according to the management plan published by the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), the regional organization that supports STENAPA. The park is still managed today by STENAPA, the foundation responsible for Sint Eustatius’s protected natural areas. Yet the history of the island of Sint Eustatius is quite distinct from that of its volcano. In the 18th century, Sint Eustatius was a free port so prosperous that it was nicknamed the Golden Rock, before falling into obscurity—a fate that, paradoxically, protected its natural heritage from mass tourism development.
A volcano off the beaten path
The Quill Crater continues to attract hikers rather than crowds on the island of Sint Eustatius, which has never sought to compete with its neighbors in the Dutch Caribbean. With a population of 3,348 as of January 1, 2026, Sint Eustatius remains one of the least populated islands in the Dutch Caribbean. It remains to be seen how long this volcano—which has remained largely off the beaten path of the Caribbean’s major tourist circuits—will retain its status as a well-kept secret.
The Quill Crater is located at the southeastern tip of the island of Sint Eustatius, in the Dutch Caribbean, a few kilometers from the capital, Oranjestad.
The Quill Crater is more than 300 meters deep and 760 meters in diameter, according to the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program.
No, the Quill is a dormant volcano. Its last known eruption occurred about 1,600 years ago, around the year 250 CE, according to radiocarbon dating.
Yes. Several trails marked by STENAPA, the national park’s managing agency, lead to the summit or down to the forested crater floor, taking one to two hours depending on the route.
The Quill/Boven National Park on Sint Eustatius was established in 1997 and recognized in 1998 as the first official national park in the Netherlands Antilles, according to the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA).
