Rising from the heart of the Lesser Antilles, bubbling Saint Lucia is a beautiful volcanic island adorned with imposing mountain peaks, rugged coastal coves, and idyllic landscapes featuring lush rainforest, jungle, wild highland walks, colonial castles, historic plantation estates, and charming coves. While here, visitors will definitely have their plate full of the offered activities and adventures waiting to augment any experience at the island with the fantastic marine life and curious creatures! Below are just a few of the many exciting things to do in Saint Lucia.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and an iconic Saint Lucia landmark, the Pitons mark the coastline around the dormant Soufriere and look like giants soaring above the sea. Gros Piton is the largest of the two mountains that comprise the Pitons and the second-largest mountain in Saint Lucia (798 metres or 2618 feet). If you decide to hike all the way to the top, expect to be pampered with incredible views of the coastline, the green hills surrounding the southern side of Saint Lucia, and the charming Soufriere Bay in less than a day.
Bonus activity: While in the area, you could awaken the romantic side in you with a short visit to the 600-acre Anse Chastanet resort, just around the Soufriere coastal bends, which boasts sweeping vistas of the Pitons, the Caribbean Sea, and verdant lands featuring coconut palms, bougainvillea, orchids, and more. Or even have a candlelit dinner with nothing but the sound of the lapping waves disturbing your precious moment with your partner.
Although too hot to swim or bathe in (the temperature here is around 200oC or 392oF), you can wander around the bubbling Sulphur Springs, which are considered to be part of the only drive-in volcano in the world! Feel free to take a peek down into the collapsed crater and watch how the volcano exhales through impressive plumes of ash and smoke. And, as you drive the winding road to the tropical ridges of Saint Lucia, be prepared for spectacular panoramas of the coastline and the inland jungles.
Bonus activity: If bathing in therapeutic waters is a must-experience for you, you can stop at the mud pools near the volcanic opening in the Pitons for ultimate relaxation and healing. Famous since the French colonial age, the mud baths here are said to relieve skin disease, cure tension, and de-stress, at temperatures of around 38oC (100.4oF).
Morne Fortune is a hill sitting above Castries, the capital of Saint Lucia, which is a popular spot to feel the haunted history of the island. Once serving as a stronghold for the British settlers before it was taken over by the French, its hills speak of the bloody fights between the two primary Saint Lucia suitors. Nowadays, Morne Fortune sits quietly and peacefully with only a series of ruined batteries and gun houses and a memorial to the 27th Inniskilling Regiment, reminding of its vicious past.
Bonus activity: History buffs will probably love a walk to Pigeon Island, which was home to the first settlers of Saint Lucia, the native Arawak people, way before the English and French crossed their swords in an attempt to make the country a colony of either Britain or France, respectively. Later, Admiral Rodney constructed a formidable fortress here, the canons and battlements of which can still be seen today.
Saint Lucia boasts six endemic species, which is yet another reason why birding enthusiasts flock to the island every year. In fact, Saint Lucia has the highest tally in the entire Caribbean region and includes the Saint Lucia pewee, the Saint Lucia oriole, and the Saint Lucia parrot (the national bird of the island), which can be identified by its blue face and rainbow plumage. That aside, though, the island is home to around 180 different bird species that can be observed from various spots across the island, such as the Vieux Fort Wetlands, Des Cartiers Rainforest Trail, and the Millet Bird Sanctuary.
