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.
Climb Gros Piton Mountains
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.
Visit the Sulphur Springs
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).
Learn About the Local History at Morne Fortune
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.
Bird-Watching
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.
Other Fantastic Things to do in Saint Lucia
- Visit the Antillia Brewing Company - You can sample the much-beloved Golden Wheat Ale and Stout beers in Rodney Bay. Most of the time, the beer-tasting ventures are accompanied by juicy food, such as American-style burgers and hotdogs, spicy jerk wings, wedges, and more.
- Attend a Weekly Food Festival – A cascade of culinary feasts take place every weekend across the island, starting with Friday-night shrimp and lobster tastes on the west coast. Then come the Canaries Creole Pot festivities, occurring on the last Saturday of every single month, where the seafood is king. Or you could head to Dennery Quarter town on the eastern shores and please your palate with fresh fish dishes and lots of reggae music in the background until the wee hours.
- Hike Through the Rainforest – From the Gros Piton Trail mentioned above that will take you to the top of the mountain and paths that criss-cross Frigate Island to the winding Barre de L’isle Rain Forest Trail that leads hikers through dense woods and Des Cartiers Trail, you will certainly be spoiled for choice.
- Shop at Castries Market – The lively capital is home to a sprawling market situated behind the 19th-century building on Jeremie Street. Feel free to come here from Monday through Saturday and see regional produce straight from the trees and fields of Saint Lucia to souvenirs, trinkets, and handmade crafts.
- Splash Around the Splash Island Water Park – Sitting near Gros Islet, it will keep adults and children alike entertained from morning to evening with things like inflatable walkways and rafts, monkey bars, climbing walls, bouncy castles, rope bridges, a volleyball court, trampolines, and many more!
- Skyrocket Your Adrenaline at the Treetop Adventure Park – The east coast is home to this amazing place, where you can zipline through the forest canopy with colourful tropical birds escorting you along the way! Or you can opt for a cycling excursion or safari tour and explore the rainforest and the less-trodden eastern shores.
- Stroll Along Vigie Beach – A wide, sugary, and largely secluded shore with swaying palms and banyan trees in a peaceful environment away from the tourist masses and the noise.
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.
Climb Gros Piton Mountains
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.
Visit the Sulphur Springs
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).
Learn About the Local History at Morne Fortune
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.
Bird-Watching
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.
Other Fantastic Things to do in Saint Lucia
- Visit the Antillia Brewing Company - You can sample the much-beloved Golden Wheat Ale and Stout beers in Rodney Bay. Most of the time, the beer-tasting ventures are accompanied by juicy food, such as American-style burgers and hotdogs, spicy jerk wings, wedges, and more.
- Attend a Weekly Food Festival – A cascade of culinary feasts take place every weekend across the island, starting with Friday-night shrimp and lobster tastes on the west coast. Then come the Canaries Creole Pot festivities, occurring on the last Saturday of every single month, where the seafood is king. Or you could head to Dennery Quarter town on the eastern shores and please your palate with fresh fish dishes and lots of reggae music in the background until the wee hours.
- Hike Through the Rainforest – From the Gros Piton Trail mentioned above that will take you to the top of the mountain and paths that criss-cross Frigate Island to the winding Barre de L’isle Rain Forest Trail that leads hikers through dense woods and Des Cartiers Trail, you will certainly be spoiled for choice.
- Shop at Castries Market – The lively capital is home to a sprawling market situated behind the 19th-century building on Jeremie Street. Feel free to come here from Monday through Saturday and see regional produce straight from the trees and fields of Saint Lucia to souvenirs, trinkets, and handmade crafts.
- Splash Around the Splash Island Water Park – Sitting near Gros Islet, it will keep adults and children alike entertained from morning to evening with things like inflatable walkways and rafts, monkey bars, climbing walls, bouncy castles, rope bridges, a volleyball court, trampolines, and many more!
- Skyrocket Your Adrenaline at the Treetop Adventure Park – The east coast is home to this amazing place, where you can zipline through the forest canopy with colourful tropical birds escorting you along the way! Or you can opt for a cycling excursion or safari tour and explore the rainforest and the less-trodden eastern shores.
- Stroll Along Vigie Beach – A wide, sugary, and largely secluded shore with swaying palms and banyan trees in a peaceful environment away from the tourist masses and the noise.