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Complementing its natural beauty are the warm, friendly St. Lucians, who gladly welcome visitors to their incredible home. St. Lucia is a nature-lover’s paradise.

One of the best ways to get in some activity is to explore the diverse terrain, lush rain forest and beautiful scenery. The best snorkeling and diving is at Anse Chastenet Beach near Soufrière, and at Anse Cochon. Castries Harbour is one of the busiest ports in the West Indies because of its safe anchorage. You can shop, dine and obtain information about St. Lucia just steps away from your ship.

At the harbor mouth next to the main port is Pointe Seraphine, a delightful duty-free shopping complex that also houses the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association. Castries, the capital, is the main port and the largest city on the island. Morne Fortune (“Hill of Good Fortune”) rises over the south side of the city; its winding road yields many sensational vistas of Castries and the harbor. Although Castries is a fairly modern city, there are numerous historic landmarks and colonial buildings decorated with graceful balconies and intricate latticework.

The area around Derek Walcott Square, the old center of town, is particularly scenic. The square, named after the St. Lucian winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, spans half an acre of fenced land embellished with a fountain, flowering trees and bushes, and an enormous 400-year-old saman tree. Near the square sits the beautiful Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, built in 1897. The National Library, a grand old building with stately columns and white trim, houses a collection of antique maps of the island and the Caribbean.

The action in downtown Castries is centered around William Peter Boulevard, an oval-shaped three-block plaza lined with shops and office buildings. Another lively downtown spot is the Castries Market and Vendors Arcade. A visit to the marketplace will provide you a glimpse into the colorful character and culture of the St. Lucians. There are vendors with heaps of local fruits and vegetables; you’ll find aromatic spices, decorative basketware and other local items. North of the capital is Pigeon Island National Park, a tribute to the island’s turbulent past. Throughout its history, St. Lucia changed hands between the French and the English 14 times before the English finally took permanent possession in 1814. The park is home to the old barracks, magazines and ramparts of Fort Rodney; a new multimedia museum and information center brings 1,000 years of history to life.

South of Morne Fortune, which overlooks Castries, you can catch a glimpse of 3,117-foot Mount Gimie, St. Lucia’s highest peak. A road winds through huge banana plantations past Marigot Bay, one of the island’s most picturesque spots, where many yachts are anchored. Farther south is Soufrière, St. Lucia’s oldest and second-largest town. The town is quite a contrast to Castries. Founded in 1746, it is engagingly out of step with modern times.

Local fishermen still put out to sea from the sleepy port, casting their crudely made nets from the same kind of dugout canoes their ancestors used generations ago. The main square is surrounded by French colonial architecture; a little church facing the Caribbean dominates the plaza. Soufrière actually sits in what was once a volcanic crater. Beyond the town are the magnificent twin volcanic peaks called the Pitons, standing 2,619 and 2,460 feet high. At Anse des Pitons is a beach that sits between the two, a most dramatic setting. The area’s other stellar attraction is Mount Soufrière, better known as the “drive-in volcano” because you can actually drive into its crater and walk among the seething mud holes and bubbling sulphur springs. At nearby Diamond Falls and Mineral Baths, originally constructed in 1785, you can enjoy a dip in the cooler and more pleasant-smelling natural springs and explore lush vegetation on several walking paths. St. Lucia also boasts a number of plantations, which you can tour to learn even more of the island’s history and agricultural ties.

Beaches:
St. Lucia is endowed with a bounty of beautiful beaches on its calm leeward side. Some of the best are Vigie Beach and Choc Bay, both located north of Castries Harbour. Pigeon Island also features lovely strands fringed with lush tropical vegetation and abundant wildlife. Top beaches in the south are the reef-protected stretches near Vieux Fort and a black-sand beach at Soufrière.

Activities:
St. Lucia is a nature-lover’s paradise. One of the best ways to get in some activity is to explore the diverse terrain, lush rain forest and beautiful scenery. Nature paths and hiking trails abound throughout the 238-square-mile island. You can enjoy a rain-forest tour, during which a naturalist from the Forest and Lands Department will take you through St. Lucia’s Rain Forest Reserve. A trail leads past native tree species, orchids, mushrooms and bromeliads while indigenous birds fly overhead. You’ll emerge from the dark shade of the forest to a magnificent view of Mount Gimie.

Visitors with a little less time will find plenty of other hiking and walking options; the St. Lucia National Trust and the Department of Forest and Lands can provide details. Cas en Bas and Vieux Fort are the most popular spots for intermediate and advanced windsurfers. Beginners are advised to try the much calmer waters along the west coast. The best snorkeling and diving is at Anse Chastenet Beach near Soufrière, and at Anse Cochon, farther north. Gamefish are plentiful in the waters around St. Lucia, and arrangements can be made for fishing charters. Depending on the season, you can reel in mackerel, king mackerel, white marlin, barracuda, kingfish and sailfish.

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