St. Lucia Snap Shot - Travel

St. Lucia Snap Shot

The foremost attractions in St. Lucia are great beaches, friendly people, stunning mountain scenery, a steaming volcano, plantations, bird-watching, turtle-watching, all forms of watersports (including scuba diving, sailing, snorkeling, windsurfing and kite-sailing), hiking, tennis and good food.With all its natural beauty and hiking trails, St. Lucia is a great destination for outdoor enthusiasts who want to visit a Caribbean island-especially if they prefer less-developed areas. But anyone who loves great beaches amid beautiful scenery and plenty of peace and quiet will be very happy in St. Lucia.

St. Lucia Sightseeing

Exquisite gardens abound on the island of St. Lucia. There's Diamond Botanical Gardens in Soufriere, which features restored mineral baths, picturesque waterfalls, a nature trail and estate; and the Mamiku Gardens in the eastern part of the island. If you have time, also visit the Bonne Terre Tropica Gardens on the north side of the island and the gardens at the La Sikwi Historical Sugar Mill & Plantation at Anse La Raye.St. Lucia See and Do Guide

Visitors to St. Lucia in the Caribbean will find a lush tropical island. Gardens abound-including the Diamond Botanical Gardens, Waterfalls and Mineral Baths-as do beaches with sand in a variety of colors. (Anse de Sables and Pigeon Point are both excellent.) The St. Lucian waters provide several ways to spend the day, including snorkeling and diving. Hikers also will enjoy a St. Lucia vacation, with many trails exploring the rain forest.Shopping on St. Lucia consists of some duty-free shops and lots of specialty shops selling local arts and crafts. For travelers on Caribbean vacations, St. Lucia provides plenty to do and see, both underwater and on shore.Beaches-all of them public-come in a variety of colors on this island. Those along the northwest shore tend to be very white, those in the middle have beige or tan sand and those farther south, around the volcanoes, have black sand. (St. Lucia originated from a volcano, and the presence of volcanic rock causes the black s and). If there's a bad beach on the island, we haven't found it. Waves are quite powerful along the Atlantic Coast, where only strong swimmers should venture out. On the western (Caribbean) side, the water is much calmer.With the exception of Reduit Beach, fronted by a number of hotels, most beaches are big, clean and relatively isolated. Two of our favorites are Anse de Sables, across from Hewanorra Airport, near Vieux Fort, which is popular with surfers, and the beach on Pigeon Point, north of Castries, which has white sand and is good for swimming and picnicking.Marigot Bay, south of Castries, has a white-sand beach that is known as the setting for the originalDoctor Doolittle movie. Just north of Castries Vigie Beach is a palm-shaded stretch of beige sand at the end of Choc Bay.The little beach at Soufriere is better for sunning and lunching (at the Hummingbird Hotel and Restaurant) than for serious swimming-there are a lot of yachts anchored right offshore. For a great beach, exciting snorkeling and fine food, take the bone-crunching drive on a rutted dirt road to Anse Chastanet Resort, north of Soufriere, where the views of the Pitons are spectacular, and the snorkeling and diving are world-class.You can also reach the beach by water taxi from Soufriere, and the views are even better from the water. (If you do take a water taxi, be sure to reserve one for the return trip.) The water taxi will also pick up and drop off at Anse Mamin, a quiet hideaway around the coastal curve of the resort's property.Other nice beaches on the Caribbean coast include Anse Cochon, south of Marigot Bay and most easily accessed by boat, and the beach at Laborie, the fishing village between Choiseul and Vieux Fort. Your presence will probably attract some attention from local children-be prepared to chat or play soccer.For a real adventure, rent a four-wheel-drive Jeep and take the road from Babonneau east to Grand Anse on the Atlantic coast. It's about a 90-min ute drive. The spectacular, windswept beach is often deserted, and it's a great place to camp, picnic or stroll. Beware of the strong currents, however. Grand Anse is the most dangerous beach on St. Lucia, and you're taking a risk if you do anything more than wade in the water.Leatherback turtles go ashore on Grand Anse to lay eggs, and the endangered creatures, the largest marine turtles in the world, are protected during the August nesting season by a youth organization that patrols the beach.As for beach attire, there's been some French influence, but the British attitude predominates: Unless you're in an isolated setting, plan to wear a swimsuit at the beach.Bird WatchingSt. Lucia is the only place on Earth bird-watching enthusiasts will spot the rare St. Lucia parrot (Amazona Versicolor) which is called jaco or jacquot by islanders. Once among the most endangered parrots in the world (as few as 100 lived in the wild in 1975), the population now stands at about 800, and there is a US$5,000 fine for hunting the bird. The cobalt-blue forehead and scarlet breast are especially striking.Special four-hour tours are arranged through the Forestry and Lands Department for early morning or late afternoon trips. Tours are US$30. For more information, phone 451-1691.Boating & SailingSeveral cruise operators offer full-day and half-day tours of the island's coast that include snorkeling in secluded bays, refreshments or lunch, and perhaps some type of entertainment. Sunset cruises and party boats also are popular.

St. Lucia has excellent surfing-board, kite and wind-in the bay near Vieux Fort in the south and at Cas-en-Bas in the north. Beginning surfers will prefer the calmer waters on the Caribbean side of the island, and equipment and instruction are available at most large hotels and watersports shops on many beaches. (US$15-$30 per hour or US$40-$50 per day for boards; lessons are US$75 per session. Prices go down for longer rentals, multiple lessons and packaged surfing vacations.)Sea kayaking has become increasingly popular, especially with ecotravelers, and St. Lucia's shoreline is cut by fantastic coves, hidden caves and steep cliffs, which are ideal for exploring by kayak. Guided tours run about US$70-$90 per person.FishingSt. Lucia's waters are good fishing grounds for blue marlin as well as for mackerel, kingfish, tuna, dorado, wahoo, barracuda and sailfish. Most boats accommodate six to eight anglers.GolfSt. Lucia has ideal conditions for golfing vacations, and the isla nd has an 18-hole course and two nine-hole resort courses that are open to the public. Also, an 18-hole Greg Norman signature course has been laid out along the remote Atlantic shores of Praslin Bay, and Jack Nicklaus has designed an 18-hole course for the Raffles Resort development on the far north coast at Cas en Bas. Hiking & WalkingMuch of St. Lucia's interior is rain forest, and the best way to experience it is on a hike. A guide is recommended for hikes of all levels in the rain forest because it's easy to get lost in the dense plant growth. Wear sturdy shoes and take a rain poncho, a bottle of water and a snack.Hikes along designated trails, priced at US$2-$30 depending on distance and duration, may be arranged by contacting the Forestry Department. Phone 468-5645. /sluforestrails.The two small Maria Islands are a nature reserve operated by the National Trust. They can be visited by advance arrangement. Phone 453-7656.Scuba & SnorkelingDiving and snorkeling are best i n the Soufriere area, which is protected by the Soufriere Marine Management Area (park fee US$5 per day or US$15 per year). In fact, the beach and reef at Anse Chastanet Hotel, just north of Soufriere, are considered one of the 10 best dive sites in the Caribbean, with more than 150 species of fish (including the bizarre and uncommon frogfish and a 6-ft/2-m worm that has defied classification). The reef and the impressive underwater pinnacles nearby are accessible just by wading out from shore.You can see giant sponges at the Piton Wall. Wreck divers may want to explore the Volga, just to the north of the Castries harbor, or the Lesleen M, a freighter sunk intentionally near Anse Cochon in 1986 with several open compartments in its hull.In the event of a diving emergency, the Diver's Alert Network (DAN) will provide treatment advice and, if necessary, arrange for evacuation. Phone 919-684-8111 or 919-684-4326. (Both lines connect to DAN's headquarters in the U.S. and accept collect calls.) DAN also answers health-related questions about diving. For more information, phone 919-684-2948 or toll-free 800-326-3822. & Racquet SportsMany of the large hotels and resorts have tennis courts for guest use. Nonguests may play at some hotels when courts are not being used by guests.If racquet sports are the prime focus of your vacation, consider staying at one of the following: Rex St. Lucian in Reduit Beach, Jalousie Plantation in Val des Pitons or Windjammer Landing in Labrelotte Bay As in most of the Windward Islands, St. Lucia was originally inhabited by the Arawak, who were driven out by the Caribs before the arrival of Europeans. Accounts differ as to the first Europeans to visit St. Lucia: Some maintain that Columbus sighted the island on 13 December 1502 (though his logbook suggests otherwise and St. Lucians have changed the name of the public holiday from Discovery Day to National Day); others believe that it was another Spanish expedition, a gro up of shipwrecked French sailors or Dutch explorers who first reached the island. The Carib warriors prevented any permanent settlement of the island until the mid-1600s, when French colonists established themselves there.Like so many other Caribbean islands, St. Lucia became a political Ping-Pong ball, bouncing back and forth between France and England 14 times. As a result, both countries influenced the island's culture. In 1814, France ceded St. Lucia to England, and it remained an English colony until the 1970s.Nonetheless, French traditions remain strong: The local Roman Catholic Church is influential, and most residents speak Creole. English is the official language, however, and except for truly remote areas of the island, most people speak English.St. Lucia gained its independence from England in 1979 and is now a member of the British Commonwealth. The major businesses are agriculture (primarily bananas, though that crop's profitability is declining) and tourism. Ef forts to attract offshore banking have been relatively successful. The country also has the most diverse manufacturing sector in the Eastern Caribbean; products include clothing and toys.St. Lucia has been the site for a number of Hollywood movies, including the original Doctor Doolittle, Superman II, Water with Michael Caine and Firepower with Sophia Loren.Leatherback turtles, the largest on Earth, lay their eggs on Grand Anse beach on the northeast side of the island between March and July.In the past 30 years, the population of the native, endangered St. Lucia parrot (Amazona versicolor), or jacquot, has tripled, from as few as 100 in 1979-when the jacquot became the island's protected national bird-to approximately 800 now living in the central mountain rain forest.St. Lucia is a popular honeymoon destination, and some couples even choose to tie the knot on the island. Visitors must reside on the island for two days before applying for a marriage license, which will be p rocessed within two business days. (Don't schedule your wedding to take place until the fifth day you're on the island.) Couples will need a passport, birth certificate and, if applicable, proof of divorce or the death of a former spouse.Cap Estate, at the very northern tip of the island, is an exclusive community with palatial homes set on at least an acre/hectare each. It also has the elegant Great House restaurant, which contains the Derek Walcott Theatre. (Walcott is one of two St. Lucian Nobel Prize winners. He won the 1992 prize for literature, and Sir W. Arthur Lews won the Nobel for economics in 1979.)The nature preserve on Maria Island, off Vieux Fort, is home to two species found nowhere else on Earth: the Kouwes snake and the Zandoli Terre lizard. The islands are closed to visitors annually April-September.

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