St Lucia is a lush green island in the Lesser Antilles in the southeast of the Caribbean. It is covered in dense vegetation, hills and has a large volcano at the south end and two famous steep mountains called the Pitons on the west coast.
I went to St Lucia as part of my cruise around the Caribbean and will definitely go back to spend longer on the island. There is loads to do, stunning views everywhere and a real sense of a dynamic independent culture.
Basic Travel Information
- Location: Windward Islands
- Status: Independent Country
- Languages: English, Creole
- Currency: East Caribbean Dollar, US dollar widely accepted
- Route there: Many flights, Ferry from Martinique
- Recommended: Absolutely, its stunning, varied and incredibly friendly
My Story
St Lucia was the first of the big Caribbean islands that my cruise stopped at. I had considered booking a proper excursion so that I could see as much of this island as possible in the day that I had, even if I would have had to put up with being surrounded by other tourists the whole time. I’m so glad that I completely forgot to do so because my day of hiking down the coastline through tiny towns and to secluded beaches was one of my favourite experiences of any of my cruise stops.
I set off through Castries which seemed like a busy, lively town but didn’t stop to explore. I was much more interested in the natural areas so walked up the road to a viewpoint marked on my map which had a fantastic view across the bay area and the city. This spot turned out to be a very popular one for tours from the ships and was busy with minibuses, and people laughing out the windows at me hiking up the road. I preferred my way though.
I then continued heading away from Castries through the countryside. Every corner revealed a new a beautiful view of lush greenery and beautiful coastline. I walked through small villages overflowing with flowers and lined with friendly locals who were delighted to chat when I stopped by.
Marigot bay was another very popular area so I just stopped in a restaurant for a rest, beer and water, while admiring the huge schooner and other boats moving in and out of the bay. I chose not to get the ferry to the tiny beach area there which seemed like a complete tourist trap, way too small for the number of people there and way less special than other beaches around the island.
I kept going along the amazing coastal road, only taking breaks to shelter from the sudden heavy rain showers. As is typical in the Caribbean, these will sweep in with barely any notice and go from a few drops to a torrent in moments. Thankfully once the showers pass the weather was hot enough that you dry off very quickly as long as you manage to find a big enough tree to shelter from the worst of it.
Anse La Raye was my final stop on the hike. I chatted to a lovely woman and her son about the town and its history before heading down to the beach. Tour buses often stop here so there is a line of stalls selling useless merchandise (the only interesting thing was banana rum) but even one street back from the beach there is no sign of tourism at all. It’s a lovely little place and the views are incredible. I then caught a cheap local bus back along the 21km that I’d walked to Castries.
St Lucia is quite a large island for the Lesser Antilles and there is a lot to see and do. If I come back to travel in the Caribbean one day I would most likely start here or in Dominica to explore more of what’s on offer before heading further south to new areas.
Brief History
I was completely unaware of any of the history of the Caribbean Islands when I visited. While travelling around and writing these articles I became curious and decided to include a brief history of each. I hope you find it interesting.
Like many of the islands in the Lesser Antilles Saint Lucia was originally occupied by the Arawaks and the Caribs before being colonised by the French in 1660. Over the next couple of centuries, it changed hands constantly in wars between the French and the British before becoming a permanent British colony in 1814 as part of the treaty at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. It became a fully independent country in 1979.
St Lucia is now a very popular tourist island, particularly for cruise ships with a huge variety of options for exploring, relaxing and sightseeing. The rest of its economy is mainly in services, manufacturing and the export of bananas.
Logistics
The only helpful advice I can give for travellers to St Lucia is to make the most of the local buses which are by far the most convenient way to get around. They are cheap as well, roughly $1 US for a 10-20 minute ride, good luck finding a taxi for less that $20. You can flag them down from most of the main roads and just shout at the driver when you want to get off. Super easy!
St Lucia is also one of the few Caribbean islands that you can get to reliably by ferry. There are regular connections to Martinique and onwards to Dominica and Guadeloupe using “Express des iles” ferries https://www.express-des-iles.fr/. They are reliable and comfortable as long as you don’t get seasick and go on a day with incredibly rough seas!
Places Nearby & Trip Planning
St Lucia has lots to see and do so you can spend a long time exploring the island. If you are trying to explore the Caribbean you could include trips to the following islands without relying on expensive flights:
Also see my main article: Travelling in the Caribbean
When to Visit
St Lucia is regularly affected by the Caribbean hurricane season which runs between June and November
High season is December – March and St Lucia is much busier and dramatically more expensive in this period.
The island is extremely hot all year, bring sunscreen but also make sure you have your raincoat on you at all times as you can never predict when a heavy rain shower will sweep over you.
Further Information
These websites were my favourite sources of general information for this location:
Last Updated: May 2020
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