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Saint Lucia
Visits
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….simply
beautiful….
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The West coast from North to South:
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Pigeon
Island:
This protected National Park is of major
archaeological and historical value. There is also
a small museum, worth a visit. Fort Rodney is
located on the smaller of the two hills. Climbing
the hill you are rewarded with a wide view
Pigeon Island is the place where the yearly
Jazz Festival is held in May.
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Gros Islet:
This quiet fishing village undergoes a metamorphosis
each Friday evening when a vast street dance party takes
place.
A not to be missed spectacle for those who want to
experience the true St. Lucian atmosphere.
Rodney Bay:
This marina has been built in a large inland lagoon.
There you can find specialized sailing-shops and a
boat-repair yard.
In the neighborhood there are all kinds of shops, banks
and a wide choice of restaurants offering a varied cuisine:
Creole, French, Asian and Continental.
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Reduit Beach:
This area is renowned for its long white sandy
beach sheltered by tropical greenery. The beach
stretches to Pigeon Island but it is crossed close
to Gros Islet by the waterway to the marina.
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Choc Bay beach:
A nice sandy beach, sheltered by palm trees, with water
sports facilities and close to the large hotels. Here you
can look out at little Rat Island. The Gablewood shopping
center is in the neighborhood.
Vigie beach:
A nice sandy beach, well sheltered, stretching alongside
the landing strip of Vigie airport. Popular with St.
Lucians.
Castries, the
capital:
The true heart of the island beats in the daily
market of Castries. You can find all kinds of
handicraft, clothing, meat, fish and a variety of
fresh tropical fruits.
Daily the cruise-liners moor in the harbor at
Pointe Seraphine, the Tax-free Shopping Center.
From Derek Walcott Square you can view the old part
of the city on one side and the newer part on the
other.
From the Morne Fortune you have a grandiose view
over the city and its surrounding green hills.
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Marigot Bay:
Marigot Bay is deservedly one of
St. Lucia's most beautiful locations.
The surrounding green hills embrace the turquoise to
blue waters of the bay. Taking the ferry to go to the far
side of the bay you arrive at the idyllic palm beach.
A few smaller hotels, the villas and studios were built
on the tropical hills in total harmony with this paradise.
Yachts shelter in the natural harbor.
Anse La Raye:
A quiet fishing village where you can find typical
wooden houses, some very colorful, others weather-stained
with the passage of time.
Canaries:
Another quiet fishing village. On the beach lie the
colorful fishermen's boats.
Anse Chastanet beach:
One of the finest dark sandy beaches of St. Lucia and
also an excellent place for the scuba diver or
snorkler.
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Soufriere (± 9000
inhabitants):
This town, the oldest settlement of the island,
was founded in 1746 by the French. Situated in the
shade of the Petit Piton, this old capital was
rebuilt after being destroyed by a hurricane in
1780. Here you can find St. Lucia's oldest and most
colorful architecture.
The Soufrière coast has a long stretch
of dark sandy beach. Between the palm trees you
have a grandiose view of one of the Pitons. Local
people mostly use the beach.
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Diamond Botanical
Gardens:
At the entrance, you will find some stalls where local
artists sell their hand made goods.
The botanical garden of the Diamond Estate offers lush
greenery and many colorful flowers where tourists can stroll
at ease. The rust brown colored rocks of the beautiful
waterfall surrounded by the tropical green are worth the
visit.
Morne Coubaril Estate:
An old plantation which has been transformed into an
open-air museum. There, a guide explains how people used to
work and live. You will learn more about the processing of
sugar cane, cacao and coconuts.
Sulphur
Springs:
They originate from a weak spot in the crust of
the earth of an enormous collapsed crater. These
smoking sulfur vapors have unpleasant penetrating
odors. The water in the craters, blackened by
sulfate, still maintains a temperature of 171
° Centigrade or 340 ° Fahrenheit.
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Choiseul:
This fishing village is also an art and craft center.
Here, inhabitants make very nice woodcarvings out of local
wood, make baskets and work in the potter's workshop.
Fishing boats lie on the sandy beach with the colorful
wooden houses in the background.
Laborie:
Tourists seldom visit this fishing village. Here, you
will find mostly weather-beaten wooden houses.
This village has a beautiful white sandy beach. The
North side is suitable for sunbathing and snorkeling around
the reef.
Vieux Fort:
This small town has a Saturday market with a colorful
fish seller at the small beach. It has some supermarkets,
shops and banks.
Many bananas are shipped from here. North of Vieux Fort
there are long sandy beaches, however parts have been washed
away.
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East coast from North to South:
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Cas En Bas
beach:
One of the pre-eminent places for wind surfing.
There are constant on shore trade winds. At the
Turtle Reef Bar, the only wooden house next to the
stretched white sandy beach, you can hire a wind
surfboard and take wind surfing lessons. There are
also kayaks for hire.
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Frigate Island Nature
Reserve:
This National Park is a protected area. After a hike
through rich vegetation including mangroves and yards high
cacti you arrive at an observation post. Nearby, there is a
small sandy beach where the waves of the
sometimes-tempestuous Atlantic Ocean roll onto the sand.
Closed during the Frigate birds breeding season from early
May to end June!
Praslin Bay:
The fishing village of the same name has a mini beach in
the sheltered bay, where wooden boats are made from the
gummier tree. The nearby little Praslin Island is home to a
colorful lizard, originating from the Maria Islands.
Mamiku Botanical
Gardens:
Close to Praslin Bay you can visit the colorful
Mamiku Botanical Gardens offering nice views over
Praslin Bay.
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Maria Islands (close to Vieux
Fort):
This protected National Park can only be visited with a
guide. It is not accessible to the public between May 15th
and July 31st (bird breeding season). Two endemic reptiles
live on this little island: the colorful lizard and the rare
but small harmless Kouwes snake.
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Anse de Sables beach
(close to Vieux Fort):
An easy to reach, beautiful but windy, white
sandy beach looking out over the Maria Islands.
This is one of the pre-eminent places for wind
surfing. There are constant on shore trade winds.
Close to the 'The Reef' bar and restaurant you can
hire wind surf boards. There are nice sheltered
terraces. The wind surf center of Club Aquarius is
also located here. This beach is recommended for
wind surfers and sun-worshippers.
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Cap Moule à Chique (close
to Vieux Fort):
From the top you have a spectacular seascape of the West
coast, the East coast, the Maria Islands, the airport and
far away in the distance the green mountains. There is a
lighthouse on top of the hill.
Central
Rain forest hiking:
A number of walks or journeys in the mountains can be
undertaken, lasting from half an hour to a complete
day.
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© 1999-2001 Millennium Car Rental
Made by CAVIP
Productions
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