St Lucia is the most visually dramatic island in the Caribbean — a lush, volcanic island of mountains, rainforest and the extraordinary twin peaks of Gros Piton (798m) and Petit Piton (743m), rising sheer from the sea near the town of Soufrière. These UNESCO World Heritage peaks, visible from the approach by sea and photogenic from virtually every angle, have made St Lucia the Caribbean's most recognisable destination and the island most commonly described as the most beautiful in the region.
Unlike many Caribbean islands, St Lucia rewards active exploration: the Pitons can be climbed (Gros Piton requires a guide and takes 3–4 hours return), the rainforest interior is crisscrossed with hiking and mountain bike trails, sulphurous volcanic activity continues at the "drive-in volcano" near Soufrière, and the coral reefs around the Pitons offer outstanding snorkelling and diving. The island is popular as a honeymooner destination — many of the finest Caribbean boutique hotels are found on St Lucia's southwest coast.
The Pitons & Soufrière
The Pitons rise from the sea like twin pyramids, their slopes covered in tropical vegetation down to the waterline. The area between the two peaks — the Piton Mitan — contains some of St Lucia's finest marine life, and boat trips between the Pitons (accessible from Soufrière harbour) combine Piton views with snorkelling directly in their shadow. The town of Soufrière beneath the Pitons is St Lucia's most historic settlement — French colonial architecture, a lively market and the finest local food on the island.
The Sulphur Springs near Soufrière — the world's only "drive-in volcano" — allow visitors to approach active volcanic vents at a minimum distance. The smell of sulphur, the bubbling grey mud pools and the volcanic landscape are extraordinary; a guide is essential. The adjacent Diamond Botanical Gardens and mineral waterfall are beautiful.
Rainforest & Adventure
St Lucia's interior — largely covered in tropical rainforest — is crisscrossed with excellent hiking trails and zip-line adventure courses. The Tet Paul Nature Trail near Chastanet offers a manageable 45-minute hike with extraordinary Piton views. The Edmund Forest Reserve in the island's centre provides more serious hiking through primary rainforest to a series of waterfalls. Mountain biking and ATV tours of the interior plantation roads are available from several operators.
Beaches
St Lucia's beaches range from the dark volcanic sand of the southwest (Anse Chastanet, directly below the Pitons, is exceptional for snorkelling) to the white sand of the north (Reduit Beach in Rodney Bay is the longest and most developed, with watersports and beach bars). Sugar Beach (formerly Jalousie Beach) — between the Pitons, accessible only by boat or through the Viceroy Sugar Beach resort — is considered by many the most beautiful beach setting in the Caribbean.
