Ultimate Must See and Do Attractions in St. Lucia, Mountains to Sulphur Craters

This charming Caribbean island is most famous for its gorgeous beaches and lush landscapes crowned by the towering twin Pitons. However, similar to many other small nations there are much more to explore and enjoy.

In this post, I will show you the ultimate must see and do attractions in St. Lucia, Caribbean.

St. Lucia is only 617 Square km with a small population of 185,000 St. Lucians who speak English as their main language. Did you know that St. Lucia is the only country in the world which is named after a woman?

The Beginning of St. Lucia’s Journey

Traveling during the Pandemic has its own fun moments. To enter St. Lucia, I had to fill out an app, get health pre-authorization which included a 5 days pre-arrival PCR test and booking approved accommodations.

I planned the logistics to use the same test I did in Guadeloupe to enter Dominica for my St. Lucia entry. Everything worked out perfectly fine and I got the green light to enter St. Lucia.

After an hour ride through Dominica mountains, I arrived at the airport and boarded my plane to St. Lucia from Dominica. It was a smooth 30 min journey.

Upon landing, health authorities checked the PCR test and all the papers including vaccination. It is then time to head to the immigration.

The immigration officer called my Airbnb host to confirm I am actually going to stay there. I have never experienced such an unwelcoming behavior from an immigration officer in chill and relaxed island before.

Heading Out of the Airport & Small Adventure to my Airbnb

After all the formalities in the airport, I left the tiny airport. My plan was to walk to my Airbnb which was supposed to be a 30 minutes walk. The airport is by a gorgeous beach and me being me, I had to check out this beach and have my breakfast.

You should know by now that I am the only traveler who drags his tiny carry-on wheels out of the airport to some amazingly beautiful sandy beaches!

After getting some rest by Vigie Beach, I started my walk towards my Airbnb among the trees. While walking closer to the street, a very sweet gentleman pulled over and asked if I needed a ride to the city. I happily accepted and jumped in his car.

We started chatting and he offered driving me to my Airbnb. There are no real addresses in St. Lucia so we had to go up and down the hills multiple towns and ask the locals before he gave up and called the host lady who came to a supermarket waiting for us.

We went there, picked her up, and headed to the Airbnb. It was a fantastic big apartment in a garden setup with Banana trees all over and one of the most beautiful views of the sea.

First St. Lucian Adventure, Pigeon Island

After settling down on my Airbnb, I headed out to explore what I can, during my first day. I headed out to Pigeon Island which is a historical part of the island where British soldiers used to fight and protect England’s overseas territories against the enemies, French.

There are still remains of where the British army used to be and the famous Fort Rodney which was used as a main telecommunication location by the US army during the World War. It also has many cannons from that era. On a clear day, you can also see Martinique from here.

You get the best view from the island by going all the way up to Signal Peak.

After 3 hours walking around Pigeon Island National Park in St. Lucia, I decided to have a short swim before heading out.

While leaving Pigeon island, I see this amazing resort and I decide to take a look of what’s going on inside Sandals Grande St. Lucian. All St. Lucia beaches are public beaches and nobody can deny you access to any beach including walking on a private land to reach the beach!

I talked to a couple in my hostel in Dominica who told me they spent the night in one of these resorts. They even ate and drank wildly here. Obviously, this is a very unethical thing to do especially as we all know how these islands need tourists money.

I then walked along the beach and took photos before heading out of the resort from the main entrance towards Gros Islet town.

Gros Islet is a small village type town with friendly locals. Some were barbequing fishes while others tried to sell me weed or the “white powder“! I politely refused and they walked away.

After my short tour, I headed back to the main road and took a mini van back to the capital. These 12-14 passengers mini vans are really easy to find and ride.

I enjoyed the moments walking around Castries including the market square and Immaculate Conception Church. Here are some photos of my tour of Castries.

I then headed back through the zigzag uphill road to my Airbnb. This was the new year eve and I enjoyed the views (and noises) of fireworks from my deck.

St. Lucia Island Tour with Cruise Passengers

I was told that there are no buses on the New Year day outside the city. I really didn’t want to believe this sad news as I had plans to go around the island using buses on my 2nd and final day in St. Lucia.

I headed out to the bus terminal and sadly it was true! Not a single bus outside the town. I started walking around toward a view point where a random driver stopped.

• Driver: Where are you heading?
• Me: Just walking around! Tried to get to Piton but obviously no buses today!
• Driver: Oh Ok. Yeah it is the new year day, no buses. But don’t walk here. It is dangerous. You can be rubbed easily.
• Me: Thank you! I will return.
• Driver: Hop on. I am going to see if I can find you a ride today from my friends.
• Me: Really? That is awesome. Thanks.

And I get on his car which was a government vehicle. He drove to a viewpoint and we stopped. He went talked to some of the tour shuttles and then told me we have a winner. I went and joined a tour with one German couple who came with a cruise. It was one of those happy moments. I went from sadness and disappointment to happiness and joy!

We first stopped by a very nice view point of Rodney Bay and some local shops by a banana farm. They offered us Banana Ketchup which tasted really weird.

I really wanted to hike Gros Pitons. But unfortunately the tour didn’t include a hike. I was still grateful to have found it. The driver was locally from the small village by Pitons.

A hard working local who works as a tour guide, driver, carpenter, fruit collector, gardener, and any other skills to bring food on the table.

After a 1.5 hour mountain ride, we reached Pitons which is the second-highest peak on Saint Lucia, after Mount Gimie. Magnificent views all over this island. It is a paradise.

After enjoying the views, we headed to Sulphur Springs which is a geothermal field and is known as ‘the world’s only drive-in volcano‘.

Yes, it is a small field for visitors but it is amazing to see all the bubbles and volcanic activities without any effort. The parking lot is just couple meters away from the Springs. There are also places to swim in these thermal pools.

At this moment, I felt satisfied with my visit and effort to see St. Lucia. However, we had one more place to go. A waterfall to cool off and take photos in.

St. Lucia is truly a gem without many tourists. It is a place where you can mingle with locals and build some nice memories. After our tour, the driver dropped off the cruise passengers by the port before taking me to my Airbnb.

One interesting thing I came across while walking around St. Lucia was the abandoned houses all over the island. Here are some photos of one of these houses. As you see, it has a pretty garden view!

On my final day in St. Lucia, my local friend, Robert, took me to a local hospital to do my Antigen Covid test before heading to Martinique.

He then picked me up and we went to his house enjoying some homemade banana breads.

Must See and Do Attractions in St. Lucia Conclusion

As they say, we usually only remember those who made us happy. St. Lucia’s friendly locals truly made me happy. It was a totally different vibe than the islands I visited prior to going to St. Lucia.

I think a visit off cruise isn’t enough to enjoy this beautiful island, but if that’s all you got, please go for it. Support this beautiful island which relies mostly on tourist money.

The cost breakdown of my visit is as below listed in $CAD for simplicity:

• Attraction (Pigeon National Park): $10.70
• Attraction (Sulphur Springs): $12.73
• Accommodation (Airbnb): $83.29
• Ferry to Martinique: $100.11
• Covid Test: $49.19
• Tour: $49.10
• Total: $303.12 CAD or $238 USD

In addition to what I mentioned, you can do a fantastic helicopter tour from the island. Many tourists just book a helicopter as their transport from the airport.

Here is a short list of what to do and see in St. Lucia which can be done during a short cruise trip if organized with a private tour provider.

1. Pitons Mountains
2. Sulphur Springs
3. Pigeon Island National Park
4. Tet Paul Natural Trail
5. Helicopter Tours
6. Rodney Bay Village
7. Snorkel in Anse Chastanet Marine National Park
8. Immaculate Conception Church

Hope you enjoyed reading this adventure story.