Things to do in St Lucia

Reputed to be the world’s only drive-in volcano, visiting La Soufrière is an unforgettable experience from stinky start to finish. While you can just drive right through, to get the full experience leave your car and take a boardwalk stroll across the lunar-like crater, surrounded by billowing steam, bubbling mud pools and the pungent scent of sulphur. This is certainly one of the best things to do in St Lucia.

Water babies wondering what to do in St Lucia mustn’t miss Anse Chastanet Marine Park. Home to 150 species of fish and marine wildlife, including parrot fish and hawksbill turtles, it’s one of the best reefs in the Caribbean (and having explored a few in our time, we don‘t say that lightly). With soft coral gardens and fringing reefs located close to the shoreline of Anse Chastanet Beach, this is especially satisfying for beginner snorkelers and a top experience of St Lucia holidays.

Watching whales breach the water and dolphins at play are among the world’s top wildlife wonders, and St Lucia is the perfect place to do both, with as many as 25 species of marine mammals recorded in the island’s waters. You’re pretty much guaranteed to see spinner, striped and common dolphins, alongside regular sightings of sperm, pilot and humpback whales. You might even hit the jackpot and spot an elusive orca.

Feeling fit? Then hike the volcanic Pitons, one of the Caribbean’s most iconic sights. While tackling the Petit Piton demands a whole lot of hiking experience, scrambling the Gros Piton is a little less challenging. Better still for the lazier among us, you only have to make it halfway up through the forests and thickets to be rewarded with exhilarating views of both the island and the Caribbean Sea.

Exploring St Lucia’s interior rainforests is one of the island’s most rewarding experiences, with Mount Edmund Forest Reserve a great site for nature-lovers hoping to spot endemic birds like the St Lucia parrot and St Lucia oriole. The reserve’s main trail traverses the Quilesse Forest Reserve, taking in lush valleys and wild waterfalls along the way.

Planning what to do in Soufrière doesn’t take much effort. With its quaint eighteenth-century French buildings, pretty port and lively street markets, this former French capital will seduce your soul and tickle your taste buds. Backed by views of the mighty Pitons, Soufrière’s bay front restaurants offer delicious home-cooked creole dishes, served with plenty of St Lucian spark, and best accompanied by a nutmeg-spiced rum punch (or two).

Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens is the best place to see St Lucia’s floral glory. Horticultural highlights include the hibiscus, heliconia and fern gardens, while the Falls themselves cascade in a unique kaleidoscope of colours, due to the waters being laced with volcanic minerals. Then round off your ramble with a dip in the skin-softening mineral baths - one of the most relaxing things to do in St Lucia.

Located in the hills behind Soufrière, and home to Hotel Chocolat, Rabot Estate serves up a tasty chocolate tour around its cocoa groves. With plenty of chances to chomp as you learn about the bean-to-bar chocolate-making process, the tour ends with a fun opportunity to create your own confectionary.

Backed by rainforest and primely positioned between the Pitons, it’s no surprise that Sugar Beach frequently tops “Best Beaches in the World” tables. Though Princess Margaret’s pal Lord Glenconner once owned the luxury Sugar Beach resort hotel here, you don’t have to be super yacht-rich to enjoy the beach’s beautiful public area.

First inhabited by Amerindians, Pigeon Island National Landmark is a history hotspot, with the Fort Rodney ruins evidencing Anglo-French colonial conflicts, and the region’s piratical past revealed in the remains of a cave used by a sixteenth-century buccaneer known as Jambe de Bois (“Peg Leg”). Now connected to the mainland by a causeway, this history-rich island has two top-notch beaches and hiking routes, so you could easily make a day of it here.

Named after Admiral George Brydges Rodney who established a fort on Pigeon Island, Rodney Bay is now St Lucia’s main resort and retail area, with Baywalk Shopping Mall housing over fifty stores and restaurants. Selling everything from big brand clothes to local crafts, it’s the perfect place to bag yourself a treat, or pick up a present for people back home.

Set around a pretty harbour, Anse La Raye is home to a quiet fishing community. But come dusk on Fridays, the village leaps into life as its narrow streets are transformed into a backdrop for the sizzling food stands and bone-booming sound systems of the weekly fish fry. Expect a whole lot of jumping up and drinking down.