Story and photos by Lexi Fisher & Chris Doyle
St. Lucia’s iconic twin Pitons dominate the landscape as you approach the southern coast, where a thriving tourism industry attracts visitors from around the globe to its outstanding natural beauty. St. Lucia, the largest of the English-speaking Windwards, is mountainous and lush, with many beautiful white sand beaches. Tropical rainforest covers the steep slopes of the center and gives way to cultivated agricultural land around the more moderately sloping coastal fringe, where bananas are still a major crop.
St. Lucia offers excellent sightseeing and hiking. You can see most of it by taxi, bus, or rental car. Adventurous travelers willing to combine driving with hiking will want to rent a four-wheel drive vehicle and explore some faraway corners such as Grand Anse or Anse Louvet on the windward shore. Any taxi driver will be delighted to take you on a tour. St. Lucia has several zip lines on which you can fly through the countryside. If that is too energetic, you can take an aerial rainforest canopy tram.
Those interested in nature should contact the National Trust (saintlucianationaltrust.com), which runs tours to Frigate Island and the Maria Islands and sometimes offers turtle-watching tours. It is worth calling the forestry department (1-758-468-5634) about rainforest tours. They can supply knowledgeable guides.
There are many marked trails in St. Lucia that you can follow on your own, including rainforest hikes at the height of land as you drive across the island on the main road to the airport.
Cacoa Sainte Lucie is a small organic chocolate factory based in Canaries. They recently completed a new building to house both the factory and a restaurant. It is run by Maria Jackson, and her chocolate is excellent; her “spice” chocolate is special. You can take a tour of the factory or get more hands-on with a chocolate-making workshop. The restaurant has a cocoa-inspired menu and is open for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea (cacoasaintelucie.com). Otherwise, look for Cocoa Sainte Lucie chocolate in Massy Gourmet and Sea Island Cotton in Rodney Bay Village.
St. Lucia has an excellent, full-service marina with a haul-out in Rodney Bay, and a smaller marina in Marigot. Rodney Bay is over a mile long. On the northern shore a causeway built in 1972 connects Pigeon Island (was once but no more an island) to the mainland, providing the bay with protection. In the old days, when Europeans entertained themselves by sailing around in wooden boats taking potshots at each other, Pigeon Island was the main base for the British navy in this area. It was ideally situated, being in sight (on most days) of Martinique, the main French base. There used to be a fort, hospital buildings, barracks, and storerooms. Now the St. Lucia National Trust conserves it as a delightful park. There are shady gardens, and the fort has been partly restored. The climb to the top of both peaks is well rewarded by the views, and a new pathway allows you to climb up to the fort, continue to Signal Hill and make a steep descent to the main ruins below. The climb to Signal Hill is a scramble, so take care. Strategically placed signboards tell you about the history.
Marigot Bay is a completely sheltered, mangrove-lined bay, famous as a hurricane harbor. From inside, as you look across the beach spit with its lacy palms, it affords a perfect backdrop for a sunset photo and rum punch. Over the years it has grown from a sleepy backwater, where nothing happened, to being a pleasant place to eat out, take a stroll, or hike, and see what super-yachts are in.
The choice of restaurants in St. Lucia is the best in the Windwards. Many are found in and around Soufrière and The Pitons. Soufrière is a small, picturesque town set amid a scenic wonderland dominated by the towering twin Pitons. Its exceptional beauty will enthrall hikers and photographers and the surrounding water is a magnificent marine park.
With no shortage of adventure tours, white sand beaches, and restaurants to choose from, St. Lucia’s popularity, with sailors and beyond, is no surprise to those who spend time there.
Doyle Guides contains the Eastern Caribbean’s most comprehensive and reliable sailing guide content, available in hard copy and online through a free mobile app, website, and Facebook group. (www.doyleguides.com).
St. Lucia Entry and Exit Procedures
Ports of Entry:
Rodney Bay, Marigot Bay, Soufriere, Vieux Fort.
Advance Paperwork:
SailClear, plus an online immigration form for all crew.
Entry Process:
Must obtain customs clearance within 24 hours of arrival. Visit Health, Customs and Immigration.
Exit Process:
If staying fewer than 3 days you can clear out on entry. Clear out with Customs and Immigration. Yachts must depart within 72 hours of exit clearance.
Rates:
Entry fees for a small cruising yacht in the region of XCD$30.
This information is provided by Noonsite.com, specialists in worldwide formalities for yachts, and was accurate at press time. Check https://www.noonsite.com/place/st-lucia/view/clearance for more details and updates.
