City: St. Lucia
Top Things to do in St. Lucia
What to do and see in St. Lucia, St. Lucia: The Best Mountains
When was the last time you went out for a casual drive and ended up inside a volcano? A surreal scenario comes to life at La Soufrière, one of the most popular attractions in St. Lucia. Pack your skin with the medicinal mud of Sulfur Springs for a DIY spa treatment. Continue your eruptive adventures with a guided hike of the two volcanic plugs known as the Pitons then ascend Morne Fortune to take in the sweeping views. For an intimate beach experience, hit the private black sands of Anse Mamin.
Restaurants in St. Lucia
1. Mt Pimard
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By ClaireHC1989 - London, United Kingdom
We booked the hike via our Sandals resort, and our tour guide Germaine (or Jermaine?) was so very funny, and we were laughing throughout the entire hike! The hike itself is really fun (although it is not your usual Sunday walk in the park). Germaine was so funny and also gave us interesting insights to St Lucia. The first photo is the view when you get there, the second the Mt Pinard, and the third the trail. We took 1 h and 45 min altogether with photo breaks, but Germaine said it is usually 2 hours. We went for an earlier hike at 8.45AM and am glad we did before the sun hit us too hard!
2. Mount Gimie
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
At 3,145 feet, this is the tallest of the islands pinnacles.
Reviewed By willmA2527TN
I have heard/read such varying reports on this hike that I feel compelled to contribute a review. My wife and I live in Saint Lucia and are avid hikers but not insanely fit. Having climbed both Gros and Petit Piton, we were excited but a bit apprehensive about Gimie given the lack of info. That said, it was our favorite of the three. We hired a friend to guide who had done the trek several times and is very familiar with the bush. Our team of five was rounded out by a couple of friends. None of us had climbed Gimie except our guide, but all five of us had done both Pitons. The full trek took us 7 hours and 20 mins with over an hour spent at the top and plenty of stops to enjoy our surroundings along the way. The first portion was fairly straightforward but the spur to the left can be easily missed, which we did, perhaps adding another 30 mins to the trip after backtracking. The trail then steeply descends to the river which was largely dry and easy to cross in April. We selected this month as one of the drier for this reason, and of course not to be soaked by the rain. Doing this trek in the rain would be a different story all together and could potentially make things a bit dangerous and certainly less enjoyable. After crossing the river the trail then takes you through some lovely forest filled with towering Chatanye and Gommier trees before reaching the main assent up Gimie. This section becomes quite steep and you will likely need to use your hands as much as your feet as you scramble up using roots and branches. That said, I never felt endangered as we did during the last 25% of Petit Piton with the ropes and significant drops. There are places where you need to concentrate, but I was never nervous about falling or being compromised. The last portion of the trek before the top takes you through some gorgeous montane rainforest/cloud forest which can be identified by the shorter canopy, wetter environment and plentiful amounts of moss. I’m told it’s common to not have much of a view from the top so I suppose we were quite fortunate. The clouds eventually parted allowing for views of the Pitons, the south and across to Anse la Ray tot he NW. While it wasn’t clear enough to view Saint Vincent (we were hoping to see the ash plume from La Soufriere), this is an absolutely spectacular perspective of the island. We enjoyed lunch and soaked it in. The climb down was slow but save some energy to climb back out of the river valley once you arrive. I carried 2.5 liters of water and could have used more. I ended up drinking straight from the river upon return as this point is above any farming/cattle without any negative effects. My wife and I both found this hike tougher than Gros Piton yet easier than Petit, though they’re all quite different. We loved the fact that we never came across another human -- the trek was so wild and pristine. I would certainly recommend a guide as the trail is easy to lose at two points (the first spur and then at the river), but fairly obvious overall and reasonably maintained. Having a guide is also a good insurance policy in case an incident occurs, like twisting an ankle and a fall. The trail held more variety in terms of scenery and the fact that it undulated kept it more interesting than the never-ending Stairmaster that is Gros Piton. We came across more than a dozen Saint Lucia Parrots, though most were only heard, as well as the other endemics: Saint Lucia Oriole, Saint Lucia Black Finch, Saint Lucia Warbler (common) and Saint Lucia Pewee. It's a privilege to experience this absolutely beautiful environment at the heart of the island.
3. Pitons
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,942 reviews
A spectacular landmark of St. Lucia visible for miles, Petit Piton and Gros Piton are twin volcanic spires majestically soaring out of the sea with waves crashing around their bases.
Reviewed By Allrre - St. Lucia, Caribbean
I have climb the pitons and this is the best hick on island you will not waste your time i try to climb the pitons each and every time i get a chance it's better than a doctors visit to know if am in good health i climb the pitons try the piton when to get a chance they are now a world heritage site and i wear no shoes when climbing it's holy ground next time you on island please try the pitons hick.
4. Morne Fortune
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 111 reviews
Visitors to Morne Fortune, which means "Hill of Good Luck," will find 18th-century Fort Charlotte located here along with sweeping views of Castries and surrounding area.
Reviewed By CandyVhorst - Punta Cana, Caribbean
We do our first tour stop here on our way to Soufriere, the view is amazing of Castries and the cruises, was worth every minute the stop to see the island and take some pictures.
