A Day in St. Lucia
The Norwegian Dawn in St. Lucia
What We Did On Our Stop In St. Lucia On The Norwegian Dawn
If your cruise has a stop in St. Lucia have a look through our blog from a trip in 2019 to get an idea of what you might want to do.
On our first time to any Caribbean island we take a tour to get an overview of the sights and sounds. Sometimes we use the cruise line’s excursions, but we often simply walk off the ship and hire a local taxi driver. In the case of St. Lucia, there were taxi vans lined up just outside the cruise terminal waiting to take people on a trip around the island. Our driver was named Anthony. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the island. He knew the names of the flowers and plants in the lush rainforests of the island. Most importantly, he was very good at maneuvering the van through the narrow and twisting mountain roads.
Our private van with driver Anthony.
Bananas
St. Lucia is a tropical island with lots of rainfall. Much of the island is lush rainforest bursting with colorful flowers. The rest of the island is covered with banana plantations. There are banana trees everywhere and they make just about anything out of bananas: ketchup, BBQ sauce, even soap. While they grow other tropical fruit, bananas are their top export.
Anthony drove us through this banana plantation and we stopped at their marketplace to see all of the banana products. We bought some banana ketchup. It’s wasn’t bad.
One of Many Banana Plantations
After the banana plantation we headed south toward the live volcano. This took us through winding mountain roads and several small towns. We pulled over at one of the overlooks and had a wonderful view of the town of Soufriere and the Pitons in the background. The Pitons are what is left of the original volcanic crater that formed the island. The active volcano lies between the two peaks. The word “soufriere” means sulphur mine in French. The town was so named because the nearby volcano makes the whole area smell like sulphur. We wound down the mountain, through Soufriere, and on to the volcano.
Soufriere and the Pitons on St. Lucia
The Volcano and Mud Baths
The highlight of a trip to St. Lucia is the active volcano and the mud baths created when a stream flows over the volcanic fissures, heats up, collects volcanic ash, then cool enough downstream to allow bathing. The volcanic ash is thought to be very nourishing to the skin. The baths are very popular.
Anthony dropped us off at the entrance to the volcano park, then parked the van for a rest while we toured the volcano. We purchased tickets, about $11 US for a combo ticket to the volcano and the baths. Then we took a quick stop at one of the modest structures selling various knick knacks on the path to the volcano to get a drink. I had a beer. Jeanne asked if they had rum punch. The woman smiled, went into the back, and came out with a large jar of rum stuffed full of cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and other spices. She poured some in a glass and mixed it with a little fruit juice. Jeanne said it was the best she had ever had.
Next we walked over to the entrance and were given a tour guide to take us through the volcanic area. It was a very informative talk that included information on the volcano as well as on the various plants and trees in the area, including a cashew tree.
The following pictures show the volcano and surroundings, and the mud baths.
The entrance to the volcanic park. Before there were numerous cruise ships and lots of tourists you were allowed to drive in to see the volcano. You can no longer do that.
You can see the steam rising as the water from the stream runs over the hot areas of the volcano. The water is actually boiling in some of the spots.
This is the stream leading into the volcanic field in the previous picture. The water is hot because it has already run over some volcanic hot spots. There used to be another bath area up here, but it is no longer in use.
This is the mud bath. A very popular spot for visitors to St. Lucia. The baths are said to be healing, and are particularly good for your skin.
The baths are just far enough downstream from the volcanic activity that the water has cooled to the point that you can easily enter it. The facilities include changing areas and showers to wash the ash off when you are done.
Another view of the mud baths. You could slide down that center section from one mud bath to the next. The plastic bucket contains mud for you to smear on your body.
Our tour guide for the volcano. The guides are included in the price of the ticket, but they appreciate tips. They are well trained and informative.
This is what a raw cashew looks like right off the tree. The cashew is in the bottom pod that looks like a bean. The top part is an edible fruit that is part of the local cuisine.
After the volcano park we headed back toward the cruise ship. We had several stops by beautiful waterfalls with tremendous tropical plants. There were a number of easy hikes that you could take, or you could just stay on the lower levels.
The flowers and foliage in the rainforest parks on our drive back to port were fantastic. The flowers and waterfalls were like nothing we have ever seen. Well worth the trip.
Our final stop before Anthony took us back to the ship. This is the main American expatriate community. A secluded bay a little way south of Castries. It was the end of a wonderful day on the island. We hope to return again.
