Traveling in St. Lucia

For the island that defines it all when it comes to white sand beaches and some other attractions; it has never been easy to plan your trip here especially that there are so many spots and activities to try. You might think that time spent visiting the whole place will just take a while, but it’s not. It might have been a small island with just more than 200 square miles, but it takes days to fully enjoy your trip in trying all the stuffs it has to offer.  

For first time excursionists in St. Lucia, it is very important for you guys to know the place personally before visiting it. It will be even more fun if those attractions you see on pictures on the internet will soon be true in front of your eyes. Here we have listed basic facts about St. Lucia for you to be familiarized with.

Weather conditions vary across St. Lucia. There’s nothing to worry about whether you want a hotter or a cooler temperature because you can find them both in varying places in the country at the same time. For example, closer to the island in the rainforests, you can experience hot and humid climate. However, if you want a breeze of the sea to accompany you throughout the day, stay at the coastlines and you will feel very welcomed.

Deciding where to stay will depend on your personal taste. There are different hotel room accommodations in the island that will suit your lifestyle. If you want lying out while drinking cocktails and just enjoying the place, a hotel property in the North will be perfect for you. The Northern side of St. Lucia is larger in population and is a site for the famous duty free shopping. Aside from that, this is where the ports are found. On the other hand, the Southern part offers you a scenic view of its natural attractions like the famous Pitons. This is more rural and typically mountainous perfect for adventurous type of trips.

Try a water taxi for a different perspective in getting around. Isn’t it amazing to try wandering off the island with the rushes of the water and the wind on your hair? Since St. Lucia is bound with many beach resorts, it will be fun if you’ll enjoy this part of the island more while learning from the tour guides.

St. Lucia is not just blessed with white sand beaches; black sand beaches as well. Out of the ordinary, right? Well, believe with your eyes. The stunning black sand beaches are made of volcanic sands combined with white sand, that line the shores. Anse Couchon is one of the places to witness this rare scenery.

Nothing compares than a canopy trip and seeing the world at the topmost view while you are gliding above trees – travelling from each platform to another and being one with all the goodness of nature. St. Lucia offers adventurers a thrilling experience of a lifetime while enjoying the best aerial view of its diverse rainforest.

Before stepping off for a zip line adventure, be reminded of some considerations:

Zip lining is not recommended for pregnant women and physically-challenged individuals. Zip lining facilities are not that appropriate and adapted to people having limited capabilities most especially to pregnant mothers. This activity requires a lot of courage and tension that’s why it is restricted to persons concerned.

Zip lining is not recommended for people with respiratory or heart problems. As mentioned, this kind of rush-driven activity causes great pressure and nervousness to people who are trying it. It is strictly avoided that incidents of heart attack or difficulty with breathing be experienced while the zip line is running.

Aside from the above mentioned reminders, be sure to bring also with you trip necessities. First on the list is a pair of sneakers, because zip lining is preceded with a lot of trail walks and trekking; bring also cash for emergencies (though most zip line tours are paid beforehand); bring a bottle for sunscreen to protect you from sunburn and lastly, bring a camera to keep a record of your adventure.

The Trip Proper

Most of zip line tours and packages in St. Lucia are started with an aerial tram tour around the rainforest before approaching the cable site. Nothing to worry about things that you need to know for you will be accompanied by a local guide provided by your chosen tour company. Often, the guides will not let you experience a single glide only; in fact there are tour packages that offer 10 to 12 series of zip lining. After that, some packages offer gondola ride and a rainforest hike to give you a bird’s eye view of St. Lucia’s wildlife not to mention the sighting of the endangered jacquot parrot. There are also some that offers return trip to the terminal where you came from or to your hotel.

Don’t miss this experience to become a hero and grab the chance to fly even without wings. But no matter how high the surface of the Earth you glide on, always remember to bring your feet to the solid ground. Happiness due to experiences become real only if it is shared.

St. Lucian fer de lance comes in different names though pertains to the same animal only, St. Lucia lancehead or St. Lucia Pit Viper. It is a species of venomous snake found only in the West Indies. Fer de lance is one of the five species of snakes found in the island.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS

Bothrops caribbaeus can grow up to seven feet in total length. They are characterized by a sharp rostrum and an unelevated snout. The color varies from gray to gray-brown, with an irregular stripe on the temporal part of the head. They also have gray and brown markings on the mid-dorsal part that fade towards the sides. Their underside is always very pale yellow. The large triangular head contains poison glands. They live primarily on coastal areas and are rarely seen on places elevated above 600 feet. 

Most of the species are nocturnal, meaning they are commonly seen active during the night, but some are found active during the day on higher altitudes. They are terrestrial, though they are able to climb trees. 

This snake’s population generally showed a relative decline in population over the last fifty years and at present, they can only be found on two portions on the island. Decline in population is primarily due to the attitude of locals in the island to exterminate it due to its dangerous venom. Typical symptoms of this snake’s envenomation include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, bleeding of nose and gums, swelling of the bitten extremity, and burning pain. There can also be discoloration on the bite site and rashes may develop. 

One of the saddling news about the serpents’ (as the locals call it) current situation is that majority of St. Lucia’s wildlife is under the protection of Saint Lucia Wildlife Protection Act of 1980 while fer de lance is not.

Well, it might have been a requirement for tropical islands, St. Lucia for example, to have richly diverse rainforests to boast about. Having a 19, 000 acres of rainforest is more than enough to thank nature for being such a gift of divine providence.

St. Lucia’s rainforest is a protected area as a habitat for exotic birds and array of animals and plants. None may even think that this overpowering forest is once feared of by locals due to folklores that associated the place with evil spirits. Probably this incidence paved the way for St. Lucia’s forest to remain well-preserved up to this moment.

As mentioned earlier, St. Lucia seemed to be well-gifted when it comes to forestry; in addition to this, the island also offers 29 miles of trails that travelers can enjoy upon visit. Speaking of trails, there are a variety of trails that nature adventurers can try:

JACQUOT TRAIL HIKE

Named after St. Lucia’s symbol, the Jacquot or Amazona Versicolor Parrot, this trail will definitely give hikers a deeper way of perceiving nature. An experienced Nature Interpreter will guide you along the way as you acquire new learning about St. Lucia’s wildlife. Learn also how forests are considered as essential part of St. Lucian life.

EDMUND FOREST RESERVE

Hike on this trail will take you about three to four hours. Take a tour on the western side and you’ll approach the Edmund Forest Reserve and get into an experience of nature at its best. Not only that, you’ll also get a long time view of the Caribbean Sea and emerging from a distance is Mt. Gimie, highest mountain of St. Lucia that will surely fill your eyes with wonder.

BARRE DE L’ISLE TRAIL

This trail is a ridge that divides St. Lucia into Eastern and Western side. This is about one mile and will take you about an hour to hike and an hour to climb a bridge. Once on top, you’ll get a panoramic view of St. Lucia from four points: one is the view of Mt. Gimie, blu green rainforest,  Cul-de-Sac valley and the Caribbean Sea on the west,  and the Mabouya Valley on the east.

DES CARTIERS RAINFOREST

This is 2.5 mile trail that will provide you a great possibility of spotting rare birds and the St. Lucian parrot. Hiking will take you six to seven hours of strenuous but exciting experience. Take a tour and get the chance of seeing the verdant wonderful St. Lucian rainforest.

Friday night is definitely the best time to bring yourself out for a party. St. Lucia offers one of the best night parties and events. The Friday night “jump up” in the Gros Islet village has subsequently become a legend. It was a local event, but foreigners are invited to join and dance with the locals. All with the high-volume sound systems, the night out party continues ‘til the morning. Feel and smell the smoke of barbeque while dancing your hearts out on a night party.

History provides no clear record on how St. Lucia was discovered; even the presumed view about Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the country has long been disapproved. Despite this, it has been believed by many that St. Lucia was discovered on December 13, 1502. As a proof, the country celebrates its “National Day” every December 13. This belief roots from an old French tradition that the island was first landed upon by a shipwrecked French seamen on December 13 then named it in honor to the Virgin Martyr of Syracuse. However, Spain claims that they are the ones to discover the island but refuse to give an exact date of their landing.

Probably one of the most supported theories on the history of St. Lucia is the settlement of the Arawaks between 1000 to 500 B.C. Archeological remains proved this claim. There was this time when St. Lucia belongs to the list of the grant territories to Earl of Carlisle, but made effortless commands to colonize this island. It was in 1638 that Captain Judlee settled on St. Lucia with 300 men. From then, the relationship between his troop and the natives grew and there was no dispute at all. But after some time of peace came the moment of trial when the Caribs returned and took a revenge on Judlee. This caused the British to take over the island for two decades.

For the next decades, the claim on St. Lucia was fought over by two opposing countries – Britain and France. Until 1814, with the provisions on the Treaty of Paris, possession was given to the British. This 150-year dispute on the ownership of St. Lucia is the reason why the country changed its national flag fourteen times.

On January 1, 1960, a Constitution was established and the island was being administered as an in dependent unit with its Administrator, Chief Minister, four other Ministers and an Attorney General.

St. Lucia has long been colonized alternately by two nations, that’s why it’s been real hard for them to establish their own customs. It was in 1842 when English became the national language of St. Lucia in place of French. Finally, full independence was reached by St. Lucia on February 2, 1979 being a member of the Commonwealth. Until now, the island is striving hard to attain political stability and economic prosperity.