St. Lucia is the sort of island that travelers to the Caribbean dream about - a small, lush tropical gem that is still relatively unknown. One of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located midway down the Eastern Caribbean chain between Martinique and St. Vincent, and north of Barbados. St. Lucia is only 27 miles long and 14 miles wide. The Atlantic Ocean kisses the eastern shore, while the beaches of the west coast owe their beauty to the calm Caribbean Sea.
In natural beauty, St. Lucia seem like an island plucked from the South Pacific and set down in the Caribbean. Its dramatic twin coastal peaks, the Pitons, soar 2,000 feet up from the sea, sheltering magnificent rain forests where wild orchids, giant ferns, and birds of paradise flourish. Brilliantly plumed tropical birds abound, including endangered species like the indigenous St. Lucia parrot. The rainforest is broken only by verdant fields and orchards of banana, coconut, mango and papaya trees.
St. Lucia has been inhabited since long before colonial times and its cultural treasures are a fascinating mélange of its rich and many different traditions. The islands people have earned a well-deserved reputation for their warmth and charm, and the island itself is dotted with aged fortresses, small villages and open-air markets.
There is a broad array of exciting and exotic activities available on St. Lucia. The island's steep coastlines and lovely reefs offer excellent snorkeling and scuba diving. The rainforest preserves of St. Lucia's mountainous interior are one of the Caribbean's finest locales for hiking and bird watching. Of course, the island also possesses excellent facilities for golf, tennis, sailing, and a host of leisure pursuits. Not to be missed, St. Lucia's Soufriere volcano, the world's only drive-in volcano crater!
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