We went to St. Lucia on our honeymoon and had the best time. After much research, we chose to go to this Caribbean island. It was the perfect place where we could do a mix of relaxing on the beach and going on excursions in St. Lucia has a great mix of beach, jungle, and city for a great mix of things to do.
St. Lucia is located in the Atlantic Ocean, just under a four-hour flight from Miami. It is southeast of Puerto Rico just north of Venezuela. Keep in mind, being in the Caribbean, it is susceptible to hurricane season, as are all Caribbean islands in the fall. While the temperature is warm year-round, supposedly it is the driest season from February until May. We went in mid-October and had great luck with the weather.
When you get to the island, depending on where your hotel is, you’ll have some travel to get there, and then depending on your choice of excursion St. Lucia, you’ll have to plan travel to those as well. We were on the north side of the island and had easy access to our chosen excursions. There was also a nearby local street party, tons of hiking and refreshing waterfalls, and gorgeous beaches.
There is so much to see, the best way to see it all is to book a guided few tours and excursions in St. Lucia so you can get the best views. I’m sharing some of the best excursions in St. Lucia, both ones we did, and recommendations from people we met since we couldn’t do everything in one trip.
10 Best Excursions in St. Lucia
JJ’s Speed Boat Tour
This is the most popular, and highly booked tour, and for great reason. It is an awesome excursion that takes you to all of the most popular spots on the island. We booked our tour through our resort, Sandals Grande St. Lucian, so we had a hotel photographer on our trip with us. We didn’t end up buying the package so we do have limited photos, unfortunately.
The excursion started in the morning at 9:15am picking us up from the hotel and took us on a short drive to the dock where we hopped on a speed boat. We motored over to Soufriere where we boated past several villages and stopped at the Pitons for a photo op.
We then docked in Soufriere and drove over to the world’s only drive-in volcano. This sounds a lot more exciting when you think you’re driving into the mouth of a volcano, but in reality, the entire area is the volcano. The pitons are mountainous volcano plugs which you can hike if you so choose, on a separate excursion, and Sulpher Springs is a collapsed crater where you can drive up to the mudbaths. The Sulpher Springs smelled of rotten eggs. Though, you get used to it, and the rest of the experience is amazing.
Once we got to the volcano, we hopped in the therapeutic mudbaths.
First, you step into the hot spring, and it is hot! Then you slather yourself with mud, and hop into the mud baths. This is an exfoliating experience, so book early in your trip before you get sunburnt! They say you step out of this mineral bath looking 20 years younger, and while I don’t know if that was true for me, it was a really cool experience.
After you wash off the mud, you hop over to the amazing Tourille Waterfall nearby and take some photos while rinsing off. Next, we made our way back to the boat in time for our next stop, in Marigot Bay, featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, where we snorkeled, drank rum punch, and tanned on the beach.
Finally, the boat took us to our last stop, which was a restaurant with a pool. There, we at an island buffet and played pool games before ending at 3:45pm. This is a long day in the sun, and the rum punch hits you hard, so don’t make any big evening plans! When we got back we stopped at the pool then went to our room and slept for hours. We almost missed dinner, but Kale woke us up and got us out, for which I was grumpy to start but thankful in the end because we needed to eat!
Cost: starting at $125
Soufrierer Experience
A similar tour to JJ’s is the Soufriere Expereince. This includes a boat ride to see the pitons and a stop in Soufriere where you experience the drive-in volcano, mudbaths, and waterfall. Afterward, you go to a Creole buffet lunch. Then, you’re back on the boat for a stop at Anse Cochon for swimming and snorkeling then Marigot Bay for a final stop. To me, the difference seems like a more calm vibe, whereas JJ’s is a party boat from the start.
Cost: $169
Dune Buggy & Zip Line Adventure
This was such an unexpectedly fun experience. I had never been in a dune buggy before, but it seemed like a fun excursion, and Kale was fully on board. We loved this excursion and it was one of the highlights of our trip.
From our hotel, we were bussed over to the place where we picked up our dune buggy. We both wanted to drive, so we paid a small fee to each get a temporary St. Lucia driver’s license. Make sure your US license is up to date, you can not get one if yours is expired! Kale hopped in the driver’s seat from the start. First, we were relieved to see that the driver’s seat was on our typical left side. However, like in England, in most cars on the road, drivers sit on the right side. Second, you drive on the left side of the road. It is a wild and backward experience.
St. Lucia roads are no joke, and you immediately drive onto them.
We followed our leader and stayed in the middle of the pack, and since we were driving on real residential roads you can’t go crazy in the dune buggy, as much as Kale wanted to floor it, he couldn’t. The other crazy thing about the roads is that they are very winding and go up and down mountains. There are few guardrails, so the dropoffs are steep. I did have fun, but I was shocked with all of this!
Anyway, after we drove for a bit, we stopped at our first lookout over the island. We swapped drivers, and I drove the next stretch to the next lookout point over the ocean. We got some really cool photos here! This was quick, so I drove the next stretch to our final destination, the Zipline Park. Treetop Adventure Park boasts the longest and fastest ziplines on the islands. There were 12 ziplines, and while not a ton of walking, there were a lot of stairs between ziplines. I was winded after a while, so be prepared for a workout.
Requirements:
There is a minimum height of 50″ and maximum weight of 250lbs. Closed-toe shoes are required. I also recommend leggings for women, because my skin was pinched and the harness was uncomfortable in my shorts.
After the last zipline, we drove over to a natural pool where we hiked a short hike to a beautiful natural waterfall where we stayed for a bit to take photos and enjoy the water. We didn’t wear swimwear, but it was still really nice to walk in! Finally, we hopped back in our dune buggy and drove back to the starting place. Seeing the island this way was truly a highlight of our trip for us!
Cost: starting at $216
Related: 6 Different Types of Travel Bags You Need
Jeep & Zip Line Tour
You can do a similar tour as we did above, but in a Jeep instead of a Dune Buggy. If you have kids or would be more comfortable in a more familiar vehicle this would be the way to go.
Cost: $150
Jet Skiing in Pigeon Island Gros Islet
On our last day, we decided to rent a jet ski to take around the bay where our resort was. There was a company on the public beach right next to our resort, so we walked over and hopped on! I always love a jet ski, but wasn’t really thinking about them on this trip. kale wanted to give it a try and it ended up being such a blast. We had the jet ski for ~40 minutes and took turns driving. We explored our bay area and checked out some of the boats nearby. It was a great afternoon activity to break up the pool and beach laying.
Helicopter Tour
We heavily considered a helicopter tour. It was our first choice of transport from the airport to the resort, but when we checked the price was high and it was already booked for our arrival. This is a private tour where you can see the islands and picturesque views from a birdseye view.
Cost: $3250
Horseback Riding
There are a ton of horseback riding options in St. Lucia. Sandy Hoofs has a 2-hr. and 3hr tour where you can ride on the beach, viewing undeveloped hillsides, fisherman villages, and wildlife.
Cost: $99-$119
Lover’s Sunset Cruise
We love a sunset cruise and heavily considered one, but because we chose the other options, we decided to forgo the cruise this time. However, the sunset cruise seemed so romantic where you sit on the boat, snack on appetizers, and sip on drinks while you watch the sunset.
Cost: $95
Gros Piton Hike from Soufriere
There are a ton of hikes you can do on St. Lucia, and though I’m not much of a hiker if I had to choose, I would definitely hike the Pitons. This is a guided hike from Soufriere that takes approximately 4 hours. You’ll hike approximately 3000 feet above sea level, for the most incredible views!
Cost: $50
St Lucia Diamond Mineral Baths, Mud Baths & Waterfall Adventure
You can visit the Diamond Falls Botanical Garden through a tour or on your own. This tour is similar to the Soufriere experience, but a little more relaxed. It stops for a mudbath and at Touraille Falls, as well as Diamond Falls Botanical Garden a mineral bath and you can explore the local fauna. This a great and relaxing tour to sightsee and enjoy.
Cost: $149
