A Perfect One-Day Itinerary of Saint Lucia [2024]

Views from Tet Paul Nature Trail

For our readers that might not know yet, we’re on an exciting quest to visit 100 countries. The beautiful island Caribbean paradise of Saint Lucia was my 64th country, and what an amazing one it was!

Whether you’re arriving on a cruise day or exploring on an independent holiday, this is the perfect one-day itinerary for you.

About Island Taxi & Tours - My Tour Guide for the Day

When I was doing research on the best transportation and tour providers in Saint Lucia, Island Taxi & Tours stood out the most for their reviews of friendly service, punctuality, local knowledge and comprehensive itineraries. I didn’t hesitate to reach out to them to line up a tour, especially given their years of expertise and experience.

As part of my tour, I embarked on an exciting scenic boat ride.

I booked a “Private Soufriere by Land and Sea” tour, which is a full-day tour of some of the best and most recognisable sights on the island. In this blog post, I’ll detail how the tour unfolded and if I would recommend it to you.

Without further ado, let’s get into the itinerary!

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1. Castries City Viewpoint

Panorama at the top of Castries City Viewpoint

My first stop of the day was just mere minutes away from the Port Seraphine Cruise Port - what a great way to kick off the tour!

Featuring panoramic vistas showing the whole of Castries city - the nation’s capital- the blue waters surrounding Saint Lucia and scenic mountains are on full display at the Castries City Viewpoint.

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2. Government House

Government House, Castries

Saint Lucia’s Government House is where the country’s governor-general resides, and is right next to the Castries City Viewpoint. You can drive or walk past this and take a quick photo stop before moving on to the next place.

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3. Pirates of the Caribbean Photo Stop

This location was used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise

My friendly driver and tour guide (who, by the way, was full of the most infectious and light energy possible), would tell us about interesting, random facts regarding the country throughout the tour.

One of the things he was saying was that Saint Lucia is actually quite a famous Hollywood filming location, although it’s rarely disclosed or made well known to the public. For example, scenes from the original Christopher Reeves ‘Superman’ movie were shot on the island, and so were scenes from the Pirates of Caribbean franchise. Throughout our journey, he made pit stops to show me some of these locations – this beautiful spot was one of them.

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4. Marigot Bay

Marigot Bay, Saint Lucia

Marigot Bay is a scenic bay that doubles up as a historic landmark, as it was the venue for a number of battles between the French and British. From the Marigot Viewpoint, you’ll be treated to another view of Saint Lucia’s picturesque mountains and azure waters.

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5. Rum Tasting

Going rum tasting in Saint Lucia.

I’m not big on alcohol, but rum tasting in Saint Lucia was still a fun experience. The country is famous for numerous things – such as banana ketchup, and various forms of rum. These include spice cream, peanut cream, coconut rum and local spice rum.

If I’m being honest, I have no idea how to tell good rum apart from bad rum - but this was still an enjoyable little activity.

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6. Anse La Raye

Colourful buildings of Anse La Raye

The fishing village of Anse La Raye is located close to Marigot Bay, and provides great examples of both French and English colonial architectures.

We just drove by, but I was able to take photographs of some creative artworks and creative buildings from around the picturesque village.

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7. Pitons Viewpoint

Breathtaking view of Gros Piton and Petit Piton

No doubt, this will be one of the highlights of your one-day itinerary in Saint Lucia. When I pulled up to this viewpoint, I was taken by the magical view in front of me.

With a clear view of both Gros Piton (‘big mountain’) and Petit Piton (‘little mountain’), as well as the villages and towns surrounding them, this is an easy and hassle-free way to take in the grandeur of Saint Lucia.

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8. Tet Paul Nature Trail

Ready to take on the Tet Paul Nature Trail?

The Tet Paul Nature Trail is a great option if you want to go for a little bit of a walk, but not a full-on hike (such as the Gros Piton Trail, which takes 4-6 hours to complete).

View from Tet Paul Nature Trail

Although it would realistically only take 30-minutes to go up and down the trail, your guide will point out four special viewpoints, as well as information about the surrounding plants and flowers. Allow for at least 1 hour at this location.

The final view was one of my favourites, as you will be placed in between the two Pitons for an unforgettable view. It is apparently the only place where you can do this.

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9. Sulphur Springs / Soufriere Drive In Volcano

Asher soaking in the mud baths at Soufriere Drive in Volcano

The Sulfur Springs (Soufriere Drive in Volcano) was perhaps the most unique experience of the day. It’s not every day that you can drive in to the crater of a volcano and walk between bubbling sulfur springs, but hey – this is Saint Lucia!

Once you reach the springs, you’ll notice different tiers of sulfur pools, ranked by the heat level. The highest pool is the hottest, and then it gradually gets cooler as the pools go lower and lower.

My guide advised me that the process is as follows:

1. Soak in the sulphur pool for about 5 minutes;

2. Apply mud on your entire body;

3. Re-enter the pool and soak for another 5 minutes;

4. Wash off the mud using the showers provided.

In the end, your skin will be left feeling smooth as a baby!

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10. Hummingbird Beach

Picturesque Hummingbird Beach

Hummingbird Beach is a relatively low-key beach that offers a beautiful view of Petit Piton. The sand here is very hot because of the volcano, so I couldn’t stand or lay down for very long. Still, it makes for a magnificent photo stop before the boat ride.

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11. Scenic Boat Ride

Views from our boat ride.

The scenic boat ride will take you up close to both pitons, offering you unparalleled views of the mountains from a different perspective. This was undoubtedly the highlight of my day and should not be missed, as I was able to take photos from the boat in front of the two pitons that I wouldn’t have been able to on land.

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12. Sugar Beach

View of Sugar Beach from our boat ride.

Sugar Beach is home to one of the most famous resorts in Saint Lucia, and is also widely considered as one of the best beaches on the island. We weren’t able to dock here because of time constraints, but if I had the chance to do this tour again, I would definitely prioritise this, as it looked like a gorgeous beach.

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13. Toraille Waterfalls

Toraille Waterfall, Saint Lucia

The Toraille Waterfall is a refreshing waterfall complex where you can swim in a natural plunge pool as the waterfall pours down on you. It is indeed a beautiful site, but be prepared for crowds as it is popular for a reason.

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14. Diamond Falls and Botanical Gardens

Pretty flowers at Diamond Falls and Botanical Gardens

Our final drop-by stop for the day, the Diamond Falls and Botanical Gardens is renowned for its showcase of local plants and flowers, as well as the unique waterfall at the end of the trail.

Diamond Falls

It’s here that you’ll learn about Saint Lucia’s unique flowers, such as the ‘sexy pink’, and how they utilise their plants and trees in their daily lives. The Diamond Waterfall at the end is a fitting end to a pleasant educational experience here – it apparently changes colour depending on what time of day you visit.

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15. Immaculate Conception Church

We weren’t able to visit inside the Immaculate Conception Church, but we did drive past it. It’s considered to be one of the most impressive cathedrals in the Caribbean so I would recommend stopping by here if you have the time.

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Do I Need a Tour of Saint Lucia?

Ralph enjoying the views from our boat ride.

Saint Lucia may look small on a map, but it is deceptively large. Because of local traffic and its winding roads, getting from place to place takes time. If you’re not used to the roads or driving on the left side, getting around the island can definitely be tricky.

I would recommend either hiring a car or booking a tour of the island to maximise your time in one of the world’s most beautiful islands. If you’re visiting on a cruise, you won’t really get to see Saint Lucia’s best offerings by staying near the Port Seraphine cruise port.

So the answer is, yes, I would highly recommend booking a tour to see the most out of Saint Lucia.

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Where Should I book a Tour of Saint Lucia?

Hummingbird Beach, Saint Lucia

Island Taxi & Tours has an impressive 5-star rating on TripAdvisor, which is notoriously difficult to achieve. After embarking on their Private Soufriere Land & Sea Tour, I can easily see why this is the case.

Our guide was upbeat, positive, knowledgeable, patient and extremely friendly the entire day. He was already waiting for me at the cruise port when I came out and dropped me off with plenty of time to spare before my cruise embarkation time. I had such a fun day with my guide and on the tour in general, I really couldn’t speak more highly of it.

I’m sure there are other good companies out there in Saint Lucia, but from my experience, you can’t go wrong with booking an experience with Island Taxi & Tours. To make a booking, you can reach out to them using the ‘Contact Us’ form at the bottom of their website.

Do you have plans to visit Saint Lucia? Let me know in the comments below!

Follow my journey on Instagram!