Saint Lucia is located in the Caribbean. In English, the island is
pronounced Sent Luscha, but locals also say Seint Lussia.
Saint
Lucia is one of the "Windward Islands"; it has an elongated oval shape,
the north-south extension is just over 44 km, and the greatest width is
22 km. Many of the landscape's peculiarities testify to the island's
volcanic origin. The harbor basin of Castries is a collapsed volcanic
funnel. The Pitons Management Area in the southwest of the island is
also of volcanic origin; it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
in 2004. The core area is the two former volcanic cones of the 786m high
Gros Piton and the only slightly smaller Petit Piton at 739m high. In
the immediate vicinity is Sulphur Springs, often referred to as the only
drive-in volcano; the geothermal field with its hot springs and sulfur
fumaroles has been opened up to tourism with a road. In the southern
center of the island there is a very large, practically undeveloped
nature reserve, where Mount Gimie is the highest point at 950m. Only a
third of the land, which is heavily furrowed by rivers, is used for
agriculture. During the colonial period, sugar cane was the main crop;
today it is bananas, coconuts and cocoa.
International flights
are handled at Hewanorra International Airport in the south of the
island, while intra-Caribbean flights are carried out at George F. L.
Charles Airport near Castries.
The island has served as a film
set for several movies. "Dr. Doolittle" and "Firepower" were filmed in
Marigot Bay. Soufriere was the filming location for the 1984 film
"Water" with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeves shot the film
"Superman II" in Anse Chastanet.
After 2003, a huge construction
boom began in the tourism sector. The expansion of the main road in the
southwest between Anse-La-Raye and Vieux Fort is encouraging. The most
beautiful bays, such as Marigot Bay, have been built on. Some hotels
changed their names during construction or when they were completed. In
2006, affected citizens listed around 30 large construction projects
that were in the planning stage or already under construction.
The island of Saint Lucia is divided into eleven
so-called quarters. Starting at the northern tip, these are, in a
clockwise direction, the regions of Gros Islet, Dauphin, Dennery,
Praslin, Micoud, Vieux Fort, Laborie, Choiseul, Soufriere, Anse-La-Raye
and Castries.
In terms of economic structure, there are only four
regions. The central, mountainous, partly densely forested and
undeveloped island center; the northern half of the east coast, almost
deserted and only accessible on unpaved roads; the southern half of the
island, sparsely populated despite the international airport, with small
farms, fishing villages and the island's landmark, the two mountain
cones of the Pitons; and the northern half of the west coast with the
capital Castries and a booming tourism industry.
Anse-La-Raye
Cap Estate
Castries - capital
Choc
Gros Islet
Laborie
Marigot
Marisule Estate
Micoud
Soufrière - former capital in the shadow of the Pitons
Vieux Fort
The town of Canaries is located on the west coast
between Anse-La-Raye and Soufriere. The hinterland of Canaries is very
hilly and densely forested, so there are a few small waterfalls in the
narrow bed of the Canaries River. The first French settled at the mouth
of the river around 1725. It was not until 1876 that a Catholic school
was built in this remote place. A church of its own was not built until
1903, until then the believers took the boat to church in Anse la Raye
on Sundays. In 1929 the Presbyterian congregation built a second school.
It was not until 1959 that the town was connected to the road from
Castries to Soufriere. A year later, a stone church was built for the
now faster-growing community, and the old wooden building was used as a
meeting room for the community assembly.
To the north of the town
lies the “Bay of Pigs”, Anse Cochon, where you can go diving. The
easiest way to get there is by boat from Anse La Raye. It can also be
reached from the Ti Kaye Hotel via a bad road.
Until 1763, this small town on the southwest coast was called Anse Citron. After the Treaty of Paris in the same year, the town was renamed after the then French Foreign Minister, the Comte de Choiseul. During the French Revolution it was called Le Tricolore, and in 1796 it was given its current name back. During the severe cyclone of 1780, the whole town was destroyed. In 1789, a new stone church was completed. In 1866, the town got a school through the Lady Mico Trust, and in 1879 two Catholic schools were added. In the south there is now a 12 hectare nursery for tropical trees, palms and shrubs, most of which is exported to England. In the district of La Fargue a centre for crafts was built where wickerwork, ceramics and carvings are made. You can also get all kinds of spices and everything that can be made from bananas, something unusual and unusual in terms of taste is banana ketchup. There is also a bar with cold drinks for visitors. There was an indigenous settlement near La Pointe.
This place in the middle of the east coast was originally called Anse Canot. It was later renamed after Count d'Ennery. He was Governor General of the French Windward Islands between 1766 and 1770. During the French Revolution the place was called Le Republicain. In 1755 there were 61 plantations in the surrounding area, sugar, cotton, tobacco and spices were grown. In 1850, around 1,000 people lived there, in 1900 there were around 3,000, and today the whole district has 12,850 inhabitants. Until 1961, sugar cane was mainly grown, and the town had its own sugar mill and rum distillery. In the following years, the sugar cane fields disappeared and bananas were harvested instead. In 1975, rum production was stopped. In the same year, 3,824 tons of bananas were harvested, and in 1990, this figure was 4,024 tons. The location on the rough east coast influences the lives of the residents. In 1831, a fishing boat was lost, in 1898, high waves destroyed the first houses on the shore, and in 1960, people were evacuated due to high water levels. In 1980, Hurricane Allen caused severe damage.
Pigeon Island, now a peninsula after it was connected to the rest of the island a few decades ago. There you can visit the old ruins of Fort Rodney, there is a small museum about the history of the country (unfortunately not air-conditioned and very warm) and some beautiful beaches.
The native Indians were peaceful Kalinago Indians from the Ciboney
tribe, who, based on archaeological findings, probably reached the
island from South America around 400 AD. They called the island
Joannalao, written Iouanala in history books, which over the centuries
became Hewanorra, land of the iguanas. Around 800 AD they were driven
out by Carib Indians.
Around 1000 AD the Vikings are said to have
reached this point from Europe.
In more recent history it was
initially assumed that Columbus discovered the island on December 13,
1502. According to current knowledge, this must be wrong. It is possible
that one of the ships from Columbus' fleet under the command of Hojeda
discovered the island in 1499 or 1504 while Columbus was navigating in
the waters of Martinique, but even this has not been conclusively
proven. Juan de la Cosa sailed with Hojeda and in 1500 he drew a map; he
marked an island called El Falcon on the site of today's St. Lucia.
Santa Lucia first appears on a royal Spanish map from 1511.
Around 1550, Pigeon Point was the hideout of the French pirate Francois
de Clerc, who was better known in his circles as Jambe de Bois. 50 years
later, the Dutch built a fortification in the south of the island near
Vieux Fort. The first attempt at permanent settlement failed in 1605,
when 67 British settlers were driven to St. Lucia by storm on their ship
"Olive Branch" on their way to Guyana. Near Vieux Fort, the Carib
Indians gave them some huts, but after five weeks only 19 of them were
still alive; they fled in an Indian boat. In 1639, another attempt to
settle by almost 400 colonists led by Thomas Warner failed due to the
fighting spirit of the Caribs.
As early as 1635, France laid
claim to the island of Sainte Lucie and the king granted land rights to
deserving subjects. In 1651, he gave the island to the "Compagnie des
Iles d'Amerique". The bloody conquest began from Martinique. The French
fought the Indians, the Indians killed the French. In 1654, the French
governor de la Riviere was killed by the Caribs. After the Indians had
been defeated, 150 years followed in which the island repeatedly changed
hands, sometimes it was the French, then the British; both nations built
and expanded the fortifications after each change of ownership. In 1664,
Sir Thomas Warner tried to occupy the island a second time from
Barbados.
In 1746, the French founded the first major settlement,
Soufriere. This was also the seat of the first island government. In the
following 40 years, the French founded 12 more towns, and Vieux Fort
became the island's capital. On June 23, 1763, a girl, Josephine, was
born on a plantation in the north of the island in Paix Bouche. She
later became the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and Queen of France.
In 1763, the first sugar cane plantations were established. In 1765, the
first sugar mill was built in Vieux Fort, and in 1767 a second in
Praslin. In 1774, the sugar plantations in all French colonies were
attacked by an infestation of ants. Some plantations were ruined as a
result, and their owners left the island for Trinidad.
In 1775,
851 whites, 233 free people of color, and 6,381 slaves lived on St.
Lucia; there were 802 plantations.
By 1780, the French had built
twelve large towns with the help of their slaves, in the immediate
vicinity of which were the sugar plantations. In the same year, a severe
hurricane swept across the island. Between 1775 and 1783, the American
War of Independence raged, the effects of which were felt as far away as
here. In 1778, the French declared war on England. The English, for
their part, attacked French St. Lucia in December of the same year. The
French were defeated at Cul-de-Sac. In 1779, the two English fleet units
under Admiral Samuel Barrington and Vice Admiral Sir John Byron united
in the bay of Gros Islet to form a fleet of 23 warships and 10 frigates.
In January 1781, Admiral George Rodney, arriving from Barbados,
assembled a fleet of 36 warships under the protection of Pigeon Island
off Gros Islet. From here he sailed to Sint Eustatius and took the
island without a fight. Pigeon Island was also an ideal vantage point
from which to observe the French fleet off Martinique. On April 12,
1782, the historic naval battle "Battle of the Saintes" took place
between the islands of Les Saintes and Dominica, in which the French
fleet under the command of Admiral Comte de Grasse was defeated by
Admiral Rodney.
In 1790, 2,170 whites, 1,636 free people of color
and around 18,200 slaves lived on St. Lucia.
In 1794, British
troops occupied Guadeloupe, Martinique and St. Lucia. All slaves on
French plantations were declared free. 450 soldiers from the French
Battalion des Antilles under the leadership of Gaspard Goyrand attacked
Soufriere in April 1795, and Vigie and Gros Islet in June. The English
withdrew from the island and recaptured it in April of the following
year with 35,000 men.
In 1803, 1,200 whites, 1,800 free people of
color and 14,000 slaves lived on St. Lucia.
In 1808, the island
became a crown colony, and in 1814 it was finally handed over to the
British crown in the Peace of Paris. In 1838, the island became part of
the Windward Islands government. In the same year, the population
experienced the abolition of slavery. A yellow fever epidemic spread
across the island, which in 1842 also affected the British soldiers
stationed on the island. In 1844, the 33rd Regiment consisted of only 35
men. In 1861, the garrison was completely disbanded. In 1871, the island
became part of the Windward Islands.
The complete abolition of slavery in 1838 by England brought great
hardship to plantation owners in the Caribbean. There was now a lack of
cheap farm workers for their plantations. Between 1845 and 1917,
thousands of field workers were lured to the Caribbean islands from the
Far East with bad contracts. The majority came via Calcutta from the
English crown colony of India; their descendants are still disparagingly
referred to as "Coolie" on all the islands today.
The first group
of these workers came between 1856 and 1865, there were just over 1,600
people. The second, larger group of 4,427 came between 1878 and 1893.
Their employment contracts were not identical, but were similar in their
basic features. They all committed to working on a plantation for five
years, in return for which they received very low wages, accommodation,
clothing, food and medical care. After this period they could choose to
remain on the island as free people, in which case they would receive
four hectares of land as their own or 10 pounds sterling in cash. If
they did not want to do this, they had to work on the plantation for
another five or ten years in order to get a free ship passage back to
their homeland. In 1895 there were still 721 Indian contract workers on
Saint Lucia, two years later the last contract expired and the island
then had a free East Indian population of 2,560 people. Records show
that about half of the recruited workers returned to India. Many others
would have liked to return, but the government had no money left to pay
for the return journeys.
The Indians on this island originally
came from the provinces of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in northern India.
They belonged to a less respected caste of agricultural workers and
small farmers. In their homeland they often owned a small piece of land
and livestock. Their decision to go to the Caribbean was based on the
belief that they would find some wealth there so that they could lead a
better life with their families when they returned.
Villages with
a predominantly Indian population were mainly located near the sugar
factories of Cul-De-Sac, Dennery, Roseau and Vieux Fort, as well as near
the Balenbouche plantation. These were the places Anse la Raye, Augier,
Balca, Belle Vue, Cacao, Forestiere, Marc and Pierrot. The plantation
owners preferred to work with Indian contract workers rather than free
colored people. The Indians were more reliable workers.
Interracial relationships were initially few and only between colored
men and Indian women. Interracial marriages were completely unusual
until the early 1950s. Only in the last few decades has this changed
significantly and Saint Lucia has also become a melting pot of races.
In 1885, the seat of the Windward Islands government was moved to
Grenada. In 1905, St. Lucia lost its position as a British naval base.
Working conditions deteriorated and strikes occurred repeatedly. When
plantation workers also took part in the uprisings in 1907, the colonial
administration had to put down the uprisings. As a late consequence, the
Wood Commission visited the Windward and Leeward Islands in 1922. The
population was assured of more political participation. In 1925,
elections to the legislative body were held for the first time.
In 1929, the first airplane landed on the island. After 1930, the first
unions were formed. In 1937, workers on the sugar plantations of Roseau
and Cul-De-Sac went on strike. In 1938, the British government sent Lord
Moyne to St. Lucia to conduct a survey of working conditions; the
commission went down in history under his name. As a result of his trip
to the Caribbean, he recommended that the mother country grant the
colonies more self-determination.
During the Second World War,
the USA expanded the George F. L. Charles airfield, and the Beate
Airfield, now Hewanorra Airport, was rebuilt for military aircraft near
Vieux Fort.
In 1951, all citizens over the age of 21 were granted
the right to vote. In 1958, St. Lucia joined the West Indies Federation,
which collapsed in 1962. In 1960, the country was given an interim
constitution until self-government in 1967.
In 1970, a worker on
one of the large banana plantations earned between 2.40 and 3.20 EC
dollars per day. In 1974, the low wages led to strikes by plantation
workers and the formation of a union.
In 1979, the last colonial
ties were broken when the country was granted independence. The first
elections after independence were won by the St. Lucia Labour Party, but
the party split in 1982. John Compton was able to lead the government in
the next elections. He tried to make the country less dependent on
banana exports through tourism.
In 1989, the first phase of
construction of the Windjammer Landing Resort began. In addition to the
Royal St. Lucian, three more hotels were planned near Gros Islet and one
near Soufriere. Hewanorra Airport received a new terminal building. In
1990, the runway there was renovated. In the same year, a power plant
was completed near Cul-de-Sac that can supply the entire island with
electricity. At the same location, Amerada Hess built an intermediate
oil storage facility with a capacity of 7.9 million liters on 283
hectares. Crude oil from Saudi Arabia is delivered there in large
tankers and then taken to the Hess refinery in SAINT CROIX in smaller
ships.
In 1992, the writer and playwright Derek Walcott received
the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Since 1760, carnival has been celebrated on St. Lucia in February and March. During the French colonial period, the festival "Fête Champêtre" was celebrated after the sugar cane harvest. During the English colonial period, the same festival was called "cane burning", during which the slaves danced to drum music. After a few years, plantation owners also mingled with the revelers. They thought they would attract less attention if they dressed in rags and painted their faces black. However, this only resulted in the slaves in turn putting on fine clothes and painting their faces white. A proper organization has only existed since the end of World War II. The island's Red Cross organized a street parade and costume prizes were awarded, and carnival days have been public holidays since 1948. In 1954, various bands competed against each other to find the best. In 1955, rival festival committees appeared with their own carnival queens, in 1967 new events were added, kings and queens were elected, and music bands performed in the stadium. Since 1970, there has been a Carnival Development Committee in which all groups were united until 1973. Since then, steel bands and calypso shows have been included in the carnival.
1,158 different plant species are known on the island. Tropical
rainforest originally covered almost the entire island, but only 11% of
it remains today.
The St. Lucia parrot, Amazona versicolor, is an
endangered species and the island's national bird. It has a green body,
blue-feathered head, red breast and yellow tail feathers. With a lot of
luck, you can see it in the nature reserve. Thanks to protective
measures, its population has grown from around 100 animals in the late
1970s to around 300 today. The St. Lucia black finch, Melanospiza
richardsoni, and the St. Lucia oriole, Icterus laudablis, are only found
on this island.
A total of 42 different bird species have been
counted on the island, and they also breed there.
The giant
lizards, to which the island owes its Indian name, are rarely seen
today.
In the impassable national park in the center of the
island, there are an unknown number of poisonous lancehead vipers,
fer-de-lance, and non-poisonous boa constrictors. There you can also
find the agouti, Dasyprocta, a rabbit-sized animal that used to be
common on many Caribbean islands and was heavily hunted.
The
tortoise, Geochelone carbonaria, grows up to 60 cm long, but is very
rare. The remote beach of Grand Anse Bay is used by leatherback turtles
as a place to lay their eggs. The adjacent Grand Anse Estate is
considered to be one of the most species-rich areas on the island.
In the landscape conservation area you can also find the wood
turtle, Testudo denticulata, which can also be found in the coastal
regions and was thought to be extinct, as well as a tree frog.
Maria Island is a nature reserve. Only there live the last specimens of
the Kouwes, a racing snake, and the Zandoli, a species of lizard with a
blue, bobbing tail.
Sugar cane cultivation began relatively late on the island of St.
Lucia because the land was very hilly and there were hardly any large
flat areas for sugar cane fields. Until the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the
plantations on the island were simply named after their owners. It was
only after that that French landowners in particular began to look for
artificial names for their property for security reasons. In 1765, two
Frenchmen began planting sugar cane near Vieux Fort, and by 1780 around
50 plantations had been established. During the severe cyclone of 1780,
almost all of the fields were destroyed and 20,000 people lost their
lives. When England abolished slavery in 1834, around 13,350 Africans on
the island became free people. England paid the white plantation owners
335,627 British pounds for the loss of their workforce. Between 1858 and
1883, around 4,400 Indian contract workers came to the island to replace
the slaves. In 1925, a subsidiary of the United Fruit Company of Boston,
the Swift Banana Company, bought farmland on St. Lucia and planted the
first banana fields.
In 1948, the British company Foley & Brand
made an offer to buy all the bananas on the Windward Islands for 15
years. In 1951, the St. Lucia Banana Growers Association (SLBGA) was
founded.
In 1961, the Geest Line acquired large areas of land in
the valley of the Cul-de-Sac and Roseau rivers. The fallow sugar cane
fields were turned into banana plantations.
The Windward Islands
Banana Growers Association (WINBAN) and the associated sales agency
Windward Islands Banana Development & Exporting Company (WIBDECo),
Manoel Street, Castries, Tel. 452-2411, Fax 453-1638, were founded. In
1980, almost all banana plantations were destroyed by hurricane Allen.
Anse Chastanet Estate, directly north of the town of Soufriere. In
the 18th century, this 240 hectare plantation was founded by the French
noble Chastanet family from the Bordeaux region. In 1968, a group of
Canadians built a hotel there. At that time, there was no road and all
the building materials were brought to the construction site by canoe.
In 1974, the complex was sold to the architect Troubetzkoy, who still
manages it today. The hotel was expanded in 1985 and 1990. In 1984, the
290 hectare Anse Mamin plantation to the north was purchased. This is
one of the oldest plantations on the island, originally owned by Baron
Marie Antoine Y`Volley. The remains of the sugar mill, a large water
wheel, the viaduct and the water tank with a volume of 6 million liters
have been preserved to this day. From 1859 to 1984, the plantation
belonged to the DuBoulay family.
Balenbouche Estate is located in the
Choiseul district in the southwest. The former sugar cane plantation was
purchased in 1964 by a couple of Danish descent and is consistently
committed to eco-tourism. In addition to the farmhouse, huts were built
as accommodation for tourists, and the old farm buildings serve as an
open-air museum. There is a restaurant on Balenbouche and guided tours
are also offered. This makes the plantation interesting for day visitors
too. More information on the homepage www.balenbouche.com.
Cap
Estate, this plantation, one of the first on the island, is 600 hectares
in size. It was owned by Baron de Longueville, who came to the island in
1744 as a civil commander. Since the plantation is very remote and the
road connections are poor, the agricultural operation was stopped. One
of the first hotels on the island and a golf course were built. The
mansion became a restaurant, and the Derek Walcott Theater is located
there. Another part of the plantation was divided into plots of land,
where you can now find large villas. Other construction projects are
still taking place there today.
Dennery Estate. For three
generations, the Barnard family distilled rum in the Dennery Factory on
the Fond-D'Or River. When the economic conditions on the island changed
and more and more bananas were grown instead of sugar cane, it became
difficult to obtain enough raw materials. They were forced to work with
the British Geest Group to produce rum. The distillery was moved to the
other side of the island to the sugar factory on the Roseau River south
of Marigot.
Errard Plantation, cocoa plantation, west of Dennery. The
owner himself gives a tour of the plantation and explains the cocoa
processing. The Sault waterfall is nearby, right next to the road.
Fond Doux Estate, south of Soufriere between the two Pitons, Tel.
459-7545. This 250-year-old plantation is still being worked today and
is open to the public. There is a boutique and a restaurant there.
Opening hours: daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guided tours of the garden
begin at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. In addition, a full-day garden and country
tour with a picnic begins at 10 a.m.
La Cauzette Estate, Morne Paix
Bouche. The remains of this plantation are in the northeast of the
island. The land is no longer worked. It is only of historical
importance because Marie-Josèphe-Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie, the
later wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, was born there in June 1763.
La
Dauphine Estate, Soufriere, Tel. 452-2691, Fax 452-5416. This 80 hectare
plantation is located 5 km south of Soufriere. The manor house, built in
1890, has been converted into a guest house along with the nearby
Chateau Laffitte.
La Haut Plantation, Soufriere, Tel. 459-7008, Fax
459-5975. This plantation is located just 2 km north of Soufriere. There
are 5 rooms available for rent in the manor house.
La Pearl & Ruby
Estate, Soufriere, Tel. 459-7224. This plantation is fully developed and
is located 1 km east of the town center. There is a restaurant, The
Still, and you can rent some newly built apartments.
Marquis Estate,
Tel. 452-3762, named after the Marquis de Champigny, who landed on the
island with a small group of soldiers in 1723. The ruins of the sugar
factory are still preserved and are a tourist attraction. Today the land
is one of the largest banana plantations still in existence on the
island.
Morne Coubaril Estate, directly south of the town of
Soufriere, Tel. 453-7620, Fax 453-2897. This was the first large
plantation to be built on the island by the French. It was owned by
Philippe Devaux, and got its name from the many Coubaril or carob trees
that grew there at the time. Cocoa and sugar cane were planted. In 1744
the French built a gun emplacement on Morne Crabier to protect Soufriere
Bay, and the remains of it have been preserved. Rooms are now rented
out. There is a small museum.
Soufriere Estate, Tel. 459-7565. Today
the plantation is all that remains of a former 800 hectare piece of land
that King Louis XIV gave to the Devaux family from the island of
Martinique in 1713 as a thank you for good services. Between 1740 and
1742, the three Devaux brothers, Phillipe, Henri and Guillaume, settled
on St. Lucia. They divided up the land and planted cotton, tobacco,
coffee and cocoa for export. In 1765, a sugar mill and factory
facilities for rum production were built. A huge water wheel was bought
in England. In 1780, the property was badly damaged by a hurricane. In
1785, Louis XVI approved money to build the Diamond Baths, and a year
later, under the direction of Baron de Laborie, a large building with
about a dozen bathing places was completed. In 1836, the then governor
Dudley St. Leger Hill tried to renovate the baths, which had fallen into
disrepair, but was not given permission by the owner to even enter the
land. It was only the current landowner Andre du Boulay who began the
gradual restoration. The sugar mill with an original water wheel was
built in 1765. A small fee is charged for entry to the plantation, but
bathing is free. Still Plantation, Soufriere, Tel. 459-7224, Fax
459-7301. This plantation is 160 hectares in size and includes the Ruby
Estate and La Perla Estate, both of which are still being worked.
Studios are available for rent on the plantation. There is a large
restaurant with a pool and a souvenir shop.
Stonefield Estate,
Soufriere, Tel. 459-7037, Fax 459-5550. 15 elegant villas for tourists
have been built on this 10-hectare plantation. There is a swimming pool
and a restaurant.
Entry requirements: Travelers from Great Britain, the USA and Canada
only need a valid return ticket, all other travelers also need a
passport that is valid for at least six months beyond the departure date
for stays of up to 42 days. Citizens of the Schengen area are allowed to
stay for 90 days per 180 days. The residence permit can be extended in
the country if the traveler can prove that they have sufficient funds.
On the plane, the traveler is given an international identity card,
which must be filled out for the immigration authorities.
Exit
requirements: An airport tax of 54 EC$ (21 US$) must be paid upon
departure.
Foreign exchange regulations: There are no
restrictions on the import and export of local currency and foreign
currencies.
Airplane
Saint Lucia has two airports, the
Hevanorra International Airport (UVF) in the south near Vieux Fort and
the smaller George Charles Airport, also called Vigie, near the capital
Castries.
The German airline Condor offers direct flights from
Frankfurt am Main to Saint Lucia Hevanorra once a week in the winter
flight schedule. Otherwise with British Airways via London. These can
also be booked online.
Ship
Cruise ships dock in the port of
Castries. Even if you should always have your passport with you, because
you are entering a foreign country, your boarding pass is what the
police officers want to see when you leave and enter the ship.
Yachts
Entering yachts should not check in at Castries Harbour, but
at Rodney Bay Marina or Marigot. Although there is a small marina on the
north side of the harbour, the customs authorities in this port are
sufficiently busy with cargo inspections. Yachts should not dock at the
port of Castries if the customs quay is full, otherwise heavy fines will
be imposed.
So-called island hoppers fly from Vigie to all the neighboring
islands. These small aircraft are relatively cheap, but can only be
booked locally. Airlines with an internet presence and online booking
cost many times more.
The minibuses offer a cheap transport
option to all the remote corners of the island and at local prices.
Minibuses, jitneys, travel from the rural areas to Castries after
sunrise and back there in the afternoon. Buses run to Gros Islet every
30 minutes, line 1 A; to Vieux Fort, 2 H and to Soufriere, line 3 D.
Buses run to the south of the island every hour.
The journey from
Hewanorra International Airport in the south of the island via Castries
to the holiday center of Rodney Bay takes about 90 minutes, the fare for
two people is US$60; bus transfers with SunLink are offered for US$40.
After dark, however, it is advisable to take a taxi.
Rental
cars
Be careful, drive on the left!
The maximum speed in towns is
15 mph / 25 kmh and outside of towns 30 mph / 50 kmh. Travelers who want
to rent a car must apply for a "Visitor's Driver License" at the
immigration office when they enter the country. This is available upon
presentation of an international driving license, is valid for three
months and costs 54 EC $.
Rental cars can only be rented to people
over 25 and under 65.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is
prohibited and will be punished.
Parking spaces in Castries are a big
problem. Parking in "No Parking" zones, marked in yellow, is punishable
with fines starting at 40 EC $. You have to pay 100 EC $ for towed
vehicles.
Across from the market, next to the government building,
there is a new, multi-story parking garage, where there are often free
parking spaces.
The parking fee at the airport is 2 EC $.
The official language is English. However, many residents speak
Patois among themselves, a mixture of French, African and English
grammar and vocabulary. Just as many also speak or understand French.
Language is another aspect of St. Lucia's culture that shows African
influence.
Since African languages were suppressed with the
arrival of slaves, the French plantation owners still had to find a way
to communicate with their workers. This is how Patois (Creole-Kweyol)
came about. It has only recently appeared in written form.
Brig Unicorn Two-masted ship that offers pirate-style excursions. The ship also served as a film set in the television series "Roots" and in "Pirates of the Caribbean".
There are a number of hiking trails on the island in the central
highlands and in the south around the Balembouche plantation near
Laborie.
There are of course waterfalls in various places, in the
mountain forest, but mainly in the region around Soufriere, but compared
to some other Caribbean islands, these are mostly unspectacular.
Seabirds and sea turtles can be seen in various places. More information
is available on site.
Sea turtles can be seen on Grand Anse
beach. Tours generally take place on Saturday nights. Information is
available in Desbarra from Jim Sparks, Tel. 452-8100, 452-9951.
Bird watching is possible at the Bois D'Orange swamp near Gros Islet, in
the rainforest near Soufrier, at Boriel's Pond Lake and on the island of
Frégate. Tours for three to ten people at a price of around 50 US $ per
person are carried out by the forestry administration.
Piton Flore Rainforest Hiking Trail - southeast of Castries, it
starts behind the town of Forestiere. The well-maintained trail is the
old road from the French era. It leads around the Flore mountain. The
town of Forestiere is just about accessible by normal car, but a
four-wheel drive is recommended. You can get a guide there by booking in
advance. The circular trail takes about 2 hours, you need to allow
another hour for the climb up the mountain, from there you have a clear
view from one side of the island to the other. The guide costs 10 US $.
Piton Flore Rainforest, Tel. 451-8654.
Morne La Combe Rainforest
Hike, in the middle of the island, on the highway from Castries to Vieux
Fort. This beautiful hiking trail starts right on the main road. You can
get to the foot of Morne La Combe on an almost flat path through dense
forest, where it then becomes very steep and is only suitable for
experienced hikers. From the top of the mountain you have a beautiful
view over the Roseau and Mabouya valleys. You should plan on three hours
of hiking time for the entire trail. Guides are available at the Bar de
L’Isle Monday to Friday. Outside of these times, the gate is closed.
Entry costs US$10.
Anse La Liberté coastal hiking trail, the two-hour
hiking trail begins just outside the town of Canaries and is marked by a
sign. It is hot and dry there with little shade, so you need plenty of
drinking water. The easy, flat trail leads to Anse La Liberté and back
to the main road on another, slightly uphill trail. Use of the trail
costs US$3, guides are available.
Eastern Nature Trail, Praslin, Tel.
455-3099. This beautiful and easy hiking trail begins near the Fox Grove
Inn, where you can also get the keys for the gate. Advance bookings are
requested. The tour without a guide costs US$4.
Morne Le Blanc hiking
trail, north above the town of Laborie. There is a good road there.
After a short walk you reach the top of the mountain. From there you can
see as far as the island of Saint Vincent on a clear day.
Climbing
Morne Gimie. This mountain range has four peaks, each about 900m high:
Morne Gimie, Piton Canaries, Piton Dame Jean and Piton Troumassée. You
can either start the hike on a shorter route in Canaries, or the longer
but traditional route starts in Fond St. Jacques. It is also possible to
do the hike from Millet in the north or via Troumassée. The route is
between 11.5 and 13km long.
At the "Castries Central Market" you can find everything from local
souvenirs such as hand-woven baskets and wood carvings to spices and
fresh fruit.
For duty-free shopping, "Pointe Seraphine" is the
number one on the island. Located at the northern end of the port of
Castries, the largest duty-free complex on the island - and the second
largest in the Caribbean - offers a wide selection of souvenirs,
perfumes, watches and jewelry as well as electronics and beach wear.
Finally, "La Place Carenage" offers the second largest selection of
duty-free items on the island. It is also located in the island's
capital, Castries, on the other side of the port on Jeremie Street.
Banana ketchup is sold in small bottles, suitable as a dip for
savory dishes. It is also suitable as an original souvenir, although as
with alcohol, the liquid rules for hand luggage on the plane should be
observed.
“Caribbean Perfumes”, “Caribelle” batik, fabric dolls,
silk painting
The currency is the East Caribbean dollar EC$,
which is pegged to the US dollar. The official exchange rate is 1 US$ =
2.67 EC$. You can therefore pay with the US$ almost everywhere, but
sometimes you only get 2.5 EC$ for it. The euro is not accepted
everywhere due to exchange rate fluctuations.
The cuisine of St. Lucia is a very interesting mixture of Caribbean
and French cooking, well seasoned but not too spicy. Metagee is a
traditional stew. It contains a quarter of dried cod, a quarter of
plantains, a quarter of pumpkin and the rest is beef, vegetables and
spices.
The island's callaloo soup consists of equal parts
chicken, lamb and beef cooked together with pumpkin, plantains, yams and
various spices.
Bakes are flatbreads.
The national beer,
"Pitons Lager Beer," is brewed in Vieux Fort. The local rum comes from
the only rum distillery on the island, halfway between Castries and
Marigot.
The nightlife is mainly in Rodney Bay. The most famous clubs are
located there and at the weekend people from all over the region come
together, either simply for a "lime" (= a cozy get-together for a beer,
but without spending a lot of money on a club visit) or to dance in a
trendy Caribbean-style location.
On Friday evening, however, the
famous street party (jump-up) in Gros-Islet should not be missed. In the
streets of the fishing village, life begins that night after dark with
reggae and soca rhythms in the open air, and if you don't want to be
late for the delicious grilled fish and chicken, you'd better get there
before nine o'clock.
The same applies to Anse-la-Raye, where
music pulsates through the streets on Friday evenings and fresh fish is
devoured with relish after the first dances.
When it comes to hotel prices, the island of Saint Lucia is now one of the most expensive islands in the Caribbean. But if you don't care about "luxury", you can still find simple and inexpensive guesthouses.
St. Lucia is considered one of the safest places in the Caribbean.
However, you should not carry wallets in open pockets or carelessly
leave jewelry or cell phones on the beach. After dark, it is advisable
to take a taxi and avoid visiting some (suburban) areas in order to
avoid any unpleasant encounters.
If you take the general safety
precautions, you can look forward to a relaxing vacation without any
minor unpleasant incidents.
The sun sets very quickly so close to
the equator. Dusk only lasts a few minutes, then it is dark and you
should make sure you stay oriented.
Throughout the Caribbean, sunscreen with a high sun protection factor and common sense when sunbathing are recommended.
Hurricanes: Hurricanes have regularly swept across the island and caused severe damage. In 1780, a hurricane devastated the islands of Barbados, Martinique, St. Vincent and St. Lucia, killing 20,000 people. On St. Lucia, the storm destroyed almost all of the houses. In 1817, major damage was again caused on the island. Since Hurricane Allen in 1980, tropical storms have become more frequent as a result of climate change.
Despite the many beaches, there are no changing rooms anywhere. If you are going to change on site, you should think about discreet ways to do so beforehand. Stripping naked on a public beach with people from all over the world is not appropriate.