A Saint Lucia Nature Walk That is Truly, Fun For the Entire Family
Saint Lucia is a favourite Caribbean destination for many, equally popular for romantic getaways, family vacations, foodie experiences as well as appreciating tropical nature. Situated in the Caribbean’s southern Windward Islands, Saint Lucia is easily recognizable by her twin Pitons. While staying on the island recently, we stumbled across what might be the most photogenic place on St. Lucia, and perhaps even all the Caribbean.
I’m always looking to get away from the beaches and tourist crowds to explore nature and appreciate beautiful places in the Caribbean. This trip, my wife and I were joined by my sister, parents and adult children as well as a couple of friends. This St. Lucia vacation was truly a family trip, so I was looking for something very cliché sounding – An outing that is fun for the entire family. Well, I actually found something that met that criteria! We were staying in the Anse La Raye area, so the excursion started with a delightful drive down the west coast towards Soufriere. It was fun driving on roads that wind around and up and down the mountainous coastline. We stopped a couple of times along the way at popular viewing areas, including one with a magnificent view of Soufriere with the twin Pitons and Tet Paul in the background. A good segue into what was to come.
Just south of Soufriere in the Fond Doux neighbourhood is a wonderful and unassuming place called the Tet Paul Nature Trail. It is located within Saint Lucia’s ‘piton management area’, part of the UNESCO recognized world heritage site. After passing through Soufriere, we headed inland, then eventually drove up a sideroad that gained elevation along the way. The parking lot is located fairly high up on the mountain of Tet Paul, conveniently reducing the amount of altitude that has to be gained on foot. Don’t worry, this isn’t a “hike” per-say, its more of a relaxing walk in nature to some areas with great views of St. Lucia’s natural beauty. If you want to see the island’s famous pitons up-close-and-personal, but aren’t able to take on the challenging hike of the Gros Piton itself, this is a great alternative. After we paid the nominal admission fee, we were assigned a local guide to take us on a tour. Awesome… It’s a great start…
Our walk started by viewing a garden with a wide variety of plants, including some attractive flowers. We then strolled along a natural dirt path to see more of what the natural beauty of the island has to offer. The trail was a little rough, but manageable by my parents in their late 70s. Throughout the tour, our knowledgeable guide identified native plants, explaining their use in traditional medicines, as well as naming the beautiful flowering plants we encountered, including colourful Pink Ginger Lily, Lobster Claw and Chenille.
We passed through an organic farm growing vegetables and tropical fruits such as bananas and pineapples. While these fruits themselves are well known, I found the plants they grow on fairly foreign-looking. Pineapples growing like a small bush right out of the ground, and the fantastic “one-shot” banana plant bends under the weight of all that fruit, ready to plant the giant seed for the next generation. We also saw more familiar-looking fruit trees, albeit with exotic and somewhat unfamiliar fruit such as papaya, guava and avocado.
We seemed to be walking clockwise around the mountain, gaining in altitude as our tour progressed. Our next stop was at a look-out area with sensational views of the south end of the island. To the south-west, we could see Choiseul and to the south-east Vieux Fort and Maria Island. Unfortunately, it was a little overcast, however the landscape was still amazing. Back on the path, we continued on a series of gradual steps up the mountain top to the west side of Tet Paul.
We followed a short trail that branched off towards the left. Wow – This viewing-area had amazing south-west views, specifically of the green Gros Piton spire, impressively standing out against the contrasting backdrop of the rich blue (and bright white) Caribbean sky. We took multiple photos highlighting 3 generations of family, and oh ya, the iconic piton in the background! From here we went back to the main trail, following it eventually to another staircase – This one accompanied by the cheerful and promising sign “stairway to heaven”.
We climbed the dirt and wooded stairs to the top of the mountain peak. My parents took their time and made it up without much of a fuss. The steps were solid and there were sturdy wooden railings for them to hold on to. The stairway led to another viewing area, this one the literal pinnacle of the tour. We were immediately in awe of the truly ‘heavenly’ panoramic views of both the partially obstructed Gros Piton as well as the Petit Piton, which was clearly the main attraction! We could also see Jalousie Bay along with an inviting glimpse of the famous Sugar Beach below us. The viewing platform was kind of like a corral, providing us with solid footing as well as railings to keep us from wandering off and falling over the edge. Not sure if it always like this, but the wind was blowing pretty strong. Not enough to make it uncomfortable, but enough to make us aware that we were exposed to the elements on top of this mountain. From here, we also had views inland across the island. Looking north-east I could see the multiple peaks of Mount Gimie with its knuckle-like tops reaching up into the clouds. To the east, the scattered houses on the mountainsides really put the dramatic hilly nature of Saint Lucia into perspective. The views from the top of Tet Paul were absolutely spectacular. This is one of those locations where I could have just ‘hung out’ for hours. A dream location with picturesque views and photo ops galore.
Eventually, we left the viewing area down another set of semi-natural stairs, winding our way down around the north side of the mountain back to our original starting point. Resistant to leave the place, we wandered around the nice little souvenir shop looking for a keep-sake. Among the local products on display, I picked up a nice set of hand-crafted coasters to help remind me of this outing.
FYI – The nature trail is just over half a mile (1km) in length and will take less than an hour to complete, even at a very leisurely pace. There’s no rush – Linger and savour the experience. I understand that the Tet Paul Nature Trail also features a couple of rustic pavilions to explore. The Traditional House is a cultural-historical site to learn about the islands’ earliest inhabitants, including the peaceful Arawaks and the warrior-like Caribs. Meanwhile, at the Kaye Kassav, you can watch Cassava breads being made. There’s also a picnic area for those looking to extend their visit.
For information about Saint Lucia Attractions, as well as a list of Tour Operators who can get you to and from various attractions on the island, click on our Things to do in St. Lucia page
ACT Staff
If you’re looking for other fun and relaxing vacation ideas, take a look at our St. Lucia Attractions blog post
If you’re looking for more exciting activities to experience on the island, check out our St. Lucia Adventures recommendations
For an overview of the beautiful island, click on our St. Lucia Vacations page
