St. Lucia

In natural beauty, St. Lucia seems 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 melange of its rich past and its many different traditions. The island's 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 birdwatching. Of course, the island also possesses excellent facilities for golf, tennis, sailing, and a host of other leisure pursuits. Not to be missed is St. Lucia's Soufriere volcano, the world's only drive-in volcanic crater.

Travel Tips Arrival and Entry Formalities: Valid passports are required for all visitors who possess valid return tickets and I.D. and stay for less than six months. Visas are not required for citizens of the US or Commonwealth countries, or where there is agreement for exemption between the home country and St. Lucia. Camping: While on the island, camping can be arranged through the St. Lucia Naturalist Society, the St. Lucia National Trust, and The Forestry Division. The Anse La Liberte camp site is currently under construction. Churches: Almost 80% of St. Lucians are Roman Catholic. Other denominations include Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Seventh Day Adventists, Church of the Nazarene, and Christian Science. Times of services at individual churches vary, and it is best to check at the hotel reception. Climate & Clothes St. Lucia's temperature ranges from 65-85 degrees (Fahrenheit) from December to May and 75-95 degrees from June to November. The winter is relatively more dry as well. Visitors should bring cool, comfortable clothing. While jacket and tie are rarely requisite, overly casual beachwear is rarely appreciated off the beach. Click here for the current four-day forecast. Credit Cards: Major international credit cards are widely accepted at all large shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, etc. Crime: Crime is not prevalent. However, common sense should prevail when traveling abroad not to make large displays of wealth (by wearing expensive jewelry, producing large wads of cash, etc.). Crimes of any sort should be reported to the hotel, the Tourist Board, and/or the Police. Customs Regulations: The duty-free allowance into St. Lucia is 200 cigarettes (or 250 grams of tobacco or 50 cigars) and one litre of spirits or wine. Currency: The currency of St. Lucia is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar which is linked to the US Dollar at the exchange rate of US$1 to EC$2.65. US Dollars are readily accepted throughout the island. Most hotels will exchange reasonable amounts of foreign currency, and there are change bureaus in Castries. The National Commercial Bank (NCB) has a branch at Hewanorra International Airport where EC Dollars can be exchanged for foreign currency. It is open daily from 12:30pm until the last flight departs. A passport and ticket are required as proof of returning visitor status. Departure Tax: There is a Departure Tax of EC$35 for all passengers leaving the island. Electricity: Electric current is 220 volts, 50 cycles AC. (A few hotels are 110 volts, 60 cycles.) Most sockets take 3-pin square plugs (UK standard) but some take 2-pin round plugs or flat American plugs which are more rare. Adapters are generally available at the hotels. Embassies & Consulates: British High Commission 24 Micoud St., Castries Tel: (758) 452-2484 Embassy of the Republic of China Cap Estate, Gros Islet Tel: (758) 450-0643 Embassy of France Vigie, Castries Tel: (758) 452-2462 Italian Consulate Reduit, P.O. Box GM848 Tel: (758) 452-0865 Organization of American States Vigie, Castries Tel: (758) 452-4330 Venezuelan Embassy Casa Vigie, Castries Tel: (758) 452-4033 Emergency Telephone Numbers: Police, Fire and Ambulance - Tel: 999 Police Headquarters - Bridge Street, Castries Tel: 452-3854/5 Tourist Board PO Box 221, Pointe Seraphin, Castries Tel: 452-5968, 453-0053, 452-4094 Air/Sea Rescue - Tel: 452-2894, 452-1182, 453-6664 Handicapped Access: Most of the hotels have ground floor accommodations, but some are built on hillsides and are not practical for wheelchairs. The Royal St. Lucian Hotel has spacious rooms with wider doorways and wider baths with rails. The Rex St. Lucian also has rooms designed for handicapped visitors. Health: Immunization is not required unless coming from an infected area within six days of arrival. Drinking water is safe from the tap and bottled mineral/distilled water is also available. All hotels have doctors, either resident or available on call. A resident doctor's visit costs approximately EC$40-50. A "call out" visit may cost more. There are several pharmacies in Castries, one on the Gros Islet Highway and one in Gablewoods Shopping Mall. Most hotels have "over the counter" medication, such as Aspirin, and first aid facilities. Hospitals: There are four medical facilities: Victoria Hospital - Tel: 453-7059 St. Jude's Vieux Fort - Tel: 454-6041 Soufriere - Tel: 459-7258/5001 Dennery - Tel: 453-3310 Language: St. Lucia's principal language is English, but a French-based patois is widely spoken. Local Time Greenwich Mean Time minus four hours; Eastern Standard Time plus one hour. Lost Property: Lost property should be report to the hotel, who will inform the nearest police station. The Tourist Board is also available to assist in such matters. Media: The main newspaper is "The Voice," which is issued three times a week. There are five weekly papers: "The Star," "The Crusader," "The Vanguard," "The Mirror," and "One Caribbean." There are two St. Lucian television stations: HTS and DBS. Both broadcast nightly news and current affairs. There are also several American channels available. There are two radio stations, Radio St. Lucia and Radio Caribbean International, both providing music, local news and current affairs. Post Office: There are Post Offices in most towns. Hours are 8:30am-4:30pm, Monday to Friday. Service Charge and Tax There is a government tax of 8% on hotel and restaurant bills, in addition to a service charge of 10%. In some cases, these charges are included in prices quoted. Telephones International direct dial service is widely available throughout the island. Credit card calls can be made through local operators or through AT&T, and phone cards can be purchased through Cable & Wireless offices throughout the islands. Tipping A tip is not automatically added and is usually about 10% to 12% of the bill. Tips are generally accepted by bellhops in hotels, taxi drivers and other persons providing service.

History of St. Lucia

St. Lucia was first settled by Arawak Indians around 200 A.D., though by 800 their culture had been superseded by that of the Caribs. These early Amerindian cultures called the island "Iouanalao" and "Hewanorra," meaning "Island of the Iguanas."

The history of the island's European discovery is a bit hazy. It was long believed that Columbus had discovered St. Lucia in 1502, but recent evidence suggests that he merely sailed close by. An alternative discoverer is Juan de la Cosa, a lesser-known explorer who had served at one time as Columbus' navigator. There are some indications that de la Cosa may have discovered the island in 1499, although there is also evidence suggesting that he didn't find the island until 1504. In any case, there was no European presence established on the island until its settlement in the 1550s by the notorious buccaneer Francois le Clerc, a.k.a. Jambe de Bois, or Wooden Leg. Peg-Leg le Clerc set up a fine little base on Pigeon Island, from whence he issued forth to prey upon unwitting and treasure-laden Spanish galleons. Around 1600, the Dutch arrived, establishing a fortified base at Vieux Fort.

The first attempt at colonization occurred just a few years later, in 1605. An unfortunate party of English colonists, headed to Guyana on the good ship Olive Branch, landed on St. Lucia after having been blown off course. In all, sixty-seven colonists waded ashore, where they purchased land and huts from the resident Caribs. After a month, the party had been reduced to only nineteen, and those were soon forced to flee from the Caribs in a canoe. A few decades later, in 1639, a second party of English colonists under Sir Thomas Warner also failed in their settlement attempt.

By mid-century the French had arrived, and had even "purchased" the island for the French West India Company. Needless to say, the persevering British were less than enchanted with this idea, and Anglo-French rivalry for the island continued for more than a century and a half. The island's first settlements and towns were all French, beginning with Soufriere in 1746. By 1780, twelve settlements and a large number of sugar plantations had been established. Two years earlier, the British launched their first invasion effort at the "Battle of Cul de Sac." By 1814, after a prolonged series of enormously destructive battles, the island was finally theirs.

Over the next century St. Lucia settled into the stable democracy and multicultural society that it is today. The country remained under the British crown until it became independent within the British Commonwealth in 1979. Despite the length of British rule, the island's French cultural legacy is still evident in its Creole dialect.

The Culture & People of St. Lucia

St. Lucia's culture has evolved from the intermingling of the many different groups of people who have participated in its history. Each has brought different beliefs and traditions, all of which are reflected in the life of the island today. A visitor is likely to drive on the British side of the road to an Indian restaurant in a French town, greeted all along the way in Creole patois.

One of the most accessible expressions of St. Lucia's rich cultural heritage is its cuisine. The fertile, volcanic soil of the island yields an enormous supply of produce, and the island is one of the leading banana exporters in the Caribbean, with six different varieties available. In addition to bananas, St. Lucia's abundant tropical fruits include mangoes, papayas, pineapples, soursops, passionfruit, guavas, and coconuts. Local chefs combine the island's fresh produce with a wide variety of equally fresh seafood to create tantalizing curries, Creole-style entrees, and pepperpot stews. Callaloo soup, made from a leafy green similar to spinach, is the national dish. The island's outstanding cuisine has recently gained international recognition by garnering several gold medals in the regions most prestigious culinary competitions.

But St. Lucia's culture extends far beyond the table, as the island has long held a reputation for its intellectual and artistic talents. St. Lucia has produced two Nobel Prizewinners: the late Sir W. Arthur Lewis, who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1979, and poet Derek Walcott, who won the 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature.

To understand as well as enjoy St. Lucia's culture is largely a matter of gaining some sense of the various peoples who have contributed to it. The first of these were the Arawaks and the Caribs, Amerindian peoples indigenous to the entire Caribbean. They were expert hunters, farmers, fishermen, and skilled artists. Their primary crops were cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, all of which still play a central role in the island's food. The Amerindians were decimated by the arrival of the Europeans, and only a small number of St. Lucians can still trace their roots back to this group. Some of the few particular aspects of Amerindian culture that survive include farina and cassava bread, fish-pots and other local craft items. Some villages still practice the ancient art of fishing in dug-out canoes.

The next group to arrive on the shores of the island were the Europeans, primarily the British and the French. Though the Europeans didn't settle St. Lucia in large numbers, they had an incalculable impact on the island's history and culture. The British and French influences seem to weigh equally, despite the fact that the French lost the island in 1814. To St. Lucia's complex cultural mosaic, the British contributed their language, educational system, and legal and political structure. French culture is more evident in the arts--music, dance, and Creole patois, which stands alongside the official language of English.

 At the same time that the Europeans were bringing their own cultures to St. Lucia, African culture was becoming established through the arrival of slaves for European plantations and, later, indentured labourers. Their descendants constitute the largest percentage of the island's population, and their proud heritage has had an enormous impact on St. Lucia's character as a nation. African traditions have survived the repressions of slavery and servitude to become the strongest element in St. Lucian culture today.

After the abolition of slavery, East Indians came to St. Lucia as indentured servants. Most worked in the large sugar factories in the Cul-de-Sac, Roseau, and Mabouya valleys and in Vieux Fort, where there is still a significant East Indian community. In comparison to other immigrant groups, their numbers were small. Although their traditional culture has almost disappeared, the East Indians have had a notable and lasting influence on the island's fine cuisine.