How to Spend One Day in St Lucia

Are you on a cruise around the Caribbean Islands and have only one day in St Lucia? If you don’t exactly know what to do when you get off the cruise just yet, don’t worry. I have the perfect activity for you!

Only one activity, you might wonder…

Yes, but I promise you that at the end of the day you’ll feel like you’ve explored a great portion of the island. 

About the Carnival Cruise

The first time we went on a cruise we chose a 7-day Southern Caribbean cruise departing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. After thorough research, this was the cheapest way to see five Caribbean Islands in just one week. Depending on the route, a Southern Caribbean cruise can take you to places like St Thomas, St Lucia, St Kitts & Nevis, Barbados and Sint Maarten. 

If you’re on a cruise, you don’t have to worry about finding your own mode of transport between the islands or food and accommodation. However, the only downside is that you’ll have a very limited time on each island. If your main purpose to being on a cruise is to see something of the islands, then you’re in the right place. 

Firstly, my biggest advice is to leave the cruise ship as early as possible. Rise early, so you’ll have a chance to see the sunrise and have a fulfilling breakfast. Secondly, bear in mind that the cruise will leave without you if you’re not on it by the time you’ve been told to be back! So whatever plans you have for the day, I recommend starting with the one furthest away and be close to the port before departure. Last, but not least, just try to enjoy your day off sea! You have to accept the fact that you won’t be able to see everything, but it will give you a great opportunity to decide whether to return to an island in the future or not.

About St Lucia

This magnificent volcanic island is located in the West Indies between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Saint Vincent, Barbados and Martinique are St. Lucia’s closest neighbours.

Despite the fact that many towns sound kind of French, the official language of the island is English. It’s because the control over St Lucia changed quite frequently between the French and the Brits. Finally, the British took full control over the island in 1814. Whilst all locals speak English, the majority of the population also speaks French Patios or Creole.

The official currency is the East Caribbean Dollar like in many other countries such as St Kitts and Nevis. However, we managed to pay for our tour in US Dollars so I wouldn’t worry about exchanging money too much. 

How to spend one day in St Lucia

There are plenty of excursions and tours you can choose from for your day trip. Normally your cruise will offer many, but you can always decide on the day and see what offer you can get once docked. We decided to do something we’d never done before and went for a day long speedboat tour. 

As you only have less than one day in St Lucia, by taking a speedboat tour you’ll have the chance to see and do some cool things I bet you’ve never done before. 

Cost involved: We paid around $70 USD each + gratitude. (This was back in 2017 so I would check how much it costs now). This includes your day on the boat, minibus transport, entry fees and some food and drinks for the day. You can also try some Rum Punch in exchange for dancing on the boat at the end of the trip. Just kidding…Or am I?

What do you need for one day in St Lucia?

If you’re doing the speed-boat tour, I recommend leaving the cruise ship with the following items:

• A small amount of money for the day. (The currency is East Caribbean Dollar, but they accepted US Dollar for the tour);
• Phone and camera to capture special moments of the day;
• Portable charger for your phone (it can be for safety reasons too, so make sure you’re not without battery life);
• As you’ll be on a speedboat for most of the day I’d ware flip-flops, but you can wear sandals too;
• I highly recommend wearing just your swimwear and some sort of cover for the whole day. (You will dry up in a matter of minutes, but take a quick-dry towel if you’d like to lie on something on the beach);
• If you have longer hair, I’d take a hair tie or clip and tie my hair back when on the boat. (It took me ages to brush the knots out of it at the end of the day!);
• SUN-CREAM!! Don’t forget to take care of your skin;
• Sunglasses to protect your eyes.

The itinerary of the speedboat tour

1. Castries Market

The cruise ship docks in Castries, the capital of St Lucia. As we had a little time to spare before the tour started, we decided to check out the market next door. It’s the largest market so definitely worth a look around. You can basically buy anything from vegetables and tropical fruit to clothes and other souvenirs.  Whilst people were generally nice, they definitely wanted to make sure you don’t leave the market empty handed. So just be aware that if you visit the island during the low season locals might try to be slightly more persuasive.

2. The famous arch

Once we left Castries, our first stop was this pretty cool natural arch. Do you recall this spot? Maybe if you make the arch a bit bigger and hang some skeletons over it? Ring any bells now? Yep, this is from the very first scene of Pirates of the Caribbean when Jack Sparrow comes in on his sinking boat. I have to be honest I thought it was way bigger, but it was still pretty cool to see it up close. 

We were hanging around a bit longer and we noticed younger kids’ cliff jumping from the arch. Once in the water they swam towards the boat asking for some sort of support for school and for other things. This broke my heart a little and truly showed just how much the island relies on tourists. 

3. ‘The most beautiful Bay in the Caribbean’ – Marigot Bay

After taking enough photos of the arch, we headed towards our next stop, Marigot Bay. James A Michener described this bay as being the most beautiful one in the Caribbean. I have to agree that Marigot Bay is absolutely stunning, surrounded by forested hills on 3 sides that provide the perfect backdrop. The speedboat will stop here briefly and circle around the bay whilst the guide tells you some interesting facts you might not know. For example, this bay actually provides the perfect shelter for boats from hurricanes. The bay was also a filming location of the original Dr Dolittle, and a number of battles took place here between the French and British.

4. Pitons

I think most of us have heard of and seen some amazing photos of St Lucia’s national landmark, the Pitons. Located between Soufrière and Choiseul, both volcanic mountains are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Gros Piton, at just over 798 m, is the second highest peak on St Lucia. The second mountain, Petit Piton is only slightly smaller (743 m). It’s possible to climb both peaks, but even the government only legally allows you to climb Gros Piton and you can only do it with a tour guide. 

I think approaching the Pitons from the sea made their beauty and height even more impressive. They are definitely a magnificent sight so no wonder that they’re on St. Lucia’s national flag. 

5. Driving into a volcano

Other than the magnificent Pitons, St Lucia has another unique feature. The island is home to the only drive-in volcano in the world! 

Yes, Sulphur Springs, located in Soufrière, is a volcano that is still alive. It last erupted in 1780, which was only a minor eruption. Although it’s now considered a dormant volcano, sulfur still pours from the cracks which of course smells like rotten eggs! Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the smell pretty quickly.

Other than driving into the volcano, you can actually dip into the 38C (100F) mud bath before putting the mud all over your body and then going back and washing it off. It was probably the best thing my skin has ever experienced. It’s said that the mud helps with problems like sun burn, eczema, sore joints and you can even look at least 10 years younger. (That’s probably why they stopped me at passport control when I returned to the UK, wanting to know my age and whether I am allowed to travel alone or not). Whether it’s true or not my skin felt incredible afterwards!

6. Toraille Waterfall

You probably won’t have the chance to wash the mud off your body completely. Not to worry as the tour will have the best natural power wash for you!

Toraille Waterfall, with a drop of about 50 feet, is a very popular stop after visiting the volcano. It’s not the most impressive waterfall I’ve ever seen, but still refreshing after the hot bath. 

It’s suggested to leave the mud on your face after the bath, so make sure you take a few crazy selfies before the power wash. It was a great way to cool down but not gonna lie it was painful when we went straight under the fall. It felt like my skin was coming off my skull, so I only managed to stay underneath for a quick photo.

7. Bat Cave

On the way to the next stop, your tour will stop briefly at this massive crack in the cliff which is home to hundreds of bats. You will be able to hear them clearly! 

8. Chilling on a luxury resort’s private black sand beach

Anse Chastanet is a private luxury resort located at probably the best spot on the island. Some of their finest rooms have an infinity pool, from where you can have some pretty stunning views of the Pitons. It actually owns the black sand beach and is also considered to be one of the best spots for snorkelling. Luckily, because the hotel has made the beach open to the public you can still enjoy the beach, the view and the snorkelling even if you’re not a guest!

If you’re on the speedboat tour, then after your mud bath and power wash you’ll have the chance to set foot on the beach for a bit before heading back to your cruise ship. Make sure you hire a snorkelling kit and have some fun in the water and chill on the beach before boarding the boat again. 

Although I’m not into luxury hotels, I would happily spend a night at this one, enjoying the infinity pool whilst admiring the breath-taking view of the Pitons. Maybe one day…

Final Thoughts on One Day in St Lucia

From volcanic beaches, drive-in volcano’s, magical mud, fishing villages and amazing waterfalls, St Lucia is an island of such beauty that no wonder it’s often called the “Helen of the West Indies”. Less than one day in St Lucia was just enough to fall hard for the island. After the first glance at the Pitons, I promised myself that I will return to this magnificent island in the future and will explore it in greater detail. Have you been to St Lucia before? How much of the island did you manage to explore? Let me know in the comments below.