St.Lucia

St. Lucia Overview 
The island's beauty has earned it the nickname "Helen of the West Indies." Though St. Lucia has plenty of visitors, both from cruise ships and a steady influx of honeymooners, the island has largely remained unspoiled -- due mostly to the locals' commitment to protecting its rain forests and other natural resources. A decent percentage of the island (some 19,000 acres) is protected as part of the St. Lucia National Rain Forest.

What development there is on St. Lucia is mostly in the area around Castries, the island's colorful and energetic capital city. It's worth a look, especially if you're in search of duty-free goods or local handicrafts, but to appreciate St. Lucia's natural beauty you'll want to take a bus, rental car or cab out of town. Perhaps the prettiest part of the island is in the south, and most visitors head there first to visit the former French colonial capital, the lush Diamond Botanical Gardens and the world's only drive-in volcano. Other options include trekking through the rain forest to one of the island's many hidden waterfalls, or taking a snorkeling excursion to the sunken wreck off of Anse Cochon.

Settled first by the Arawaks and then the Caribs, St. Lucia became a hotly contested territory with the arrival of Europeans. It was passed back and forth 14 times between the British and the French from the mid-17th century to 1814, when the Brits finally took possession for good. Traces of both cultures still remain in the language -- many St. Lucians speak both English and a French Creole patois -- and in distinctive place names like Soufriere, Gros Islet, Rodney Bay and Pigeon Island.