Saint Lucia is one of the best adventure islands in the Caribbean. From some of the best snorkeling locations, epic scuba diving opportunities and so many unique attractions, these St. Lucia excursions will keep you entertained the whole length of your vacation. Booking a tour is the most effortless way to experience the best that St. Lucia has to offer.
In this guide for the best tours in St. Lucia, we will cover all the must-do excursions, as well as some more unique options. But no visit to St. Lucia is complete without visiting the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Piton Mountains.
Most tours are located on the west coast of the island. Some really popular activities can get very crowded. However, these activities are popular for good reason and should not be missed. But if you want to avoid the crowds, we will include some off-the-beaten-path Saint Lucia excursions too.
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How & Where To Find St. Lucia Excursions and Tours
Most tour companies will pick you up from just about anywhere on the island. If you are staying at an all-inclusive resort, the tour will likely pick you up from the beach/shore or right outside the resort’s main entrance. If you are staying at a vacation rental or similar, the tour will likely help you set up a taxi or ask for you to meet them at a starting location.
Lastly, if you are coming in via a cruise ship, you can book shore excursions from the Castries Cruise Port (Pointe Seraphine Cruise Port). Tour guides will likely meet you outside the ship port checkpoint or provide additional details of the meeting point.
Our two favorite companies to book excursions with are Get Your Guide and Viator. We have used them both for booking tours all around the world. Both are super easy to search and book for your desired tour and usually help with getting you to and from your hotel/accommodation. But you can also check with your resort to see if they offer tours or book locally.
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Snorkeling: (One of our Favorite St. Lucia Excursions)
Snorkeling in St. Lucia should probably be your #1 tour when visiting the island. St. Lucia is home to some of the best snorkeling and has various protected reefs along the shore.
Some of our personal favorite places to snorkel in St. Lucia are Sugar Beach (aka Jalousie) and Anse Chastanet Beach. Most snorkeling excursions in St Lucia will bring you to one of these spots, if not both.
There are a few different snorkeling tours to choose from. If you are just trying to get the most out of one tour, then doing a full-day, Land & Sea tour includes snorkeling and many other top attractions around St. Lucia (which we will list below).
Or if you are an avid snorkeler and really want to visit some of the best places and really get the full experience of St. Lucia’s marine life, then there are tours dedicated to full-day snorkeling excursions. Or you can simply book a private tour and design your own trip.
Luckily, two of the best spots for snorkeling are near the world-famous Pitons, so you will get spectacular views from the water of these two peaks and the surrounding shoreline.
Scuba Diving:
St. Lucia is also world-famous for epic scuba diving. A famous stop on a scuba diving tour is searching for old shipwrecks in Anse Cochon, along with beautiful marine life and coral reefs near Anse Chastanet, Soufriere, Marigot Bay, etc.
If you are staying at a Sandals Resort or similar, they might include scuba diving in the all-inclusive package. But if you are staying somewhere else, then there are tons of great scuba diving excursions in St. Lucia to choose from.
One popular scuba dive tour with Viator takes you on a 5-hour journey exploring Anse Chastanet, a drift dive in Soufriere, and the shipwreck in Anse Cochon. Or you can choose a similar scuba diving excursion with Get Your Guide. But do note, these tours require you to be scuba-certified.
But Get Your Guide also offers a unique experience for non-certified Scuba divers. You will learn from pro scuba divers and they will walk you through everything you need to know.
If you are looking to expand from the popular destinations, some other cool scuba diving spots in St. Lucia are: Coral Garden, Fairy Land, Grand Caille, Tou Diable, Turtle Reef, Keyhole Pinnacle, Malgretoute, Superman Flight, Piton Wall, Wreck of the Lesleen, Humming Bird Wall. Plus some companies offer unique night diving opportunities.
Sulphur Springs Mud Baths:
A super unique excursion that only St. Lucia offers, is visiting the only drive-in volcano. But don’t be alarmed, because it is not an active volcano. The last time the volcano erupted was over 200 years ago in the 1700’s.
After driving into the volcano you can visit the Sulphur Springs mud baths. Tourists will lather themselves in the volcanic mud and enter the steaming hot springs. This is known to be healing and therapeutic. It is assumed to detoxify the body and help heal sun burns, eczema, arthritis, sore joints, etc.
If you are doing a Land & Sea tour, then the tour guides will likely tell you to not wash off the mud just yet. But if you rented a car in St. Lucia, then there are showers to wash off the mud. Many of the tours will bring you to Toraille Falls next, a waterfall that drops 50 feet (15m) over a cliff edge.
If you are not interested in the sea tour but still want to explore the land adventures in St. Lucia, then this Mud Baths/ Toraille Waterfall excursion will bring you to these epic locations.
Project Chocolat (Tree to Bar Experience):
If you love chocolate (okay who doesn’t?) then one of the most fun Excursions in St Lucia, is a tour through a cacao farm where you can learn to make your own chocolate bar from scratch. Project Chocolat offers an immersive experience, starting the excursion with a tour of the cacao groves to show the full process of how chocolate is grown and made into delicious food.
Hotel Chocolat offers two different tours:
Bean to bar: (approx 1 hour) The Bean to Bar experience offers a unique opportunity to learn from experts how a cacao pod transforms into chocolate. During this tour, you will learn hands-on, how to make a chocolate bar from scratch using cacao from their farm. Cost is $69 per person – Book Now.
Tree to bar: (approx 2 ½ hours) The tree to bar is the full experience that takes you through the rainforest to the cacao groves where you will learn how to graft a cacao tree and make it into your own chocolate bar. This tour includes lunch with unique flavors of cacao. Cost is $119 per person – Book Now.
Or if you wanna skip the tour, and just taste the food, their on-site restaurant Rabot offers an upscale dining experience with cacao in EVERY dish and cocktail. Rabot is definitely one of the top restaurants in Soufriere and an experience we will never forget.
ATV Tour: (Best St. Lucia Excursions for Adventure Seekers)
One of the best St. Lucia excursions for you adrenaline seekers is an ATV tour. These tours can really get you off the beaten path to places that can’t be easily accessed via car. Tours run about 3 hours long and will take you back in time as you visit the Marquis Estate, visit remote beaches, and explore lush interior rainforest.
Private Boat Cruise: (One of the best St. Lucia Excursions for tourists looking to beat the crowds)
Whether you want to design your own St. Lucia excursions, want to beat the crowds, or simply have a private romantic getaway, private tours can be a great way to explore the island. You can usually pick between a half-day tour or full-day tour. And most tour companies will provide complimentary drinks and the option of stopping for an authentic Creole lunch.
Private boat tours are the best way to see some places on the island that aren’t often included in the group tours. For example, cruising by old fishing villages like Canaries or Anse La Raye. Or being able to soak up the sun on the white sand beach at Sugar Beach Resort. Another favorite stop Jake and I did on our private tour is cliff jumping off Love Rock (which was actually used in a scene of Pirates of the Caribbean).
A private boat tour can provide a different perspective of the island that many tourists don’t get to experience.
Book a private boat cruise with Viator
Book a private boat cruise with Get Your Guide
Sunset Catamaran Cruise: (One of the most romantic St. Lucia Excursions)
What’s more romantic than a sunset cruise with a view of the famous Pitons? There are a few different tours that will take you out on a sunset cruise. Or of course, you could always book your own private tour as well.
Book a sunset sail excursion with Viator
Aerial Tram:
An aerial tram is probably one of the most unique St. Lucia Excursions. On this tour, you get to witness the true beauty of the rainforest from above in an aerial tram. The gondola fits 8 people making it the perfect family-friendly excursion.
Each tour is led by a professional naturalist who will teach about the local flora and wildlife, including the endangered Jacquot Parrot.
Zipline Through The Rainforest:
One of the best St. Lucia Tours for the adrenaline junky is a Zipline excursion. This activity can easily be paired with the above aerial tram for the full experience. There are 10 zip lines that guide you through the lush forest.
For a more all-inclusive St. Lucia excursion, try out the Get Your Guide, Zip, Sip, and Dip. This tour brings you on this epic zipline tour, brings you to the rum factory to sip on local rums, and dip in Marigot Bay. I mean the name just sounds like a fun adventure on its own!
Hiking Tour (Tet Paul, Gros Piton, Petit Piton, Diamond Waterfalls, etc):
There are tons of great hiking tours in St. Lucia. One of the most popular being hiking up Gros Piton. But this tour is not for everyone, as even physically fit people will find this hike a challenge in the tropical climate.
While hiking is often a free activity to do in the U.S, Saint Lucians insist that most hikes are guided experiences. When booking a tour for the Gros Piton Hike, the guide will set up a taxi and get you to and from your accommodation to the trailhead. When hiking Gros Piton, you must be with a guide at all times. The hike is 2.9 miles (4.66km) with 1814 ft (561m) elevation change. Once you reach the summit of Gros Piton, it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy a nice Piton Beer looking at Petit Piton.
The hike to Petit Piton is much less popular, but can still be done. You might need to inquire locally or with your resort to set up a taxi and guided tour for Petit Piton. The hike is a straight up 1 mile (1.6km) climb with 1250 ft (381m) elevation change. There are a few technical sections where having a guide is very beneficial.
Other Popular Hiking Trails in St. Lucia:
Tet Paul is probably one of the more rewarding hikes in St. Lucia because you get to view both of the Pitons from a much more attainable viewpoint. The hike is breathtaking and offers panoramic views of the island. If you have interest in just doing this hike, you might need to book a taxi or private tour on your own. But if you want to add this awesome hike into an existing tour, Viator offers a great combined excursion.
Or this Get Your Guide tour guides you along the Tet Paul Hike and includes the Sulphur Springs Mud Baths and Toraille Falls.
A popular hike in the North near Gros Islet at Pigeon Island National Park is Fort Rodney and Signal Hill. The hike is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and 288 ft (88 m) in elevation. Or this private north tour will guide you through this hike and any other northern activities of your choice. In our St. Lucia hiking post, you can learn more about this hike and other great hikes in St. Lucia.
There are a few hikes that are a little more off-the-beaten-path. Diamond Falls is located in the Botanical Gardens and offers more than just a hike to a waterfall. It offers an immersive experience where you can learn about all the native and imported plant life on the island.
Or one of our personal favorite hikes is En Bas Saut Waterfall. If you are looking for a private tour, it might take some advanced planning to find the right tour guide. This location is not that easy to get to. Be sure to also check out some other unique ideas for exploring hidden gems in St. Lucia.
Rum Tasting:
If you haven’t had a famous St. Lucian rum punch, then get excited because they simply do it best down here in the Caribbean. They use local rum with local spices for a tasty cocktail. Almost all St. Lucia excursions and tours include a rum punch drink with the price of admission.
But if you want to take it one step further, there are also some fun rum-tasting excursions in St. Lucia. A tour will explain how sugarcane is turned into rum. Plus you get to try 25 different rums, so having a driver for this St Lucia excursion is key!
Horseback Riding:
Always a fun excursion in the Caribbean is to explore the island via horseback. Tours consist of riding the horse along the shore. You can experience stunning views of Anse La Voute, Cas En Bas, Lapis Bay, and more. There are also a few other tours offered for more advanced riders as well.
Seatrek:
One of the more unique St. Lucia excursions is exploring the water via seaTrek. This is a great St. Lucia tour if you are not scuba certified. Or even a great opportunity for trying out what scuba diving might feel like.
For this St. Lucian seatreking experience, tourists put on a diving helmet that provides oxygen to the helmet while swimming underwater. You even stay dry from your shoulders up. You get to experience the beautiful colors of the coral reef and active marine life.
Deep Sea Fishing:
If you want to bring back dinner for the whole fam, try your hand at deep-sea fishing. Saint Lucia has some of the deepest waters in the Caribbean. And some tours will even cook the fish right on the boat for you.
Deep sea fishing excursions typically start 1-mile off-shore and can venture 6-8 miles off-shore depending on the length of the tour. The species that are typically caught in the Caribbean are: Blue Marlin, White Marlin and Sailfish, Yellow Fin/ Black Fin Tuna, Dorado, Barracuda, King Mackerel/ Spanish Mackerel, Wahoo, Rainbow Runners, Horse Eye Jacks, and Yellowtail Snapper.
Kayaking:
The closest St. Lucia excursion to make you feel like a pirate is a Coastal and River Kayaking Adventure at Marigot Bay. The tour guide takes you on routes once explored by legendary pirates and admirals. Plus you get to visit the St Lucia Distillers where you can truly feel like a pirate!
Cooking Class:
One of the best ways to really immerse yourself into St. Lucian culture is by cooking the food. St. Lucia has creole-style cuisine which is a blend of African, European, and Southeast Asian cultures.
There is so much to learn from a professional chef. Plus in the St. Lucia Cooking Class, you get to use local tropical fruits, flowering plants, and medicinal herbs right from their garden.
Whale and Dolphin Cruise:
We’ve talked about St. Lucia’s extraordinary marine life, but we haven’t even talked about the dolphins and whales. There are dolphins and whales that live in the Caribbean near Saint Lucia year-round.
A whale and dolphin excursion will bring you out to sea to potentially see humpback, sperm, and pilot whales as well as spinner, spotted, fraser, and common dolphins swimming around the boat.
Helicopter Tour:
One of the most thrilling St. Lucia excursions is touring the island from the air. Many tourists will use helicopters for airport transfers to and from their resort in the north or south. Which honestly can be a win-win, tour and transportation all in one.
But you can also do a helicopter ride as a stand-alone tour as well.
St. Lucia Helicopters has 3 different tour options: North Island, South Island, or a combo of both North & South. The tours range from 10 – 30 minutes long. From the air, you can witness the beautiful beaches of St. Lucia, fly over Pigeon Island National Park, Rodney Bay, the famous twin Pitons, and more.
For transfer tours, the cost for adults to fly from Hewanorra to George F.L. Charles (south to north) starts at $190 per person. During the flight, the helicopter takes you over Mt. Gimie (the highest peak in St. Lucia), Roseau Dam, the Atlantic Coast, and Marigot Bay.
They also offer returning helicopter transfers (north to south) for $205 per person. The flight is 5 minutes longer and experiences a few other unique sights on the island. Such as views of Marigot Bay, West Coast Shoreline (reefs), the Pitons, the rainforest, and the Soufriere Volcano.
Takeaway For The Best St. Lucia Excursions:
As you can see, there are so many amazing St. Lucia excursions and tours to choose from. Honestly, maybe too many! In conclusion, I can say that seeing the Pitons is an absolute must-do, followed by visiting the Sulphur Springs Mud Baths, snorkeling at Sugar Beach and Anse Chastanet, and at least trying some local rum and chocolate are must-do St. Lucia tours.
Overall, if you are short on time or just want to do one tour that brings you to St. Lucia’s top attractions, then the Land & Sea tour will do just that.
If you are still trying to decide where to stay in St. Lucia, we have written a whole guide dividing the island up into each cardinal direction and which area is best. And if you choose to stay in the town of Soufriere (our personal favorite location), be sure to check out some of these divine restaurants in Soufriere.
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