CaribbeanSt Lucia

This week I will be writing about Soufriere and the Pitons

By June 17, 2018 No Comments
Soufriere - Hot Falls 3
Soufriere - Pitons

The view of the Pitons while sailing into Soufriere

The Piton Management Area is a World Heritage Site and is the epitome of cruising in St Lucia. It all starts with the town of Soufriere, which is a wonderful little fishing village in the middle of the Piton area. As you stroll around Soufriere you will be impressed with the French influence over the homes and building (even if they are a bit on the weathered side) and the church is a must see. During your walk you may get hungry and I highly recommend you stop by the food truck right next to the bridge over the river. Innoanslem and his wife cook up delicious creole food for around $7 US (Innoanslem@hotmail.com).

While in town your eyes will always be drawn to Petit Piton, which is less than a mile from town. This peak is 2460 feet high and looks like the Matterhorn. Half a mile on the other side of Petit Piton is Gros Piton at 2619 feet and both of these dramatic peaks rise straight from the sea. You can climb each of them in about four hours round trip and I would love to do it next time I am here, but this time I ran out of time and had some blisters on my feet from hikes we did earlier.

Soufriere - Cold Falls

The popular cold waterfall

With that said though, there is no reason not to enjoy the rest of this World Heritage Site with a half day tour. My friend Steve and I chose to use Murry (phone: 1 758 488 1357) and were quite pleased. For $170 EC ($64 US) he took us on a four-hour tour to all the sites in his own taxi. We started at the most famous spot, which is the drive-in volcano, Sulphur Springs, and mud baths, but I will hold off and write about that exclusively on Tuesday. On Thursday I will write about the end of the tour at the Botanical Garden and Diamond Waterfall.

Soufriere - Hot Falls 1

The beautiful hot waterfall

Today I want to tell you about the middle part of our tour…..the hot and cold waterfalls. The cold waterfall is the one everyone seems to visit, so it can be packed sometimes. The water temperature is in the high 70’s and it come rushing off the top of a 70-80-foot cliff. When it hit the round pool at the bottom it feels like you are being pounded if you go under it. As popular as this waterfall is I thought the hot waterfall was much prettier and more tranquil. This waterfall is up in the hills and surrounded by rainforest. The water is around 100 degrees as it cascades down a 100-foot slope, twisting and turning on the way. At the bottom the water rolls over and then down a large boulder, which has a neat little cave behind the water (see cover photo). All of this water is collected into a couple pools, which overlook a dramatic valley.

Soufriere - Hot Falls 2These were just two of the four waterfalls we saw on our half day tour of the Piton Management Area that started from Soufriere. The other two were at the Sulphur Spring and Botanical Garden, so make sure you come back each day this week to read about both areas and see photos of the day from the whole area!!!!!

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