St. Lucia is becoming one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean. Active travelers are drawn to its lush, mist covered mountains crisscrossed by rivers and tumbling waterfalls. Set among this natural backdrop are hidden coves, honey colored beaches and sparkling reefs that attract the sunseekers, divers, sports fishermen and romantic couples.
Visitors still find a unique atmosphere once they arrive.
Although tourism is booming and growing fast, and the area around the capital city is certainly busy- much of the island remains splendidly rural with its people still drawing their life from the land and the sea. A journey across the island will carry you past rain forests covered in tropical vegetation and colored by the hues of flowers such as hibiscus, jasmine, orchids and frangipani. Paved and rutted roads will zig zag along the jagged coast and curve through hills suddenly revealing fishing villages lined with colorful boats and clustered around a bay as the road again resumes its course through plantation fields of bananas, coconut and sugar cane. Photographers will snap frame after frame of film filled with images of sail boats skirting the coast, farmers dressed in tropical finery at the open market, palm fringed black and gold sand beaches, historic forts and creole wooden buildings. St. Lucia is fast becoming home for those seeking an island paradise that searches for its place in the booming tourist industry, while seeking to maintain its own unique identity and culture and the preservation of the island's incredible natural beauty.