Saint Lucia

The Pitons are the postcard. Climbing one is a serious morning

Saint Lucia is dominated by two volcanic plugs rising almost vertically out of the sea near Soufriere. Gros Piton and Petit Piton are on the flag, on the beer and on every piece of marketing the island produces, and for once the reality is more impressive than the photograph.

It has built a reputation as a honeymoon destination, with a concentration of adults-only resorts that skews the average price upward. Underneath that there is a mountainous, forested island with a drive-in volcano at Sulphur Springs, hot mud baths that people cheerfully cover themselves in, and waterfalls that require no organised tour.

Climbing Gros Piton is the thing to do if you are remotely able. It takes around four hours return with a mandatory local guide, it is genuinely steep rather than a walk, and the view from the top puts the whole island in context. Afterwards, the Friday night street party at Gros Islet has been running for decades and is where the island lets go.

Annual events and festivals

• Saint Lucia Jazz Festival (May) — the flagship event, running since 1992, with a main stage on a headland at Pigeon Island.
• Carnival (Jul) — moved from before Lent so as not to clash with Trinidad. Two days of road march.
• La Rose (30 Aug) — one of two flower societies that split the island socially. Parades and feasting.
• La Marguerite (17 Oct) — the rival flower festival, with its own kings, queens and celebrations.
• Independence Day (22 Feb) — marks the 1979 end of British rule.
• Jounen Kweyol (last Sun Oct) — Creole Day. The whole island speaks Kwéyòl, cooks traditional food and wears madras.
• Festival of Lights (13 Dec) — lantern displays for the feast of Saint Lucy, the island namesake.
• Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (Dec) — hundreds of yachts arrive in Rodney Bay after crossing from the Canaries.
• Gros Islet Friday Night Jump Up (weekly) — a street party running every Friday for over forty years.
• Emancipation Day (1 Aug) — commemorating the 1834 abolition of slavery.