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Published: March 5th 2009
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Snork
Jen snorkelling around the base of the Pitons- amazing! Our next stop is one of the most picturesque and famous anchorages in the Caribbean, and in fact a favorite amongst cruisers and celebrities alike. On the very southern end of St. Lucia are the two Pitons, which are both a World Heritage Sight and a National Park. If you are lucky enough to grab one of the 12 mooring balls there (which we did), then you can stay the night in the anchorage between the Gros Piton and Petit Piton. It is truly an amazing experience! I don’t know what it is about these two volcanic spires, but they certainly have a way of taking your breath away and creating a sense of awe and amazement. There is no doubt that this island was formed by volcanic activity. Not only do you have the Pitons, but also many other volcanic spires and pinnacles both above and below water to explore- so cool!
One of our favorite things to do here was to go snorkeling. In fact, we jumped in the water just about everyday we were anchored at the Pitons to explore the surrounding reefs. And man! It was some of the best snorkeling we have ever done. The
Spires and Pinnacles
There are tons of spires and pinnacles both above and below the water here at the Pitons. water is clear and deep blue, with great visibility. We could easily see the fish and coral a hundred feet down. And the reef is so healthy and pristine; we saw so many different types of coral here that I didn’t even know existed. My favorite was the box coral, most of them were as big as me! Some looked like giant organ pipes and others were enormous sea fans that swayed with the currents. And the colors were brilliant; from bright yellow to florescent orange to deep red. We had a great time just swimming around with the fishes, admiring the reefs, and every so often popping our head out of the water to gaze at the Pitons and other volcanic formations. It was awesome! At one dive site we found a blow hole- which is always fun. We carefully swam up to the sea cave and would wait for a big wave to come in and make a huge water explosion, creating a rumble and sending thousands of tiny water particles into the air. It was a blast (pun intended). And after a couple hours of snorkeling we would return to the boat and just relax, taking in
Box Coral
There was so many amazing coral formations- what a healthy reef! the natural beauty of the Pitons.
Of course there is a lot to do in the southern end of St. Lucia besides the Pitons, so we rented a car and went off exploring. Our first stop was the Sulfur Springs, the world’s only drive-in volcano. This volcano erupted over 40,000 years ago and collapsed onto itself. Today it is still active, although is classified as a solfatara (which means that it emits sulfurous gases instead of lava and hot ash). And in fact, you can drive right into the volcano to check it out. As we drove into the Sulfur Springs the flora changes from lush rainforest to barren earth because the sulfur kills all the vegetation. The landscape transforms to bare earth of varying hues, due to the sulfur and other minerals spewing out from the volcano. Vents hiss steam and calderas boil and bubble with mud and earth. And the sulfur smell is unmistakable, in fact we smelled like rotten eggs for the rest of the day. But it was fascinating to witness this powerful force of nature, one that can be so destructive and constructive. It makes you become very aware that we are standing on
Organ Pipe Coral
So bright and yellow! a volcano… one that is still active. And it reminds you that the entire Caribbean chain is volcanic. Some islands, like St. Martin and Antigua, are dormant. Some islands, like Martinique with Mt. Pelee, are dormant now but had an eruption just 100 years ago. And some islands, like Montserrat, is active today and just had an eruption with lava and ash plum just last month. Wow!
After leaving the barren landscape of the Sulfur Springs we continued on our tour and drove to the Diamond Botanic Gardens, only two miles away but as different as night and day from the Sulfur Springs. The Botanic Gardens are so lush and wild with tropical trees, plants, and flowers. The pathways were overflowing with vegetation. And we saw some beautiful tropical flowers, from giant brightly colored heliconia to orchids both big and small. The Botanic Gardens is also home to Diamond Falls and natural mineral baths. Diamond Falls is at the far end of the botanic gardens and is quite impressive. In fact, it was used in the movie “Romancing the Stone” (a great flic). They filmed the pivotal scene here, when Michael Douglas finally finds the giant emerald- very cool!
Rum Runner
The Rum Runner anchored between the Pitons. Although you might not recognize Diamond Falls from the movie, the color of the waterfall changes daily depending on the mineral content or the river. The river that feeds the waterfall is rich with minerals from the earth’s core, which is brought to the surface by volcanic sulfur vents. These vents also help create mineral baths along the river, which were discovered over 200 years ago. In fact, the French troops used to soak in the mineral water back in 1748 for their healing and restorative properties. Today the water from the river has been diverted into formal mineral baths, which are in the middle of the Botanic Gardens- a beautiful setting.
Although we decided to forego the mineral baths at the Diamond Botanic Garden, we had other plans instead. Some of the locals told us about a natural hot spring on Gros Piton, one that is off the beaten path. So we headed out to find this secret hot spring. Even though it took us a couple of times to locate the trailhead; it is just a small path past the pottery shop on the road to Harmony Beach. But after a couple of failed attempts, we finally
Drive-in Volcano
Watch the earth boil and bubble, with sulphor steam spewing from the earth's core. Cool! found it. So we gathered up our backpacks full of bathing suits and towels, then hiked up to the secluded mineral baths. We were rewarded with having the place all to ourselves. And the hot springs were amazing! Actually it was more like a hot waterfall than a hot spring. The hot mineral water cascades down a waterfall and into an inviting pool below. So we took the plunge! It felt great to have a soak after all of our adventures, and was a perfect way to end the day.
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Ali
Ali Watters
I love the first photo!!
Completely sums up the joy of snorkelling :)