Photo story: the crafts, customs and cuisine of St Lucia

The Caribbean Island's lush rainforest, world-class snorkelling, delicious local rum and distinctive Creole culture is celebrated in its crafts, customs and cuisine

Harbour
St Lucia is one of the most mountainous of all the islands in the Caribbean and was formed due to a volcanic eruption.
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Story and photographs byKarolina Wiercigroch
January 21, 2024
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Houses in Soufriere
From the island’s main port of Castries, most visitors head to Soufrière — a French colonial-era town  — by catamaran or with a local taxi. 
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Woman in front of a taxi
Dornalyn Simon was the first female taxi driver on the island. “It was really hard when I started ten years ago, nobody trusted that a woman can drive,” she recalls, tackling the steep turns on the road to Soufrière. In Canaries, she pulls over by a roadside bakery, a female-run business called Plas Kassav — ‘cassava place’ in the French-based creole widely spoken in Saint Lucia alongside the official English.
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Photo of bread
The bakery is famous for chewy bread made from grated cassava roots. They come in a variety of flavours, like locally grown cinnamon, ginger and guava, as well as the national delicacy saltfish.
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Photo of woman
Elsewhere, Keithlin Caroo supports female farmers through her non-profit organisation, Helen’s Daughters. They sell a wide range of products, from nutmeg jam and coconut ice cream to handmade sulphur soap and sea moss gel.
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Couple sitting at beachfront Anse Chastanet
For shopping, most arriving visitors go to the Pointe Seraphine shopping centre in Castries, where local brands of rum, Saint Lucian coffee and hot sauces are sold duty free. The area is decorated with murals by ‘Sakey’ Naja Misaki Simeon, a local artist who runs art classes at Anse Chastanet.
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Man in front of a mural
‘Sakey’ Naja Misaki Simeon's style — simplicity, black outlines and bold colours — can easily be recognised on over 70 murals he’s created around the island.
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Plate of chocolates
Saint Lucia’s ‘Shop Local Guide’ lists independent vendors offering locally made products, and a selection of unique Saint Lucian artwork can be found at Howelton Estate, a cultural centre set up in one of the oldest Victorian houses on the island, built in 1896. It works with local producers who sell hand-made chocolates, herbal teas and locally grown spices, as well as colourful bags, bamboo jewellery and clothing made of local batik (decorating technique), brought to Saint Lucia by Indonesian workers, who came to the island after the abolition of slavery.
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Harbour
Soufrière, nestled on the west coast of the island within the caldera of the dormant Qualibou volcano, is blessed with rich soil and was once referred to as the breadbasket of Saint Lucia. Today it’s the tourism capital of the island, luring visitors with its surrounding natural wonders. Nearby, the beach of Anse Chastanet offers some of the best diving and snorkelling on the island, its bay being a part of a marine reserve that protects Saint Lucia’s colourful coral reefs. 
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Beach resort
Anse Chastanet’s beach facilities belong to the sister resorts of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain, which spread across two soft-sand Caribbean beaches and 600 acres of dense tropical rainforest. 
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Meal on a plate
Anse Chastanet’s lively beach restaurant, Trou Au Diable, is known for its fresh seafood and rum cocktails, while Jade Mountain Club offers fine dining with unparalleled views of the twin Pitons — majestic volcanic peaks that dominate Saint Lucia’s west coast, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. 
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Small town by the ocean
The road back from Soufrière to Castries via Canaries passes picturesque Marigot Bay.
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Bamboo raft
Saint Lucia Bamboo Rafting, based nearby, runs bamboo rafts, captained by guides including Ahmen Similien, down the Roseau River. 
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Man cutting bamboo
Ahmen Similien takes visitors gliding through mangroves, stopping to sample local fruit: fresh guavas, juicy sugarcane and young drinking coconuts. It finishes with lunch of the national dish, saltfish and green figs (a local name for green bananas) at a riverside kabwé. Kabwé Krawl (Creole for ‘pub crawl’) is an initiative encouraging visitors to explore Saint Lucian culture along the trail of traditional rum shacks, scattered around the island. 
Photograph by Karolina Wiercigroch
Published in Cruise 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). ​​​​

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