Exploring St. Lucia

St. Lucia is a small Caribbean island, which is greatly unknown by many travelers, however it is one of the Caribbean’s most preferred all-inclusive tour destinations. With epidemic resort developments, built with much historical and cultural influence, St. Lucia has opened a new path for the tourism and hospitality industry, with a main focus on Eco-friendly development. Hence, the experience it exposes to all its visitors of a down to earth West Indian lifestyle and with so much to explore in St. Lucia, Islander guarantees you an all awe inspiring vacation.

St. Lucia remains beautiful throughout the year, with temperatures ranging from 84°F to a scorching 90°F. A perfect time to visit St. Lucia would be during the months of February to May, while June to August being the summer period when it’s the hottest, during which the temperature may push up to the mid 90’s.

Visitors to St. Lucia should be aware that the weather seasons are not very well defined, rather just a rough estimation. St. Lucia’s location near the equator is the primary reason for its unpredictable tropical weather condition. However the rainy season is estimated during the months of September to January ranging from sporadic showers to heavy rainfall.

With an extreme paradisal, Irie Caribbean stereotype, St. Lucia blends all the tropical expectations, with its own French-Creole heritage. The honey grain, black-sand beaches, crystal-clear turquoise blue Caribbean waters providing shelter to the multi-colored coral reefs, and smooth swimming tropical fish. St. Lucia’s land mass is almost entirely covered by lush rainforest, protecting, and mothering it’s thriving natives who up to this day still practice the historical cultures and traditions brought by the many tribes, who came to the island hundreds of years ago.

Due to its exposure to many races, the people of St. Lucia is able to perform diverse creations, which has an extremely unique beauty, such as its literature, theatre , music, dance, arts, craft, and agriculture. St. Lucia’s Creole heritage and the “Patois” language spoken there is derived from the influence of many cultures which thrived and fought for its exotic beauty many years ago. St. Lucia’s location, beauty, and rich cultural diversity has relatively expanded its business in the tourism industry, however banana production still remains the dominating trade. While St. Lucia is still unknown to the world it provides all its visitors with complete tranquility and privacy, and this low-key feature is one of the island's biggest assets.

Like the great St. Augustine said ““The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

Kershama

kershama@islelander.com

St. Lucia Adventure Project - Got any ideas?

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

Currently we are working on our new adventure project, many travelers and agents have been sending us frequent emails on groups who simply want to not only sightsee in St. Lucia but embrace the trails. Specializing in adventure projects is something we know people love, and providing a safe and reliable way in which they can do that is part of our main focus. We were fortunate enough to host the Akzo Nobel team (world leading pharmaceutical company) up the Gros Piton trail.

Similar projects like trekking the Island’s rainforest or climbing Petit Piton are all exhilarating adventures we can focus on. If travelers don’t just want a day tour, our coming itinerary will give them a host of adventure activities to choose from, which can last the entire day. A special in particular is night bathing in the dark muddy volcanic pools of our Volcano (The Sulphur Springs).or taking a night bath in the warm mineral waters of the Piton Falls, located in the bowels of the Petit Piton (The Majestic Attraction).

With so much to do and engage in on this Caribbean Island, we believe it is our duty to create excursions which travelers have never experienced. Excursions that would take ones breathe away. One of our partners from Australia, Scott, a motivational teacher has been quite pleased with some of the “extraordinary” activities we have come up with. So he is going to work on sending groups from Australia to have some fun in the sun.

The wonderful thing about the tours in St Lucia is you get to meet and experience people and their personalities. It’s so much more than simply travel, its ongoing nonstop pleasure and excitement. If you have any special ideas as to the kind of activities travelers would love to do on island please feel free to email us your thoughts at info@islelander.com. Let’s keep the fun in travel. And best of all, let’s make all travel experiences a reality. Learn more about St Lucia tours

Janus

St. Lucia Travel Expert

www.islelander.com

Climbing St. Lucia Mount Gimie

St. Lucia's Highest Mountain Trail - Mt. Gimie

St. Lucia Mount Gimie is the tallest peak on the island, and yet is relatively known by many travelers. Mount Gimie’s rugged trail cuts clear through the deep, lush, rainforest of St. Lucia. What’s most astounding about this incredible majestic mountain is the fact that it is much taller (3,117 ft) than its famous neighbors Petit and Gros Piton, yet has only been wondered by few rock climbers.

Climbing Mount Gimie is not for the faint of heart, for it requires one to have incredible stamina for the 5-10 hour hike. And if that is not daring enough, imagine yourself hiking through some of St. Lucia’s most indigenous lifestyles. Rastafarian communities dominate most of Mount Gimie’s land, and the fresh vegetation and wildlife makes this an even more sustainable way to have fun on St. Lucia’s wondrous peak.

Unlike Gros Piton which is fully installed with an interpretative center, fully certified by the St. Lucia government and access to on duty tour guides; Mount Gimie is truly a different undertaking which requires knowledgeable guides who know the trail and precautionary measures. For one would certainly not want to get lost in the muddy jungle paths and not to mention the almost guaranteed rainfall, prone to this forestry part of the island.

Getting to Mount Gimie’s trail requires not too much effort; it’s conquering the ascent and then the mountain that requires tremendous will-power. The path leading to Mount Gimie’s trail starts just inland from the French-Creole community of Fond St. Jacques, where you will discover a wealth of St. Lucia’s history being lived.

Once on the Mount Gimie path, you will come across calm rivers, and mysterious jungle streams, some are supported by bamboo stalks, allowing a new experience of consumption to all Mount Gimie wanderers. Many fruit trees bear near the trail, to share its harvest, however be sure to take along plenty of water, at least 4 litres and a bag packed with sandwiches.

Janus & Kershama

St. Lucia Island Experts

info@islelander.com

Why a St. Lucia Blog - Well, travelers want to know what's going on!

Welcome to Our St. Lucia Blog Islanders

Ever since the creation of our company islander we have had so much to be grateful for. One being able to meet clients from all over the world and learning their culture and taste, and the other being able to witness the joy and excitement we create when taking clients on guided tours. In this St. Lucia blog, our aim here is to provide our international family of travelers information they could rely on when making costly vacation decisions. Whether St. Lucia travelers are simply looking for cheap St. Lucia flights, airport transfers, wedding information or simply the best hotels on island, our local team of island experts can be sure to provide relevant and timely information.

Vacationing in St. Lucia is without doubt a wonderful experience, one in which many travelers have vowed to take year after year. I also love to think the island as being the perfect place to take ones family. With so many extraordinary attraction sites such as the Pitons, the worlds only drive-in volcano and not to mention a wealth of island history, St. Lucia indeed deserves the name Helen of The West.

When I was taught about St. Lucia's history in kindergarten I always wondered why the French and British fought over this island for 150 years, or why we are a people of diverse culture (Mongrelized). Little did I know then, and now with my knowledge about the excitement, peace and joy St. Lucia can bring to a vacationer, we created Islander. Islander allow traveler's to fully immerse themselves in the experience, creating an atmosphere where guides hop-on and off the bus to highlight various attractions.

In the coming days I will be blogging about the upcoming events that St. Lucia will be hosting including the Food & Rum Festival and how we are already making the necessary arrangments for St. Lucia Jazz.

See you on Island!

Janus Gyan

St Lucia - A Caribbean Escape

Welcome To St Lucia - Your Journey Awaits

Once you step foot on St Lucian soil, you’ll begin a journey you will never forget. You will encounter St Lucia’s many moods from adventurous to playful, from elegant to laid back. You will discover unexpected treasures and unexpected pleasures from a warm gentle St Lucian people who will charm with our sunny smiles and infectious laughter. St Lucia lies to the north of St Vincent, south of Martinique and North West of Barbados; our Island is directly accessible by direct flights from USA, Canada, UK and Europe with one international airport (Hewanorra International) to the south of the Island. We are a nation born of a kaleidoscope of cultures; the majority of our people are of African descent influenced by European and Indian traditions.

No matter who you are or what you like to do there is a side of St Lucia that is waiting to welcome you. Castries is the heartbeat of St Lucia and also the capital city, Castries thrives as a business, social and cultural center; with art galleries, street fests and vibrant theatrical productions. Revisit St. Lucia rich history at Pigeon Point, once home to infamous pirates. Then there is the birthplace of tourism, idyllic Soufriere where a part of you will remain forever. A quaint old French seaside town set against vividly Majestic Petit Piton that slips into clear blue Caribbean waters. Soufriere was actually Coined Shark Tooth Island for the Hit Hollywood movie “Creature,” and is a nature lover’s paradise. Take your family up the famous Gros Piton trail, trek the mysterious waterfalls nestled in the Edmund Rain Forest, sail on your private yacht into the wonderful calm port of Soufriere, take an unforgettable horseback ride through plantations, or dare climb the most challenging of the volcanic peaks Petit Piton.

Dynamic Gros Islet, it is the place where the parties never stop; where you find just about every kind of entertainment under the sun. Check out Rodney Bay, with its trendy shops, cafes, bars and round the clock party spots. Bask on the soft white sands of Raduit Beach frequented for its therapeutic enriched waters, or ride on the high trails of St Lucia ATV Tours offering impressive vistas of St. Lucia, Go golfing at any of St Lucia’s championship golf courses in Cap Estate. With so much to do and see, St. Lucia should be your number one vacation spot.

Brought to you by Islander, St. Lucia Travel and Information Experts www.islelander.com

Caribbean Travel Tips - St Lucia

Traveling to the Caribbean? Here are some Cool Tips.

Often times when people are traveling to the Caribbean or any other country they dread going through security at the airport, but there are some Caribbean style tips that you could follow to make it a little bit easier for you and probably the people standing behind you.

First of all, know that you probably are going to take your coat off if you are traveling during the colder months. You don’t want to layer to many pieces of clothing because you are going to have to take off a lot of them; other things you would probably have to take off is your belt – keep that in mind, anything in your pockets that Is metal (pieces of jewelry, coins) will set off the alarm. Put all of those heavy metal items into your carry-on, we know that you are excited traveling to the Caribbean, but it is going to save a lot of time for you and the people behind you. In your carry-on luggage you can only take liquids in three ounce containers, 3 ounces or less for aerosols and all of your liquids. They all have to be put in see-through containers and then put into a one quart plastic bag, it is not very big and it’s one bag per traveler; anything bigger that you need to take with you put it to your checked luggage. Speaking of luggage, you can no longer lock your bags that you were checking through security at the airport, you need to leave them unlocked unless you purchase one of the locks approved by the Transportation Security Administration. They cost around $11.00 and you can find them at most luggage stores. The trick with the lock is there’s a master key that all of the security agents have, so they can open your luggage if they need to perform a search.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have made some recent changes to their rules, so if you have prescription medicine, breast milk or baby food or juice for a young child traveling with you; you are ok to carry those on in larger amounts than 3 ounces, just make security aware of it.

There are days of the week and times that are better for buying a ticket. Wednesdays between 12 and 1 AM, yes you have to stay up late and get online but you know what, it is probably worth it. This is the window when airlines start releasing their tickets, now the trick is to make sure you are looking in the time zone that the airline is headquartered in. one site that our clients normally use is Priceline.com), it conveniently pulls up all of the airlines and gives you a comparison of St Lucia Flight prices and of times so you can make a decision based on what works for your Caribbean vacation.

Passports - with passports you are traveling internationally, you have to carry them, there are passport offices all around the country where you can in person get signed up and get your passport ordered. Another thing to keep in mind, different country different voltage, for appliances. So if you are traveling with a hairdryer or a computer make sure you have the right adapter which can be found on the right in our Amazon mini store on the right of the page. To learn more visit http://www.islelander.com/st-lucia-flights.html

St Lucia Airport Shuttle Service - Most Impressive!

Booking an airport transfer with Islelander shuttle service was the best decision I made for my senior group. We were truly impressed with the way Islelander and their team of service guides assisted with our arrival and departure pick up. Their drivers and their service assistant provided full, satisfactory support and waited an extra 3 hours since our plane was delayed. With all our inconveniences they still managed to drive one hour and thirty minutes to our resort and did that very safely, while we relaxed comfortably in the air-conditioned shuttles.

On our return journey, the drivers arrived exactly on time at our hotel, however that was understandable as there seem to be major traffic congestion on the city highway. St. Lucia was incredible, very service oriented, and the people are extremely friendly. We are planning to return with more persons in the near future, and once again we will be using Islander airport shuttle service for our ground transfer. Thank you Islelander, I will certainly recommend your company to anyone travelling to St. Lucia and on my blog.

K.Anderson
source Islander Blog


St. Lucia’s most impressive airport/taxi service

The island of St. Lucia is by far the most beautiful tropical island I have experienced throughout my history of travelling. St. Lucia shuttle delivered satisfaction and was prompt, in fact because of their level of commitment and reliability I made a quick decision in booking my island touring with them throughout my stay. And it turned out to be fantastic. Simply put St. Lucia shuttle is the best.

G.Mein
Source Islander Blog

Many have considered St Lucia to be the loveliest island that lies anchored in the Caribbean Sea, and not even years of mass tourism could prove that statement wrong. St Lucia’s very name conjures up dreamy images of adventure, attracting thousands of tourists a year to this picture perfect tropical island. Holiday makers crowd unto the sand here to enjoy some lovely tourist action. Don’t miss a chance to try climbing St Lucia’s majestic Gros Piton, rock climbing these volcanic beauties have recently been attracting the most avid of rock climbers. Many simply love St Lucia, natural attractions such as the world’s only Drive-in volcano (Sulphur Springs) makes St Lucia a gem for exploration.

http://www.islelander.com/st-lucia-airport-shuttle.html