St Lucia gave us one of the biggest fear-versus-fun turnarounds of the trip. Lottie was genuinely nervous about zip-lining through the rainforest, but her mum encouraged her to face it. By the end, the thing she had dreaded had become one of the most exciting parts of the day.
A chaotic beginning
The excursion started at speed. We were moved through equipment and instructions quickly, and Jordan noticed that Lottie’s helmet needed adjusting before we began. That rushed start did not inspire confidence, so our practical advice is to pause and check your own harness and helmet, ask questions and never feel awkward about requesting another safety check.
Into the rainforest
Once the group settled, the experience improved enormously. We walked through lush forest, saw cocoa and frankincense trees, colourful plants and even the entrance to a tarantula nest. The guides moved us between a series of lines that became longer and higher, allowing confidence to build rather than placing us immediately on the most intimidating section.
Lottie’s heart rate reached around 140 and there was plenty of nervous noise, but she did every line. One was long, another had a bounce to it and the higher sections opened up brilliant forest views. It felt absolutely wild. The group had to keep moving, so this is better suited to people comfortable with a fairly active excursion than anyone wanting a gentle guided walk.
Would we recommend the zip lines?
Yes, with one caveat: expect a fast-moving operation and take responsibility for speaking up if equipment does not feel right. Wear secure shoes, tie back long hair and follow the guides closely. Lottie was far more frightened beforehand than she needed to be and came away proud that she had done it.
Exploring Castries
Afterwards we took a taxi into Castries, looked around the market and picked up a few things. Lottie is extremely easy to persuade when somebody is enthusiastic about a product, which makes markets both fun and financially dangerous.
One encounter was less comfortable. A man offered bracelets and then pressured us for a much larger payment than expected. We negotiated it down and left, but it affected how Lottie felt in that moment. This was one individual encounter, not a judgement on St Lucia or its people; later we had a genuinely friendly conversation with a local man in a bar. It is simply a reminder to agree prices clearly and say no before accepting anything handed to you.
Our honest St Lucia verdict
The rainforest was beautiful, the zip lines were a huge personal win and the rum punch at Rum Therapy finished the day on a much happier note. St Lucia gave different members of our group very different impressions, but we would recommend the rainforest experience and return with more time to see the island beyond the port area.