Marigot Bay © Adam Strange
If you’re lucky you may catch a glimpse of the endemic Saint Lucia parrot.
Heading south from Castries, it’s a scenic drive through the Saint Lucian countryside to Marigot Bay and beyond. Although Marigot Bay is only less than 10km from Castries, the bay is much quieter, at least until night time when the north side’s bars and restaurants come alive. Leaving Marigot, the road runs through the Roseau banana fields and up into the hills. The road descends to the village of Anse La Raye, worth a visit for the Friday Fish Fry, and then climbs again through the edges of the central rainforest, where if you’re lucky you may catch a glimpse of the endemic Saint Lucia parrot (Amazona versicolor). The road twists and turns around a series of hairpin bends to reach Soufrière, Saint Lucia’s oldest town. Originally the capital when the island was under French control, Soufrière is a great base from which to explore the surrounding sights, including the Pitons, Sulphur Springs, Diamond Botanical Gardens, Waterfall and Mineral Baths, and various estates and plantations.