St Lucia Castries to Pitons Tour

Great overview of St Lucia!

This is a driving tour of St Lucia. We went to the drive through volcano and really loved that. There was a guide included in that part. We also visited the town of Soufrière and stopped to buy some local fruit (which my kids ended up not wanting and got chips instead🤣). We got amazing pictures of the Pitons from several different locations on the ride. We also stopped at a chocolate factory on the way back to pet port which was amazing! We decided not to do the hot springs since we had done some the day before on a different excursion, but the facilities looked nice. The highlight of our trip was the botanical gardens. We’ve been to several in the Caribbean and these were really the best. I can’t recommend them enough. I definitely recommend this trip. We had a little over an hour of a drive in a comfortable van with good air conditioning to get to the attractions we visited. Water and soda were provided for free as well. The driver was extremely friendly and provided us a lot of information about the island and the different plants we passed. We had lots of questions and he was able to give us great answers. We really enjoyed our day with him. The tour length was perfect for what we wanted. We got to see a nice slice of the St Lucia and still had some time to shop for souvenirs near the port. It was easy to find the driver when we arrived at port and he had a sign with our names. I would definitely do this tour again.

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We’re really happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed exploring St. Lucia with us. From the drive-in volcano and scenic Piton viewpoints to the chocolate factory stop and the beautiful botanical gardens, it sounds like you experienced a great mix of the island’s highlights 🌴 We had to smile at the fruit-and-chips moment 🤣 — that’s a real family vacation memory right there! Thank you as well for mentioning the comfort of the van, the easy port pickup, and the experience with your driver. At Lucian Adventures, we always aim to make our tours informative, relaxed, and enjoyable for guests of all ages, so it means a lot to hear that you felt well taken care of throughout the day. We truly appreciate the recommendation and would love to welcome you and your family back to St. Lucia again someday!

via Viator

DON'T WAST YOUR MONEY!!

It was just me and my 73yr old mom on this tour. So, it felt private. That was probably the only positive of this tour. Our tour guide/driver Raphael did not talk at all or explained what we were seeing or driving by. The van looked outdated from inside and there was no steps or a stool for my mom to get in and out, so basically, she just spent the entire tour in the van (money wasted). The roads were very winding, and our driver did do a good job navigating that. But van was very muggy and the AC did not have a full force, luckily, I brought my own fan. Due to the winding roads and the winding drive, our driver did get sick and had to stop a few times to release the uncomfortableness. My mom offered him Tums to help with his upset stomach, which did help him as he said it helped him tremendously. Both my mom and I asked the driver to bring us back to the ship at this point because all he did was drive, that's it. Our five-hour tour ended in three hours. I DO NOT recommend this tour if you get car sick as the winding road will make you feel sick to your stomach and if you are just looking for a driver that doesn't say anything. We were not offered water bottle or beverages that are included in this tour, I had to ask for it. The only time our driver spoke at all was when I prompted a question. My refund was denied and I basicll wasted $310. The one star is only because the driver navigated the road safely that’s it. Otherwise, this would have received a zero star, my very first time giving this low rating.

via Tripadvisor

Don’t WASTE your time & money

It was just me and my 73yr old mom on this tour. So it felt private. That was probably the only positive of this tour. Our tour guide/driver Raphael did not talk at all or explained what we were seeing or driving by. The van looked outdated from inside and there was no steps or a stool for my mom to get in and out, so basically she just spent the entire tour in the van (money wasted). The roads were very windy and our driver did do a good job navigating that. But it was very muggy in the van. The AC did not have a full force so I had to use my own fan. Due to the wavy roads and the winding drive our driver did get sick and had to stop a few times to release the uncomfortableness. My mom offered him Tums to help with his upset stomach, which did help him as he said it helped him tremendously. Both my mom and I asked the driver to bring us back to the ship. Our five hour tour ended in three hours. I DO NOT recommend this tour if you get car sick as the windy road will make you feel sick to your stomach. We were not offered water bottle or beverages that are included in this tour, I had to ask for it. The only time our driver spoke at all was when I prompted a question. I will be requesting a refund as I don’t know think this was worth the $310 that I paid for both me and my mom. The two star is only because the driver navigated the road safely that’s it. Otherwise this would have received a zero star, my very first time giving this low rating.

Response from the operator: Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear that the experience did not meet your expectations, especially as you were traveling with your mom—we always aim to ensure our guests are comfortable and well taken care of. We do appreciate you acknowledging the safe driving, as safety is always our top priority. That said, we were concerned to read some of your comments. Raphael is one of our most experienced and well-reviewed drivers, known for being engaging and informative throughout tours. We will still follow up internally to ensure our usual standards were maintained on your day. We would also like to clarify a few points for accuracy. The tour was shortened at your request, as we understood you preferred to return to the ship earlier due to the road conditions. We always accommodate our guests’ comfort in such situations. Refreshments are included and were communicated, though we acknowledge we could have been more proactive in offering them during the tour. Regarding the mention of the driver being unwell, we can confirm there were no reports of illness during the tour. However, we do understand that the island’s winding roads can be challenging for some guests, and we always recommend this tour with that in mind. We’re sorry that the vehicle comfort and accessibility did not meet your expectations, particularly for your mom. Your feedback is noted and will be used to continue improving our service. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.

via Viator

This tour is long. It’s...

This tour is long. It’s took us about 5 1/2 hours. We did know that when we booked it. To get a view of the Pitons and visit Sulphur Springs, you do need to travel up into the mountains. The road had a lot of switchbacks, and one person in our van who had motion sickness was struggling. But it was nice that our driver was flexible. We skipped the mud baths and the botanical gardens. He did make a stop at a local chocolate shop that we passed on the way. He also stopped at a roadside stand where we sampled banana ketchup and creme de banana liqueur and spiced rum. That was a very interesting stop and totally unexpected. We really appreciated it. We also all purchased something from the proprietor. We enjoyed the excursion and are glad that we did it, but if we ever get back to St. Lucia, it’s not something that we would repeat just because of all the driving involved.

Response from the operator: Thanks for your thoughtful review, we really appreciate you sharing your experience! You’re absolutely right, reaching the Pitons and Sulphur Springs does involve a scenic mountain drive, and we always try to be as flexible as possible to keep guests comfortable along the way. I’m glad to hear your driver was able to adjust the itinerary and add those local stops. Those little unexpected moments often become the highlights! We completely understand that the drive isn’t for everyone, but we’re happy you still enjoyed the excursion and got to experience a different side of the island.

via Viator

Significant traffic issues

The traffic from the cruise port was much worse requiring 1.5 hours EACH way to and from the cruise port. We were told construction is planned to help ease the bottlenecks.

Response from the operator: Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that the traffic between the cruise port and town took longer than expected during your visit. Unfortunately, traffic conditions—especially on cruise ship days—can sometimes be heavier than usual and are outside of our control. That said, we truly appreciate you making the journey to visit and hope that, despite the longer travel time, you were able to enjoy the experience in St Lucia.

via Tripadvisor