Wild St Lucia: Parrots, Whales, Reefs and the Rarest Snake

St Lucia’s wild side, from the endemic Saint Lucia parrot and the birds of the Millet trail to the dolphins and whales of the Caribbean coast, the coral reefs of the Pitons Management Area and the Maria Islands, home of the Saint Lucia racer, with a directory of the places in our guide. Facts from the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, UNESCO, the Saint Lucia National Trust and Durrell.

St Lucia’s wild side is as dramatic as its Pitons. In the rainforest of the interior lives a parrot found nowhere else; off the Caribbean coast, dolphins and pilot whales are seen all year; below the Pitons, coral reefs cover more than 60 percent of a UNESCO-protected sea; and on two small islets off the south coast survives one of the rarest animals on earth.

This is a short guide, and most of it is best seen with a local guide or a licensed boat. Go early, go quietly, and leave the reefs and the reserves as you found them.

Birds of the rainforest

The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority calls the Millet Bird Sanctuary Trail a paradise for bird lovers, with over 30 species, five of them found nowhere else on earth: the Saint Lucia parrot (Amazona versicolor), the Saint Lucia black finch, oriole, pewee and warbler. Go early in the morning with a guide for the best chance of seeing them.

Dolphins, whales and reefs

Off the west coast, spinner and bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales are seen all year, sperm whales occasionally, and humpbacks pass between February and April; whale and dolphin cruises leave from Labrelotte Bay on the north-west coast. Below the Pitons, UNESCO’s Pitons Management Area covers 1,134 hectares of land and 875 hectares of sea, and coral reefs cover more than 60 percent of its marine area.

The tourism authority maps more than 22 dive sites around the island, many of the best in the marine reserve below the Pitons.

On two small islets off the south coast lives a snake that conservationists call the rarest in the world.

Feature: the Maria Islands and the Saint Lucia racer

Maria Major and Maria Minor, off the south coast near Vieux Fort, have never been permanently inhabited and were declared a protected wildlife reserve in 1982. They are home to species found nowhere else, including the Saint Lucia whiptail lizard and the Saint Lucia racer, as well as seabird colonies, dry forest and cacti.

The racer was wiped out on the main island by the introduced mongoose, and Durrell, the Saint Lucia National Trust and the island’s Forestry Department now survey and protect it on Maria Major. Visits are only by guided tours arranged by the Trust, and access may be restricted from May to July for nesting seabirds.

Did you know? Durrell describes the Saint Lucia racer as the rarest snake in the world.

Our advice

Our advice: book the Millet trail with a guide and arrive early for the birds; choose a whale and dolphin cruise that keeps its distance and doesn’t chase the animals; and dive or snorkel the Pitons reefs with a licensed operator, without touching the coral. To visit the Maria Islands, book through the Saint Lucia National Trust, and remember the nesting-season restrictions. Never feed wildlife.