St. Lucia's Rainforest
Friday, October 21, 2011 
Ziplining in St. Lucia was off the agenda this time (obviously), but we took an aerial tram tour and enjoyed a forest floor hike to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the rainforest....
When we first arrived on-site, our guide gave a bit of history on the island. St. Lucia became an independent democracy within the British Commonwealth in 1979, but the island's culture, cuisine, architecture, and customs are a blend of Caribbean, French, and English influences. Our tram arrived and away we went!
During our slow ascent through the layers of the rainforest – forest floor, understory, canopy, emergent layer – our guide educated us on the plant, tree, and wildlife species native to St. Lucia. Some of the ones we spotted included heliconia and giant ferns.
It was an absolutely beautiful sunny afternoon, perfect for a day outdoors...
The rainforest is so alive! It was thrilling to be a part of it for two hours. Here's some footage I captured from the tram:
St. Lucia doesn't often get hit hard by hurricanes, but last year's Hurricane Tomas did a number on the island. There's still evidence of infrastructure damage (especially in the city of Soufriere) and, in the rainforest, we saw many areas where mudslides occurred...
Since it was such a clear day, we were able to see the nearby island of Martinique from the atop the rainforest before our descent to the ground.
After the tram ride, we took a short hike along the forest floor...
Our guide pointed out the strangler ficus (below), a species that acts as a parasite, taking over other trees...
... and then he proved the strength of many vines by swinging on them.
The presence of butterflies and hummingbirds in St. Lucia's rainforest are a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Other wildlife species that live in this particular area include boa constrictors (didn't see any, unfortunately!), caterpillars, lizards, and parrots...
Overall, we really enjoyed our tour experience. It was different than some of the more rugged rainforest expeditions I'm used to, but since I was pregnant on this vacation, it was a perfect fit. Next time I visit St. Lucia's rainforests, I'd really like to climb the Pitons, try out the AdrenaLUNA, and search for some wild pythons!
Visit St. Lucia.
Plan a trip to the rainforest.
Take an Aerial Tram ride.
View more St. Lucia blog posts.
6 Comments | tagged St. Lucia, community, culture, entertainment, environment, international, nature, outdoors, people, photography, transportation, travel | Share Article | Tweet | in travel
Reader Comments (6)
Good call. Awesome pictures.
The slow-moving aerial tram tour sounds perfect for me! I'm not scared of heights, but I hate the feeling of falling which is why I don't do ziplines (or roller coasters!) Love the photos. :)
Beautiful photographs, Jodi! Makes me want to visit St. Lucia.
dang jodi, you are such an amazing photographer! i need to get tips from you someday... - Gina
Beautiful photos! I love the tree shot from below...the vines are amazing.