Many ways to let loose in St. Lucia
CARIBBEAN | Paradise setting bolstered by array of adventures
Vacationers often flock to the Caribbean to kick back, relax and fall into the luxuriously slow cadence of "island time."
It's no coincidence that St. Lucia, with its tranquil beaches, lush rain forests and gorgeous scenery, ranks high on the list of island paradises.
But this "Helen of Troy of the West Indies" is more than just a pretty face and honeymooners' hideaway. Tourists looking for a little adrenaline boost will find ample opportunity to do more than just lay out and sip fruity drinks.
The best way to absorb the stunning St. Lucia landscape is from the seat of an ATV, the edge of a hiking trail or -- believe it or not -- the scope of a paintball gun.
Here's a look at some of the more adventurous activities this 27-mile-long Windward Isle has to offer:
Impossibly green, St. Lucia is covered with forests, mountains, jasmine and wild orchids. Rain forests blanket 22 percent of the island, and they're filled with hiking trails. For beginners, your best bet is an easy half-hour trek to Errand Waterfall on the island's east coast. As you make your way through the dense tropical vegetation, you're surrounded by towering ferns, colorful birds and wild mushrooms. The hilly terrain is dotted with bright bromeliads and, occasionally, the neon green feathers of the rare St. Lucia parrot. The woodsy-sweet scent of the rain forest fills the air. For a closer view of the gushing waterfall, you'll have to climb over large boulders and a trickling stream. The tricky maneuvers are worth it for the up-close view of the splashing water.
For a more expansive view of the rain forest, a treetop canopy tour along a zip line is a must. Veterans of the famed Costa Rica zip line might feel the need to muster every ounce of courage to do another Tarzan swing through trees, but St. Lucia's rain forest is relatively small and includes only seven tree platforms along its canopy tour. You can clearly see the ground from the canopy, and it's not until the last platform that you're high enough up -- at 150 feet -- to share viewing space with the parrots.
Guides strap you into a waist and chest harness and top you off with a helmet and gloves. You travel along a zip line, or network of cables strung across the top of rain forest trees, cruising from platform to platform. Guides will accompany timid zip-liners, holding scaredy-cats by the waist during the ride. The four-hour tour costs $100 for adults; www.adventuretourstlu cia.com.
All terrain vehicles, or ATVs, are an exciting way to see St. Lucia. Rolling along the sand at Honeymoon Beach in Vieux Fort, the main town along the island's southern tip, the picturesque countryside and small fishing villages make a vivid backdrop. This isn't for the timid. St. Lucia's landscape is hilly and rocky, so navigating an ATV can be a little jarring at first. But hang in there. After about a half hour of bumping over rocks, potholes and hills along the rugged Atlantic coast, most drivers become pretty adept at swerving around the obstructions. Because heat from the ATV's engine can burn drivers' legs, guides provide makeshift shin guards made of foam and secured by an elastic band.
Led by the baby-faced and charming guide named Bash, drivers on the ATV tour glide past small houses perched on hilltops, bamboo and cinnamon trees and freely roaming cows and goats. You'll climb secluded coves for a spectacular vista of the Atlantic and the Pitons, the twin peaks that comprise St. Lucia's defining feature. ATV tours, which last about three hours, build in time for a break in the quaint town of Virgie, where you'll fuel up on a snack of fresh star fruit, mango, sugarcane and wax apples. You'll end the tour with mud-splattered ankles and a sense of accomplishment. Island ATV Tours charges $90 for adults; www.islandatvtours.com.
St. Lucia is home to an 11,000-square-foot paintball field, nestled among coconut palms and colorful ixora blossoms at the Coconut Bay Beach Resort and Spa. Wearing a chest guard around your torso, a camouflage jumpsuit, mask and helmet, you and your 4-pound paintball marker -- doesn't that sound nicer than gun? -- are ready for battle. Pretty soon, the poofing sound of paintballs whizzing by fills the tropical air. If you're playing against seasoned paintballers, you're likely to be covered in yellow paint splotches very quickly. Chances are you'll need a drink after your two-hour tour of duty. Head to the resort's bar, where Crazy Charlie mixes a sweet and deceptively strong concoction dubbed the Dirty Banana. Paintball packages start at $29 at Coconut Bay; www.co conutbayresortandspa.com.
Rosalind Cummings-Yeates is a locally based free-lance writer.