I may be a bit biased but I promise if you do this tour you will agree with me. On my most recent cruise, we made a stop to the beautiful island of St. Lucia. It was my fist time ever visiting the island and this tour made me fall in love and St. Lucia quickly became my new happy place.
After a lot of research on this to do on the island I knew that I wanted to see the famous Pitons. A UNESCO World Heritage site, this is one of the most popular attractions in St. Lucia. Their world class beaches, mud baths, hiking and snorkeling are some other highlights of the island. My favorite way to explore is always by water. I am happiest on a boat so I knew this is how I wanted to explore the Pitons and the rest of St. Lucia.
Because we were on a cruise, a ship excursion is somewhere we always look first. Especially sailing on NCL we got $50 off per person for shore excursions so we wanted to get a deal if we could. However, as an experienced cruiser I know that sometimes cruise sponsored excursions can be overpacked and my vision of a beautiful Piton photo seemed far fetched with a boat full of people.
So I took to the internet looking at TripAdvisor, Viator, and GetMyGuide and stumbled upon a full day private boat rental at a cheaper price than it was for 4 people on a cruise ship excursion.
Not only was the price great, but so was the reviews. With over 300 Five Star Reviews, this tour almost felt too good to be true. The tour was a small motor boat that picked you up within walking distance of the ship. It was a full day fully customizable tour that offered the ability to add trips to the famous mud paths and other local towns in St. Lucia.
Upon arrival in St. Lucia we walked to a nearby pier where other cruise ship passengers were picking up their tours. Majority of these tour were cruise ship sponsored and they were PACKING people into boats. You were basically sitting on top of each other. There was no better satisfaction and knowing we made the right decision for a private tour, well before we got on the boat.
After a bit of time waiting for our boat, we boarded just our family of 4 and took off for our day of adventure. It was absolutely magical. We went through the lovers bridge and saw local boys diving off cliffs (for money ofcourse). We went into Hurricane Bay where million dollar homes and resorts line the coastline. Took private and breathtaking photos of the Pitons, went to 2 beaches and had the chance to snorkel at multiple locations. We also toured one of the local towns that was formerly the capital where we picked up food and drinks.
It doesn’t seem like much but I can tell you it was one of the most magical days and by far one of the best excursions I have ever been on. I can’t recommend St. Lucia enough or this private tour. It is 100% worth the money!
