A pleasant one and a half drive from Casteries on the winding road past banana plantations and mango trees laden with mangoes gets one to the only drive-in volcano in the world.
But before that everyone stops to get a view of the two mountain peaks, the Pitons.
Drive through thick forests is a pleasure to eyes.
one of the restricted items, not to be taken out of country
Tree ferns or Cyathea lunulata are not only a restricted item in the Caribbeans but also in the Pacific countries like Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands where they are popularly known as Balambala.
They have tree like trunk and make wonderful support for ornamental climbing plants.
the first view of Pitons
The Pitons are basically volcanic plugs which means that when the magma coming out from an active volcano hardened within its path or its neck. The two volcanic plugs are called Piton, meaning a spike or point in French. They are estimated to have been formed 200-300 thousand years ago.
view of Pitons and Soufriere
The city of Soufriere lies at its base.
Of the two peaks, one is called Gros Piton and the other Petit Piton. As the name suggests, Gros Piton is the bigger one with an elevation of 786 meters or 2619 feet. Petit Piton is the smaller one and is 739 meters / 2461 feet. Both are connected to each other by the Piton Mitan ridge. They both belong to Soufriere Volcanic Center, which comprises of different volcanoes and high temperature geo-thermal areas.
The adventurous tourists love to hike to the top of these mountains. The Gros Piton though higher is said to be an easier climb than the Petit Piton which has very steep sides.
No doubt, it is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Pitons, I am sure occupies a very special place for St. Lucia to have named their beer by that name.
This blog is constructive for anyone traveling to St Lucia; the best part is how to keep yourself adventurous on tour in St Lucia. Since we are a tour & transfer in St Lucia, we appreciate your blog.
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