St Lucia boasts a wide variety of plant life, including many species native to other places now making their home here. Much of this variety was on display at the Diamond Botanical Gardens, especially the subset with particularly showy flowers or foliage. The park is set on the grounds of a former estate and consists of a pleasant walk past many colorful plantings to the base of the namesake Diamond Falls. We share below just a few examples of the many blooms that line the path.

The stream that flows over the falls also springs from a source near the volcanic zone, and the minerals it carries can be seen coating the cliff behind the waterfall. Early colonists identified the waters as comparable to those at Europe’s healing spas, and accordingly built a set of baths around them. A few have been restored and we took the opportunity for another healing plunge – Susannah even joined in since there was no mud involved.

For lunch, we had long had our eye on a particular establishment not far from Soufrière. St Lucia is renowned for its chocolate cultivation, and the Rabot restaurant specializes in cuisine featuring this ingredient in many forms. As an appetizer, we were served a cocoa-balsamic dipping sauce, chocolate-infused butter, and bread sticks seeded with cacao nibs. In addition to numerous cacao-inspired entrees, they also offered shots of flavored iced chocolate, and a plethora of scrumptious chocolate desserts, of which we were happy to partake!

Not far from the restaurant lies Tet Paul Nature Trail, run by the community of Chateau Belaire. Strategically located between the two Pitons, the trail makes its way up a hillside (the last bit of which is called the Stairway to Heaven) before reaching a promontory with panoramic views. Besides the two Pitons we also caught our first glimpse of the mountains of St Vincent to the southwest.

One of St Lucia’s usually brief rainstorms had set in as we were finishing our lunch, and the skies were fully overcast when we arrived at the trailhead. Our guide Gregoryanna suggested we wait to start our hike until the rain had eased up. But as you can see, by the time we reached the top, blue sky again prevailed and as a bonus, a beautiful rainbow awaited us.