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St Lucia has a mountainous volcanic interior and much of the island is covered in natural rainforest with a rainy season from May to December (although it does rain throughout the year, even in the 'dry' season) with tropical north-easterly trade winds.
There a several official rainforest hikes and recommended routes can be obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Hiking is not permitted in the rainforest without prior permission.
Trails include the Enbus Saut Falls trail, Des Carties Rainforest (where you are most likely to sea the St Lucia Parrot (Jacquot) / Amazona Versicolor in it's natural environment), Edmund Forest Reserve, Barre de L'Isle trail, the Forestierre trail and the Millet Bird Sanctury trail. |
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Much of the forest and mountains can be viewed successfully from the mountain road which runs down most of the western side of St Lucia. The road from Anse La Raye (image) to Soufriere (image map) has spectacular views of the Grand Bois Forest. If you are really lucky, you may spot an elusive Boa crossing the road!
A tropical rainforest is characterized by having more than 1750mm (or 68 inches) of rain a year. 28% of the world's oxygen is created by rainforests and they account for more than 40% of the world's animal, insect and plant species. There are two types; tropical rainforests (generally located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn) and temperate rainforests, located in cooler climates. The St Lucia rainforest is tropical.
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Rainforest stream
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Rainforest tree covered in Air plants
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| What is the difference between a rainforest and a jungle? A rainforest restricts the number of plant species at ground level due to the lack of sunlight; when the tree canopy is thinned the "rainforest" becomes a "jungle" with the increased growth of dense plants at ground level. |
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Travel, holiday, vacation and cruise guide to the Rain Forest on St Lucia, Caribbean
All text and images are Copyright Paradise Islands org 2009.
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The Pitons
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Castries
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Rodney Bay
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Drive-In Volcano
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Marigot Bay
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Diamond Botanical Gardens
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More Photos
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