Trinidad and St. Lucia, or the Caribbean for non-beach people

I've resumed traveling internationally, now that the world has largely opened back up. I had a few days off for the Veterans Day holiday, and made my first ever trip to the Caribbean region. The Caribbean is not really known for its hiking, as it is for spending time relaxing on the beach, reading a book, taking a cruise, and drinking beer and cocktails. I took advantage of a low fare to Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, and then tacked on a couple days in nearby St. Lucia to climb Petit Piton. In our 14ers lingo, it would be a 2er, but it was a very interesting and fun climb which made up for the lack of elevation.

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

I love exotic food, so before I get to the mountain climbing part of this trip report, I'll write a bit about the food in Trinidad and Tobago, and say a bit about the country. Trinidad is the larger of the islands, with an east-west range of hills and plains to the south. The northwestern tip of Trinidad lies eight miles from mainland Venezuela, so one can see South America from higher points on the island. The island of Tobago is a few miles northeast and primarily mountainous.

Trinidad and Tobago is known for its Carnival, one of the world's biggest, and also its food. Being a foodie, or rather being interested in exotic eats, I opted for a food tour on my first day in Port of Spain, the capital city. Like the US, Trinidad and Tobago is a country of immigrants- the population is descended from every imaginable corner of the planet, from the natives to people from Africa, the Indian subcontinent, China, Europe, Venezuela, and even from Syria and Lebanon. They all brought their cuisine, and adapted to the ingredients found in Trinidad, making for a very interesting culinary experience. I walked around with a guide for about four hours and tried all sorts of food, some of it really delicious, some of it a bit odd. The names are cryptic, with names like bake and shark, and doubles, the veggies and fruit are fresh but foreign to most people in the US, and the meat (beef) is imported all the way from New Zealand which seems to process the meat in a halal fashion. Although it was a food tour, we also walked around the historical sites of downtown Port of Spain, many of the buildings built during the British colonial era. It's a new country, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year (2022). Port of Spain is not a tourist destination, there are no nearby beaches of note, and it's a working, busy city that is a bit rough around the edges. The country is one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, with significant oil and natural gas reserves. From what I can tell, it's a fast-paced life by Caribbean standards, and in general people get along with one another. It's religiously mixed, with significant Hindu and Muslim communities, and the public holidays reflect this mixture, as Eid al-Fitr, Diwali, and Christmas are all official holidays.

Making a doubles, just think spicy chickpea stew tacos

Trinidadian style shrimp gyros, from Yousef Gyros

Beef roll from a food stand with no name and a long line. Bitter melon, a common ingredient in Chinese cooking, is part of the filling

I ventured out on my own later that afternoon and met a few musicians who were part of a steel drum (steel pan) club, so I got to try out my skills and chat with them. While English is the official language, Creole is the language of daily life, and I had difficulty comprehending the very warped English, which was peppered with a distinct accent and lots of slang.

Petit Piton

The following day, after stuffing my face with Trinidad-style gyros, I took the short hop to St. Lucia on British Airways, a quick 45 minute flight, followed by an hour long taxi ride along the main highway in the country, a two lane, tortuous road through the mountainous terrain. The international airport is on the southern tip of the island, the only flat part of the entire country, two hours from the capital Castries, and one hour from my destination of Soufriere town. The Pitons are twin-ish peaks that rise dramatically from the ocean, and were given World Heritage status in 2004 for their natural features and their biodiversity. The smaller one of them is Petit Piton (2461', 750 m), which has an unmistakable, dramatic, steep profile, and the taller of them is Gros Piton (2619', 798 m). The proper names in St. Lucia reflect the French and British influences, as the island passed between the two countries once upon a time, before becoming an independent state in 1979. I based myself in Soufriere, a small town of a few thousand residents, set in a sheltered bay with Petit Piton as a dramatic backdrop. The town is full of colorful houses, an old stone church, a sleepy vibe, and a small quarter of restaurants and bars.

A view of the Pitons, Petit Piton is on the left, Gros Piton in the distance on the right.

Street scene in Soufriere, colorful houses, wild drivers, a few restaurants and rowdy bars

A guide is strongly recommended to climb Petit Piton, and so I hired a guide, Wayne the mountain goat. We chatted briefly over the phone, and agreed to meet at 7 AM the following morning, in the center of Soufriere. He was a local, knew just about everyone in town, and had climbed Petit Piton hundreds, if not thousands of times. If he were in Colorado, he would be like Will Erickson.

We set off by foot, walking about a mile, first a few blocks through Soufriere, then along the shore, and then we turned inland briefly to the starting point, a modest hut with a couple of people who granted us access.

On the path towards the trailhead. Yeah we're really going to climb that.

Wayne the mountain goat. He must do at least 10,000 vertical feet a week, if not more.

Now the route is basically one mile long, and while the first quarter mile is a steep 500 foot climb on a faint trail, the remainder is a system of ropes that you negotiate to get up some really steep, slippery terrain. The ground never really dries out. Although I climbed it on a sunny day, much of the path was muddy, so I was grabbing rocks and tree branches to climb, and then there were the ropes. This was pretty much rock climbing without any of the protection, but the ropes were well anchored, well placed, and very heavy duty. Just don't fall. According to my tracking app, it's a sustained 55 degree slope uphill, around 2300 feet elevation gain in a mile.

Wayne and I working our way up with the aid of fixed ropes. Yikes.

I followed Wayne, he would tell me where to put my feet, and when I needed to just use my upper body to pull myself up. There was also a spot where you had to squeeze in between some rocks. So it was a very good workout, not to mention a very sweaty one with tropical weather. I was a muddy, wet t-shirt contest by the time we got up to the top, in just under two hours. Most of the route is under a canopy of trees, and the views only reveal themselves rarely. But it's spectacular at the summit, once you break out of the trees for the last few steps.

Wayne and I at the summit

Looking towards Gros Piton, unfortunately I didn't have time to hike that one

View towards Soufriere

Getting down took longer than getting up, as I found myself swinging in all sorts of directions trying to lower myself on the ropes. It also didn't help that I sprained / fractured one of my toes on the descent, in addition to banging up my elbow, so it was painful going down. But at last we did make it back to the trailhead, and one of Wayne's friends came by in his car and took us back to Soufriere. Wayne was doing it the following day with another group.

Should you be looking for a really interesting mountain experience in the Caribbean, this would be a great choice. The nearby islands, Martinique, Dominica, and St. Vincent, also have very interesting volcanic features. The northern half of St. Vincent was the scene of a 2020-21 eruption of a volcano, also named Soufriere, that destroyed a number of towns. On Martinique, the eruption of Mount Pelee in 1902 killed 30,000 residents of Saint Pierre in a matter of minutes, leaving two survivors. I'll certainly check out more of these islands on future trips.

Despite being in paradise, some people still dump their trash into the ocean. If you're looking for a beach experience, there is a public beach just north of town, but it didn't look too enticing. You're probably best off going to one of the resorts, which of course costs more.

View of Petit Piton and Soufriere, paradise eh?

More info:

Wayne the mountain goat can be contacted at (758) 714-5454. Price is $120 for one person, $150 for two persons. Oh the extra cost of solo travel. I bought him lunch afterwards, and I showed him real photos of our beloved mountain goats and the 14ers. He's never been outside of St. Lucia, but I told him to visit Colorado if he has the desire and the means. Or maybe we should all pitch in and get him on a 14er.

Taxi from the airport to Soufriere takes about one hour, $75. As this is the Caribbean, allow for plenty of time to get anywhere, things move at a different pace, and really grind to a halt on Sundays. Public transport is available, but also don't expect to have things run on time. This ain't Switzerland!

Lodging: I stayed in the center of town, in a cottage that was one bedroom, with a kitchen and sitting area. Fairly basic since I really just slept there. Contact Alwin and Christina at (758) 284-6807, or book online. It was convenient to the restaurants and bars, also the grocery store.

Trinidad food tour: https://www.trinidadfoodtours.com or contact Anthony at (868) 307-2345.

Don't skimp on the hydration! I vastly underestimated the amount of water needed, and was pretty dehydrated by the end. You are going to sweat a ton in this climate, especially coming from the arid, continental Rockies.

I visited at the tail end of the rainy season, in early November. While Trinidad was experiencing historic flooding, St. Lucia was clear and dry.

UNESCO site description