St. Lucia

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Pigeon Island National Park

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Meggysmum
Meggysmum
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You Can See Two Seas!

  • January 9, 2026
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Meggysmum from Oxford, United Kingdom

We travelled to Pigeon Island as a free excursion from our Tour Operator. It is situated almost at the northern tip of St Lucia, just past Gros islet.

I was most surprised when we arrived because Pigeon Island is not actually an island at all! It seems that it used to be but in about 1970 Rodney Bay was dredged to provide a Marina suitable for larger yachts and the dredged mud was used to make a causeway between the island and the mainland.

When you arrive you are given a map which lists the main features of the site. This also tells you some of the history of the site. The site has some interesting history. In the 1500s it was the haunt of French pirates who used the caves for hiding their ill-gotten gains. Rodney Bay is named after Admiral Rodney who is said to have used Pigeon Island to keep an eye on Martinique and was able to stop the French invaders from attacking Jamaica because of spotting their actions early.

The current work going on in the area is to recreate the fort as it was in the time of Admiral Rodney (1700s). At the moment it is possible to walk right up to the top of the fort but the final stretch is very steep and then there are ladder like steps to actually get onto the viewing area. The walk is worth it as the views towards St Lucia are glorious and it is possible to see across the Caribbean Sea to Martinique, just as Admiral Rodney would have done. If you are feeling energetic you can carry on walking up Signal hill which also gives stunning views towards the North of the island but take a drink as it is hot work.

Although the island is very small the contrast from one side to the other is staggering. On the Southern side you can swim in the warm, clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. You can then walk across the flat part of the island for about three minutes and you come across the whirling breakers of the Atlantic Ocean. Here we watched the grey sea breaking violently over rocks and then looked over our shoulders to sea the quiet blue sea on the other side, quite a bizarre experience. On the Atlantic side we also came across thousands of hermit crabs, most were absolutely tiny and we didn’t see them at first but once you stopped walking and looked at your feet you realised how many there were so it is worth keeping your eyes open.

There is a restaurant on the island (Jamb de Bois) but we didn’t visit it so I cannot comment on its service. There were public toilets and they were nice and clean.

I would recommend a visit to Pigeon Island to anyone visiting St Lucia. It is very quiet, we didn’t see any guided tours and so it was not at all commercialised but there are beautiful walks and views definitely worth seeing.

From journal Caribbean Heaven

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