Custom Waterfall Tour

[LadyPemberley]

Hi! I'm a newbie to this board. One of my goals on my upcoming Caribbean cruise is to swim under a waterfall. Any suggestions on which waterfalls to visit? Is the water from the falls warm or cold? And which companies will do a custom tour of these waterfalls?

[janabm81]

We love visiting/seeing waterfalls in every port we can.

From what I've heard from numerous tour operators in St.Lucia, the waterfalls are not yet recovered from the hurricane that hit last year, so I wouldn't count on seeing too many there. :)

[LadyPemberley]

Oh, I hope there will still be some waterfalls on St. Lucia that can still be toured. Thanks, janabm81, for your reply. Which waterfalls were your favorites on St. Lucia?

[Canadian Tyler]

I'd very highly recommend this tour: http://www.adventuretoursstlucia.com/rainforest-hike.htm to Dennery Falls.

 

We booked it and we were the only people on the tour (in fact they said we were the first people to do it in the last six months). We had two tour guides and the two of us, it was a great hike and the falls were beautiful. We got some amazing pictures. Everyone we talked to was jealous because they were disappointed with their waterfall tours in St. Lucia due to the storm damage.

 

[janabm81]

CanadianTyler: Sooo not fair! When I spoke to them in January they told me the couldn't/wouldn't do any waterfall tours because of the damage. Maybe I'll cancel the other tour we have booked and try them again. :)

[Canadian Tyler]

You should! Tell them you know someone who did it in February haha. There was a bit of confusion about it, the people who met us at the dock didn't even know there was a hike...but it all got sorted out and ended up being our favourite day of the cruise.

Hope it works out for you!

[LadyPemberley]

Beautiful waterfall! How long was the walk from the car to Dennery falls? We will have some older, but fit, people with us. So we need to consider the length of the hike.

[Canadian Tyler]

It was a bit of a walk to the falls, across a stream and down a bit of a hill.

[Lady Anna & Sir Troy]

Most tours go to Waterfalls in Soufriere. Toraille only costs $2pp and you can swim there but it took a lot of damage from the hurricane. Diamond Falls is still open, but it's $7 and they do not let you swim in the waterfall there, instead it's miineral pools you can take a dip in instead.

 

L.A.S.T.

[Lady Anna & Sir Troy]

BTW Canadian Tyler, that Waterfall Pic was amazing. I have never heard of this tour before! I will definetly check it out on one of our trips to St. Lucia.

 

L.A.S.T.

[LadyPemberley]

It was very rainy during our day in St. Lucia (July 6, 2011). We booked a custom tour with Spencer Ambrose Tours to visit the Piton Falls and New Jerusalem Mineral Hot Springs. Our group consisted of 11 people from age 16 to 79 – me, husband, daughter (20), son (17), nephew (18), niece (16), my mother and father, and their 3 friends (the latter 5 I call the “seniors”). Our driver and tour guide was John. He drove us from Castries into the hills. We stopped at a spot where we could take pictures with our ship, the Serenade of the Seas, behind us. We visited a banana plantation where John described how the bananas are grown and harvested, plus got a chance to sample some bananas. And some of us enjoyed a morning sample of Piton Beer during this stop. :D During the drive John pointed out the different fruit trees we passed and described how the people of St. Lucia use them. The seniors loved talking about how similarly and differently Filipinos use the same fruits. We all laughed when John made a funny face when the seniors told John that Filipinos eat banana blossoms and bamboo shoots. After a short stop at Anse La Raye, we got to sample cassava cake. Then we drove to Canaries where we stopped at a stand and sampled johnny cakes. My daughter loves all kinds of fruits and was ecstatic when she bought a star apple and 2 passion fruits for only $1 there! From there we drove to a spot where we could take pictures of the Piton Mountains. Next stop was Soufriere. We picked up another guide, Terry, who knew where New Jerusalem was located. Our hike to the hot springs was do-able by all in our group, even though it included crossing over a river. There was a small waterfall beside the three “hot tub” areas. Each hot tub had water flowing into it from bamboo pipes, and each one was a different temperature. We were the only ones there and really enjoyed our time there!! No one wanted to leave. LOL! Next we went to a local restaurant for a delicious lunch. My husband loved it because he enjoys sampling local food, and my nephew ate 2 plates of food! Next stop was the Piton Falls. I really wanted to stand under a waterfall, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. Because of the hard rains the water was muddy. :( Oh wells, at least we got to see the waterfall and take pictures. Lastly, we took the same road back to Castries and the Serenade, tired yet satisfied. We all had a great time, and both John and Terry were very knowledgeable and helpful! We would definitely book another tour with Spencer Ambrose!

[l2f]

How many waterfalls are you allowed to get in/under and which ones are the least crowded?

[LadyPemberley]

How many waterfalls are you allowed to get in/under and which ones are the least crowded?

 

We were the only group at New Jerusalem. We weren't under the waterfall, but in these tubs into which flowed water. You can go under the water at Piton Falls. But we didn't do that because the water was muddy from the rain on the day we were on St. Lucia. When we arrived there were 2 other tour groups ending their visit. Then there was just us, but we didn't stay all that long. From the picture in someone's previous post, you can see that you can go under the Dennery Falls. Hope that helps.

[l2f]

I'm sure weather will be the deciding factor if we can get into the waterfalls. I was really hoping for a picture opportunity with DW and myself actually in the waterfall or within a few feet of the waterfall.

[l2f]

You should! Tell them you know someone who did it in February haha. There was a bit of confusion about it, the people who met us at the dock didn't even know there was a hike...but it all got sorted out and ended up being our favourite day of the cruise.

Hope it works out for you!

 

Canadian Tyler

your say there was a bit of confusion, were the guides not direct employees for Adventuretours?

[ericstacie]

We are booking with Treetop Adventure Park. The kids will zipline and us old folks will relax on the porch. After, we will walk down to Sault Falls (Errard Falls / Dennery Falls).

 

Question: Is the water cold? Me and the kids love playing under waterfalls but dont like cold water. Any first-hand intel will be appreciated

[Canadian Tyler]

Canadian Tyler

your say there was a bit of confusion, were the guides not direct employees for Adventuretours?

 

Apologies for the delay in responding!

The people who met us at the dock were different than the guides, but they were all employees. The confusion was that they thought we wanted the bike tour, and didn't know they had a hiking tour. They said we were the first people in 6 months to book it, so they didn't know it was offered. They called their supervisor who advised them, yes it is the hike.

Everything was fine once we got to the location though, no more confusion.

 

Question: Is the water cold? Me and the kids love playing under waterfalls but dont like cold water. Any first-hand intel will be appreciated

The water was an enjoyable temperate when we were there in February, I wasn't cold.