I visited this WHS in January 2023 as our last minute honeymoon getaway. Saint Lucia has no tWHS and "only" this WHS, but it really is a special WHS and possibly one of the best and most iconic the Caribbean has to offer. Travelling by plane instead of cruises means you'll most probably land on the opposite side of the island and a tour, taxi or rental car will be necessary.

We opted for the latter to explore as we please and were very lucky to find an SUV available from our first hotel close to the airport. There aren't many cars available for rent and although I usually always opt for a small car, having more clearance(and full insurance) turned out to be a godsend as the road to the Pitons is literally full of hairpins and never-ending potholes. Most tourists who were given smaller cars, ended up with a puncture, and half way through the area is quite rough and dodgy full of stoned rastas with machetes, not the ideal place to get stranded. Hotels are VERY expensive but we decided to spoil ourselves for the occasion and spent a couple of nights a bit inland to hike the Petit and Gros Pitons with a guide, explore some minor petroglyphs and see the smelly sulphur springs, very close to the cool UNESCO WHS plaque and marker, and a couple of unforgettable nights by the beach just between both Pitons, from where we relaxed and snorkelled.

Both hikes are quite hard, the Gros Piton requiring climbing towards the top, and not ideal if your not good with heights or are keen on birdwatching. I very much preferred the views and birdwatching from the makeshift Morne Tabac Parrot Sanctuary (from where I was very lucky to spot the Saint Lucia amazon (Amazona versicolor) and a couple of pretty hummingbirds; the best time for sightings of the St Lucia amazon is 16:00-18:00 when they fly back to this area after foraging in the forest during the day) and from the Tet Paul Nature Trail (if you come by car, opt for the higher one up of two Tet Pauls, to avoid the unnecessary guide and uphill walk. This is also one of the best places to secure a guide to hike up the Gros Piton. Having a rental car, although still very pricey, you can avoid a lot of all-inclusive tours which cater mostly for cruiseliner passengers. We skipped the drive-through sulphur springs as from a couple of viewpoints it seemed very touristy and nothing special.

The areas immediately close to both volcanic plugs are roped off marine reserves and no anchorage is allowed, although ideally the roped off area should be at least five times larger to prevent sailing boats or tour boats with their huge diesel engines from getting too close. The marine reserves are not in the open ocean but literally hug the massive volcanic plugs. They encompass a wide variety of ecosystems including coral reefs, mangroves and beach habitats, with coral reef restoration programmes in most. The underwater highlights for me were the huge volcanic sponges, the variety of fish, sea slugs, the sheer amount of cuttlefish swimming together, etc. at Turtle Reef, Anse Chastanet, Anse des Pitons (Sugar Beach), Piton Wall, Coral Gardens, Malgretoute, etc. The drastic change in sunlight, colour and sealife from the Pitons' "shore" to just a couple of metres away is really incredible and really makes you realize how gigantic these two iconic volcanic plugs are above water as well as underwater. 

All in all we really enjoyed our visit although the constant enlargement plans around and between the Pitons need constant monitoring. Also, ideally there would be stricter controls to safeguard the marine reserves, with larger buffer zones if possible. That said, I would gladly revisit if I ever visit more Caribbean islands in the future. PS: Be aware that all beaches in Saint Lucia are public, so although most resorts try to discourage non-residents, you should be allowed to simply walk in and freely access the beach.