Anse Chastanet Beach and Reef
St Lucia
Located on a sheltered cove with a view of the island’s emblematic Pitons peaks, Anse Chastanet is one of the most beautiful beaches on St. Lucia. A reef just offshore teems with life, making it a great place to scuba dive or capture underwater photographs of mixed coral and large schools of tropical fish.
The Basics
This gently curving beach is the perfect setting for a classic day at the beach. Relax on a chaise with a book, swim in the crystalline water, or head out to the reef to snorkel along the shallow plateau area. Divers can also head 140 feet (42 meters) under the water to explore a solid wall of mixed coral and see large schools of parrot fish, trumpet fish, sergeant majors, and needle fish.
Some tours of Anse Chastanet Beach bring guests by boat and include underwater adventures as well as sightseeing excursions and treks to the waterfalls and volcanic mud baths near Soufrière. You can also charter a speedboat and head to fishing villages and more remote beaches after exploring the reef.
Things to Know Before You Go
Families with children will appreciate the extended shallow waters and the snorkeling area, which is buoyed off to ensure that no boats enter.
While the beach may look like it is part of a resort, it is actually a public beach, open to all.
You can rent chaise lounges and towels for a small fee.
Rent snorkeling and dive gear at the dive center on the beach.
How to Get There
Anse Chastanet Beach and Reef is on St. Lucia’s west coast, a short drive from Soufrière: Head north on the coastal road to Anse Chastanet Resort, and walk to the beach from the parking lot. You can also reach the beach via water taxi. If you prefer walking, you can take a pleasant, scenic route along the coast, which takes about 45 minutes.
When to Get There
Arrive early in the morning to stake out a spot (the lounge chairs can sell out) and avoid the crowds that descend in the afternoon. St. Lucia’s high season is the dry season, which runs from mid-December to March. The low season, February to May, is less crowded; during this time, scattered rains make the island green and lush.
Toraille Waterfall
About a 20-minute drive from the beach, you’ll find the Toraille Waterfall, which drops about 50 feet (15 meters) from a cliff into a refreshing pool. This waterfall is one of the easiest to access on the island: To reach it, you just follow a trail of paths and wooden footbridges through botanic gardens. You can sit beneath the cascading falls for a gentle shoulder massage and enjoy a dip in the pool below.
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