Private Gros Piton-Wanderung in St Lucia

My wife and I got ill and requested a refund. We used the same company the next day for another excursion and explained the unavoidable situation. But we still have not received our refund. If we do not receive our refund, we recommend against using this provider ever again. This is rigorous hike. If one is ill, one cannot go on the hike and they operator knows that.

We were very disapointed with St Lu Taxi and Tours indeed. We had booked a Private Gros Piton Hike prior to departing on our holiday. The booking process was an easy exchange of emails, so a tick in that box. From reading the discription I believed I was booking and inclusive tour that would take us from our hotel to Gros Piton where we would be given a private guide who would led us to the top of the Piton. I was wrong it would seem, in spite of all of the correspndence I recieved indicating that my assumption was correct. We were collected from our hotel on time, the drive was very nice and provided us with a great trip to the Piton and a guide to everything that we passed on the way. Another tick in the box. On arrival at the piton we were informed that the despit already having paid $304 USD this did not include the fee for being guided up the mountain. Another $50 USD per person was required for the two guides we would need. I retrieved my paperwork and showed the staff at the Piton that I had already paid, they said this was not the case. They kindly offered to speak to St Lu Taxi and Tours to straighten things out. This they duly did, as a result of the conversation I was handed the phone and spoke with Sammy the propriotor of ST LKu Taxi and Tours. I was told by him that what I had paid was not for a private tour but effectively a $304 taxi ride and it was in the "terms and conditions of my confirmation. It was clear to me after a few minutes that I was banging my head on a wall. The conversation was abruptly ended. We paid the additional $50 USD as we had come a long way to do the hike. We duly got to the top and back down. Whereupon I re read all of the correspondence I had been sent and no where on there was it clear that I was expected to fund the hike. If like me your read "a private Gros Piton Hike in St Lucia" as just that and not as a taxi ride then additional payment for the hike you are at best being mislead and at worse having the wool pulled over your eyes. The way in which St Lu Taxi and Tours handled me on the phone was appaling. I would not recommend booking an tour with this company.

One of our toughest hikes, go early, pack plenty of water, we passed many who turned around, take your time watch your footing and enjoy the jungle. Lots birds, tree frogs we actually saw a mongoose and stray cats along the way.

First, while researching all these Gros Piton hike trips, I found out that all of them required you to pay the entrance fee for the national park separately - that got you a 'guide' - so in effect paying for this trip got you a lift to and from the start point of the walk. The drive waited for you so you were paying for a driver for the day. However, the walk itself took us five hours and the drive to the start and back weas an hour and a half each way, so this was absolutely necessary. You could hire a car but there was no way I would have wanted to or been able to drive afterwards, and Im sure there was some organizing needing to be done to get our private guide. Plus, our driver Jason was very friendly and funny, told us a lot about the island while driving us there and we had a comfortable air conditioned vehicle to get there and back with no worries about getting lost. Yes you could probably get a bus but it made everything so much easier booking through this company and I would recommend it to anyone. .

Came off of cruise and it took over 3 hours round trip to do this hike. The hike itself is over 4 hours. We were not informed about the length of this tour or that the entrance fee would be $100 to get in to the hike. Extremely long, unable to complete because of running out of time, and extremely expensive! Cab driver had to stop for gas, water for us which was supposed to be included and stopped at his home to drop off some groceries he bought.

'Not worth the money. You can take a taxi and you get a guide when you pay the entrance fee. Was promised a private guide but was told when we arrived that it was too crowded and we'd have to join a group. The taxi driver was helpful and advocated for us so they sent us with a 14 year old kid who basically walked ahead of us and didn't say anything. Still had to pay entrance fee of $50 per person so not sure what the $159 was for!

Our driver was super knowledgeable and very entertaining. He also explained a lot about the island and the various areas we passed on the car ride there as well as back to our hotel. When we arrived we had our own tour guide. She was extremely nice and helped to guide us up and town the climb. As for the climb itself it is very challenging but we knew it was the one thing we didn’t want to miss. The tour guide and driver made our journey very pleasant and we are much appreciative.

Most excellent tour. Professional guide and transportation. Strenuous yet satisfying hiking. Multiple opportunities to stop take pictures, refreshments etc. our guide, Errol, was most excellent!

We had an incredible tour! Bucket list worthy! This is a challenging hike, but well worth it. I didn’t realize the tour didn’t include the entrance fee, so just be mindful of that and it is far from the port (about a 2 hour ride). So it’s best to allow PLENTY of time. You can also rent walking sticks for $5 (Definitely worth it) Our driver was fantastic, knowledgeable, friendly and an amazing navigator! We were pressed for time and she did an amazing job getting us back to the port in time. We made it back to the ship with other cruisers cheering us on from their balconies. I want to give a special thanks to her!!

Hiking the Pitons - “Unfinished Business” This review is at the request of Ada McGlone Lester. We booked a private tour through St. Lu Taxis and Tours. Upon exiting the ship promptly at 9:30am, we made our way to the taxi area where our driver Richard had a sign with our last name. We quickly found his van and off we went. The drive is around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Inasmuch as we watched YouTube videos to be adequately prepared, a time constraint was not one of the pre-excursion factors. Richard, who was born on St. Lucia, but also served in the US Army, was full of information on the island as well as the surrounding islands. Over our three hours in the van round trip, we learned more about St. Lucia than our prior two visits combined. As a side note, we took the ‘eastern’ route there and ‘western’ route back, which you can see on the maps screenshot I took at the beginning of the trail. We arrived at the base of the Pitons and were assigned a guide that works for the Foundation. It’s $50 a person to hike and that money is used for everything down to guide uniforms. Of the 3,200+ passengers onboard, a grand total of 6 (including us as 2) attempted to make the climb. This should have been a sign, but being a dumb American this was our DESTINY. Our Guide Abigail showed us the washroom, made sure we had an adequate amount of water and off we went… The trail is broken down into 4 quarters, each becoming progressively more difficult as you make the trek. Leaving at 11:22am and having to be back to our van no later than 3:00pm we had 3 hours and 38 minutes to climb the mountain. At this point you fully comprehend what 2 hours up and 2 hours down AT A GOOD PACE really means… At the first 1/4 stopping point we knew. You slowly start working through the five stages of grief as your body gets worn down, you are sweating more than you are drinking water and the usage of your hands on the rocks increases. But between 1/4 and 1/2 you still have HOPE. And while hope is a powerful thing, it can only take you so far in the game of the Pitons. After a long hour+ grind we made it to the 1/2 way point were ran into 3 out of 4 of our fellow cruisers. The lone 1 was giving their all to making it to the top. At this point Abigail had to break us the news this was it. Mathematics was not our friend and we could go no further. Nooooo! I tried the stage of bargaining to little reception and slowly worked my brain into the final stage, acceptance. This was it, if we continue, make it to the top, hopefully, and miss the ship all aboard time. Nooooo! After a few pictures with a stunning view, back down we started… Now going down has its own set of challenges, but we made it with one break. Once we said our goodbye's to our trusted guide, we named this adventure “unfinished business” as we will be returning to complete the task. Richard got us back to our ship and after a second set of goodbye’s and a thank you for his service to our Country we hit a couple shops and back on the ship. Upon arriving to our cabin, our incredible Head Butler AG had a much needed cheese plate waiting. Sometimes it really pays to share your upcoming plans. This is being written at the Martini Bar before we give Fine Cut on The Beyond a try. Another food review to come later… Cheers from The Beyond where the score is Pitons: 1 Us: 0. Safe travels…