La Soufriere Drive In Volcano
Maybe it's my love of drama but I love volcanoes. It's no coincidence that most of my favorite places sport a lava-spewing peak or two. After the Pitons, La Soufriere drive-in volcano tops the list as St. Lucia’s most recognizable landmark. It’s also the smelliest, with the strong, rotten-egg scent of sulfur wafting over the area for miles. An active volcano with bubbling gases and seething sulfur pools, La Soufriere allows visitors to drive up to a few 100 feet of the crater and then walk through a fault in the substratum rock on a guided tour. It’s a fascinating display, especially Gabriel’s Hole, the place in a steaming fissure where a tour guide sunk into the boiling mud in 1985. He survived with second degree burns but now all of the vents are fenced off. One of the essential activities at La Soufriere is a dip in the gurgling hot sulfur baths. The warm, muddy sulfur deposits are reputed to help arthritis, eczema and instantly soothe mosquito bites. After days lolling around in the Lucian sun,nothing's more refreshing. You can bring a bathing suit, (the sulfur smell is difficult to remove from clothes) or just wade in.
Comments
Greetings from London.
PS: Your word verification is 'trypa', that would be Spanish 'tripa' misspelled :-). have a brilliant week.
Kristine, Iceland and volcanoes? I never knew!
Rachel, thanks for dropping by!
Marina, heated pools are the best things ever!
In Guadeloupe the active volcano is also named "La Soufrière", but you can't drive too close to the top... you leave the car at a parking lot and hike the last several steep uphill miles. But it is worth the climb, if not covered in clouds and rain... it is one of the rainiest places on the planet.
Best, Owen
Owen, thanks for dropping by. I believe Dominica has a La Soufriere ass well.
Catherine, I glad Mexico has enough volcanoes to keep you busy! I will be searching for as much authenticity as I can find when I come!
Heather, Gabriel is very lucky that he's alive to tell his legend. I like volcanos but not enough to walk around open vents!
Wenday, I never thought about that but you're right! That's a connection that is really interesting.