Soufrière is the oldest city on the island of Saint Lucia and its capital during the French period of rule. It is located on the western coast of the island. The city sits in a beautiful deep-water bay at the foothills of the dormant volcano of Petit Piton (750 m), which is currently within the boundaries of the Pitons Protected Area. The city was almost completely destroyed by hurricanes in 1780, 1817, 1831, 1898 and 1980, as well as by an earthquake in 1839; in 1955, almost half of its structures were destroyed by a major fire.
Nevertheless, the town is so beautiful that it is constantly used as a filming location for movies of the most diverse kinds (here, "Superman II", "Water" and "White Creek" were filmed), and its brightly colored buildings provide a picturesque contrast to the surrounding green slopes of ancient volcanoes and hills. Like other fishing settlements on the west coast, Soufrière is built with old houses featuring tiled roofs and with the obligatory balconies with wrought-iron railings (in the center); in the outskirts there are plenty of fully modern buildings made of glass and concrete. You can easily walk around the town in an hour and a half, and the abundance of narrow streets literally squeezed between the walls of houses makes guided walking tours here one of the most popular ways to explore its neighborhoods.
Saint Lucia is an island in the Windward Islands of the West Indies between the islands of Saint Vincent and Martinique. The island is washed to the north by the Saint Lucia Channel and to the south by the Saint Vincent Channel, which connect the Caribbean Sea with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The area is 616 km². The island is part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago. Saint Lucia is of volcanic origin, which is why it is more mountainous than most other islands of the Caribbean. In essence, it is the summit of an ancient volcanic group whose cones form the main mountain peaks of the country.
ClimateThe climate is tropical trade-wind; sea breezes soften the heat. Average monthly temperatures are 18-26 °C, with precipitation from 1500 to 3000 mm per year. The dry season runs from January to April; the rainy season from May to August. At any time of year, strong but short-lived downpours may occur, usually toward the end of the day.
