The Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens

The Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens, on a historic estate near Soufrière, are among the loveliest and most colourful spots on Saint Lucia. At the heart of the beautifully landscaped tropical gardens, lush with heliconia, hibiscus, ferns and towering trees, tumbles the Diamond Waterfall, its cascade running over rocks stained in remarkable, shifting bands of gold, green, grey and violet by the mineral-rich, volcanic waters that feed it. The estate also preserves historic mineral baths, built in the eighteenth century to harness the therapeutic warm springs, where visitors can still soak in the healing volcanic waters amid the greenery.

What you actually see

• The Diamond Waterfall - the cascade over mineral-stained rocks.
• The botanical gardens - the lush tropical flowers and trees.
• The mineral baths - the historic warm volcanic baths.
• The estate - the beautiful landscaped grounds.

When to go

December to April, the dry season, for the most pleasant weather, though the gardens and falls are lovely year-round and especially lush after rain; the site can be busy with cruise excursions, so an earlier visit is calmer. It combines easily with the nearby Sulphur Springs and the Pitons for a full day around Soufrière.

Honest expectations

It is a compact, cultivated garden-and-waterfall attraction rather than a wild natural site, and swimming is not allowed in the falls themselves, though the historic mineral baths can be used for a fee; it can get crowded with tour groups. As a beautiful, easily reached combination of a strikingly colourful waterfall, lush tropical gardens and historic warm baths, though, set on a lovely old estate, the Diamond Falls are a delightful and relaxing highlight.

Nearby

The Sulphur Springs, the Pitons and the town of Soufrière are close by.