Savannes Bay Nature Reserve

Savannes Bay on Saint Lucia's southeastern coast holds the largest mangrove stand on the island, protected as a nature reserve, with a reef across the mouth that shelters the water inside and makes it a nursery for the conch, lobster and fish the local fisheries depend on. Herons and waders work the edges. Fishermen keep conch in pens in the shallows and boats work the bay. The reserve was designated in the 1980s and the conch fishery here is managed by the fishermen themselves.

What you actually see

• The mangrove stand - the largest on the island, protected as a reserve.
• The sheltering reef - the barrier across the mouth of the bay.
• The conch pens - the fishermen's holding pens in the shallows.
• The waterbirds - herons and waders working the mangrove edges.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. Tide governs how much of the flats is exposed. Mosquitoes in the mangrove are heavy at dusk.

Honest expectations

There are no visitor facilities and boats must be arranged with fishermen. Viewing from land is limited. Mosquitoes are severe around the mangrove.

Nearby

Micoud is north, and Vieux Fort is southwest.