Vieux Fort District

The Vieux Fort District at the southern tip of Saint Lucia is where the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea meet around the Cape Moule à Chique headland, creating a visible difference in sea state on either side of the point — calm Caribbean to the west, rougher Atlantic to the east — that can be observed on any clear day from the lighthouse at 272 metres. The tidal regime in this area is Caribbean microtidal: spring range approximately 0.4 to 0.6 metres on the Caribbean-facing coast, slightly larger on the Atlantic-exposed eastern shore. Hewanorra International Airport, the island's main international gateway, is located on the flat coastal plain south of Vieux Fort, making this district the arrival point for most visitors to Saint Lucia. The Savannes Bay to the east of Vieux Fort is a RAMSAR-designated wetland — the most intact mangrove lagoon in Saint Lucia, with tidal flushing driving the ecological productivity of the mangrove root systems and adjacent seagrass beds. Hawksbill turtles nest on beaches within the area and feed in the seagrass. The Maria Islands Nature Reserve, accessible by boat from Vieux Fort, protects two species found nowhere else on Earth: the Saint Lucia racer snake (Erythrolamprus ornatus) and the Saint Lucia whiptail lizard (Cnemidophorus vanzoi). The reserve is closed to visitors June through July during the nesting season. The convergence of Atlantic and Caribbean currents around Cape Moule à Chique generates upwelling that increases the productivity of the marine environment, drawing frigatebirds, boobies, and brown pelicans to the headland. The Saint Lucia Meteorological Service and the Caribbean Meteorological Organization provide regional sea-state reference data; Open-Meteo Marine drives tide predictions on TideTurtle pages for this district.