What to Pack for Saint Lucia

Leave the camouflage at home. This one is the law.

The UK advice states it without qualification: it is illegal for anyone, including children, to dress in camouflage clothing.

The clause "including children" is in the source, and it is there because that is the way families get caught. Camouflage print turns up on children's shorts, swim shorts, backpacks, caps and sneakers without anyone thinking of it as camouflage at all. Check the bags you are packing for other people, not only your own.

Saint Lucia is not unusual in this among its neighbors, which is worth knowing if you are island-hopping, but it is unusual in how easily the rule is broken by accident.

Documents that are worth their weight.

A copy of your prescription for any medication you bring, especially anything that may be classed as a controlled drug. The advice notes that the legal status and regulation of medicines bought or prescribed in the UK can be different elsewhere.

Your travel insurance documents, and a way to pay without them. The health advice names a private hospital that does not accept travel or foreign medical insurance for payment, and warns that some private clinics may require pre-payment. Insurance you cannot use at the point of care is a reimbursement claim, not a payment method.

A yellow fever certificate, if you are arriving from a country listed as a transmission risk. It is not asked of every visitor, and whether it is asked of you depends on where you have traveled, not on where you live.

Your driving license and a passport-size photograph, if you intend to drive. Both are required in person for the temporary permit, and the photograph is the item nobody has with them. Our transport guide has the rest.

For the mosquitoes, not the weather.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that all travelers should take steps to prevent mosquito bites in Saint Lucia, and lists dengue, Zika and chikungunya among the reasons. That points at repellent, long sleeves for dusk, and somewhere to sleep that is screened, rather than at anything exotic.

The CDC also notes that chikungunya vaccination is generally not recommended for travelers here, while pointing anyone who wants to consider it to its own guidance. Bite prevention is the measure it actually asks for.

For the sea, and the sun.

The safety advice contains one line that belongs on a packing list more than it belongs in a safety section: currents can be deceptively strong and not all beaches have lifeguards or warning flags. Pack for a coastline where nobody is watching the water for you.

Beyond that, Saint Lucia is a steep, green, hot island. Shoes that cope with wet ground will be more use than a second pair of sandals, and the rainforest is genuinely wet.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Saint Lucia travel advice, safety and security: that although there is no recent history of terrorism in the country attacks cannot be ruled out; that most visits are trouble free but robberies and opportunistic crime may occur during the periods of and around large-scale events such as the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival in May and Saint Lucia Carnival in July, and that visitors at such events should take sensible precautions, avoid displaying jewelry or valuable items, not leave drinks unattended, take care at crowded events and have a clear plan to return home safely; that there have been incidents of crime including murder, armed robbery and sexual assault, and that there is a continuing serious risk of homicides, primarily gang related and involving guns, with some incidents in public areas; that visitors should secure their accommodation including on a yacht, take care walking alone off main roads, take particular care around large gatherings including street and beach parties especially after dark or during the festival season, avoid isolated areas including beaches after dark, use only licensed taxis, not carry large amounts of cash or jewelry, and leave valuables and travel documents in a hotel safe or deposit box; that it is illegal for anyone, including children, to dress in camouflage clothing; that there are severe penalties for all drug offenses; that certain same-sex sexual acts are illegal and that it is uncommon for opposite-sex or same-sex couples to show affection in public; that currents can be deceptively strong and not all beaches have lifeguards or warning flags; that travelers without a Saint Lucian driving license must get a temporary driving permit, needing a driving license, passport, passport-size photograph and 54 Eastern Caribbean dollars or 20 US dollars, obtained in person at the Department of Transport at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Transport, Physical Development and Urban Renewal at the Union Complex in Union, Castries, on telephone +1 758 468 4300, and that some hire car companies can obtain the permit and often set stricter requirements such as a year of driving experience or a higher minimum age; that roads can have potholes and speed bumps, that minor and rural roads are often narrow with steep gradients, hairpin bends and blind corners, that drivers do not always use indicators, that pedestrians often walk on the roads, that some roads are unlit at night and that road signs and hazards may not be easily visible; that accidents often happen on the main east coast road to and from Hewanorra International Airport; that a driver should not stop if flagged down by pedestrians and should keep car doors locked while driving, and in the event of an accident should call the police and not move the vehicle; that taxis are not metered, that standard fares exist for most destinations, that the fare should be agreed in local currency with the driver before setting off and that payment can often be made in US dollars as well as East Caribbean dollars; that minibus drivers often drive above the speed limit; that the hurricane season in the Caribbean normally runs from June to November and often brings heavy rains which may cause flash floods and landslides, that after a storm power, communications, transport and water supplies can be disrupted and that even in holiday resorts utility services cannot be guaranteed; that earthquakes are a risk in the Caribbean and tremors are occasionally felt; and that a traveler should check the alert level of the underwater volcano Kick em Jenny located 5 miles off the coast of Grenada, and the alert level for La Soufriere volcano located on the nearby island of St Vincent, whose eruption in 2021 sent ash over the island and caused some disruption. Accessed 20 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Saint Lucia travel advice, entry requirements: that a passport must have an expiry date after the day the traveler plans to leave; that a traveler will be denied entry without a valid travel document or with a passport reported lost or stolen; that a traveler should make sure the border control officer puts a stamp in the passport, and that border guards use passport stamps to check a visitor has not stayed longer than allowed; that a visitor can enter without a visa and on entry will be allowed to stay for a maximum period of 6 weeks; that staying longer requires meeting the Saint Lucian government requirements and applying at the Immigration Department in Castries; that it is illegal to overstay the entry period or to work without a work permit; that an online immigration form must be filled in no more than 3 days before arrival, and that a traveler who has not completed it will be asked to fill in the electronic form on arrival or a paper form if available; that a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travelers coming from a country listed as a transmission risk; and that there are strict rules about goods that may be taken into or out of the country and that anything prohibited or subject to tax or duty must be declared. Accessed 20 September 2026.
• United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Travelers health, Saint Lucia: that a traveler should make sure they are up to date on all routine vaccines before every trip; that hepatitis A is recommended for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older going to Saint Lucia, and that infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated; that hepatitis B is recommended for unvaccinated travelers of all ages traveling to Saint Lucia; that dogs infected with rabies are not commonly found in Saint Lucia, but that if rabies exposures occur rabies vaccines may only be available in larger suburban or urban medical facilities; that all travelers should take steps to prevent mosquito bites; and that chikungunya vaccination is generally not recommended. Accessed 20 September 2026.