The Pitons, two volcanic spires and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are in Saint Lucia.
Gros Piton and Petit Piton rise dramatically from Saint Lucia’s southwestern coast near the town of Soufrière. They are volcanic plugs—solid remnants of magma left behind after volcanic activity—and are linked by the Piton Mitan ridge. Gros Piton is the larger peak at about 798 metres, while Petit Piton reaches roughly 743 metres.
The surrounding Pitons Management Area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Its protected landscape includes tropical forests, coral reefs, geothermal features, and the Soufrière volcanic complex, with hot springs and sulphurous fumaroles. The area covers about 2,909 hectares.
The name can cause confusion because “piton” is a French word meaning mountain peak, not a reference to a snake. The peaks are also sometimes mistakenly associated with neighboring volcanic islands such as Dominica or Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, but this famous pair belongs to Saint Lucia.