10 activities you must do in Martinique, and one you could pass on

23/2/2024 0 Comments

10 activities you must do in Martinique, and one you could pass on

In January of 2024, I visited Martinique with my parents for two-weeks. The beautiful French island of the Caribbean, although popular with French tourists, is really a hidden gem and still has an authentic Creole culture and wild jungles. It offers white sand beaches as well as black beaches, plenty of hikes for all levels, museums and cultural visits, waterfalls and so much more... I absolutely loved this trip and can't wait to share with you the activities that made it so special.

1. Hike to Cascade Couleuvre

Cascade Couleuvre might not be the mightiest waterfall in the world, or even on the island. It is barely a trickle of water, but its height is impressive and it is located in a beautiful lush jungle. The hike is 1,6 kilometer (1 mile) of steady incline. I wouldn't say it is easy per se as the heat and uneven terrain both offer a certain level of difficulty, but with good walking shoes, any person of a regular fitness level would be able to make it without any issue. The best part of this waterfall is the shower that it offers once you reach it. The water is cool and there is a ledge where you can stand for the perfect water pressure. Once your hike is over, you can also walk an extra minute to the beach at Anse Couleuvre. It is one of the best beaches in Martinique in my opinion and a perfect end to your day.

The only thing that is unfortunate at Anse and Cascade Couleuvre is the road to get there and parking situation. Be aware that the road is very narrow and consists of switchbacks up and back down a mountain. The parking lot is for about 6 cars, so anyone else is parked on the side of this very narrow road where you consistently can't see if a car is coming in the opposite direction. It is totally worth the challenge, but drive slowly, be aware that you might have to back up in the switchbacks to let an other car pass you, and be careful! I promise the hike and the beach are worth it!

2. Visit Jardin Balata

The Jardin Balata is a private garden that reminded me a lot of Butchard Gardens in Victoria. It offers a beautiful view on the surrounding mountains and the jungle, it contains a wide variety of plants from all around the world and an impressive collection of palm trees. You can also walk on the canopy trail (included in the visit) where rope bridges will guide you through the bamboo forest and over parts of the garden. We spent almost three hours exploring and it was a delightful morning.

3. Go snorkeling or transparent kayaking in Grande Anse to see the turtles

Those who know me are well aware that I am terrified of swimming in deep water or somewhere that some kind of sea creature can touch me, so I was really excited to see that O fil de l'eau offered transparent kayak rentals in Grande Anse. The bays of Anse Dufour, Anse Noire and Grande Anse are known as the best places to observe sea turtles in Martinique. While Anse Dufour and Anse Noire were really busy when we visited, so much that we had to turn around, Grande Anse was fairly quiet. We were also told that the turtles have mostly relocated to Grande Anse because of the amount of visitors in Anse Dufour.

We rented the kayaks for an hour, and although the conditions were very windy and not ideal for the observation of turtles, we saw a good number of them! We even saw a few come to the surface to breathe right next to us. It was a wonderful experience that I would love to do again sometime. You can also snorkel to them from the beach.

Although seeing the turtles up close is an activity I would recommend to everyone, it is important to remember that they are endangered. Please do not approach them or chase after them, and do not swim directly above sea turtles as it can scare them into not coming up for air. Also, please remember that feeding wildlife is always a bad idea ;) For more information on swimming with turtles sustainably, check out this article.

4. Hike Presqu'île de la caravelle

Presqu'île de la Caravelle is a national park on the Atlantic side of Martinique. It takes about three to four hours to hike around the whole presqu'île, but there are smaller portions you can do if you prefer. The full trail will take you to a lighthouse, where you will have a good view of the whole Atlantic Coast, and through mangroves and up and down sea cliffs to some gorgeous views. The hike isn't particularly difficult or technical, but still worth being well prepared. Most of the trail offers no sun protection and the heat is intense. Honestly, after ten minutes, I had sweated off my sunscreen and my cheeks were already starting to get irritated from how often I had wiped them off. And I visited in January... I recommend bringing plenty of water, in insulated bottles if you can as I was more hot then I was dehydrated and the cool water really helped.

5. visit habitation clément

Habitation Clément is one of the many distilleries you can visit in Martinique, but it is the most beautiful in my opinion. The original plantation house has been kept intact and is open for visits, just like the old distillery. The gardens are beautiful and showcase multiples sculptures of local artists. There are also museums on the grounds and you will end the visit with a rhum tasting.

The JM Distillery, in Northern Martinique was also beautiful and had the upside of being free, but it was missing the cultural and historic elements that made Habitation Clement really stand out in my opinion. If you have time, I would definitely recommend visiting both as they offer very different experiences.

6. go for a swim at cascades de didier

Cascades de Didier are probably the two most popular waterfalls in all of Martinique, and they deserve the honour. The problem is that they are located on a private property and are a drinkable water source. Therefore, the visit is technically forbidden. But, ask any Martiniquais what to visit while on the island and they will recommend Cascades de Didier. The waterfalls are so popular with locals and visitors alike that a path has been built to the first waterfall and you definitely won't be alone when you get there.

You can read my full article about this hike here, but know that you would be missing out if you decided not to go. The waterfalls are absolutely beautiful, there is plenty of space to swim and the water is the exact right temperature to cool you down after the short hike.

The first waterfall is just a 15 minute walk from the street and the path is well indicated. The second waterfall was more of a challenge as you had to walk in the water in multiple places and over boulders and under fallen trees. You would need good hiking shoes to make it safely to the second one, but it is the most beautiful of the two. Of course, every reward comes after a little work!

7. visit the museum Franck Perret

The Museum Frank Perret, in Saint-Pierre, was built to commemorate the tragedy of the city being completely destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1902. It is a small museum, but it is so well done. There is a section on life before the tragedy, one about the week of the incident, there is a full section where the names of every person killed that they had a record of was written on the walls, and a section full of artefacts that were collected after the eruption. The visit is autonomous, but every exhibit is explained by an audio guide. They also have audio recordings of people telling their point of view, or articles of the time being read. We spent over an hour walking through the whole exhibit and it was so interesting!

Once your visit is over, you are also a short walk away from the ruins of the theater of old Saint-Pierre and Cyparis' prison.

8. Hike the Savane des pétrifications

Where the North side of Martinique is all mountains and lush jungles and greenery, the South is more windswept coastline, especially on the Atlantic coast. The Savane des Pétrifications is a park on the South-East coast and definitely more desert than jungle. The hike to Anse Trabaud is a short 4 km walk, with some incline, but mostly flat, where you can see cacti, the beautiful coastline, weird rock formations and beautiful beaches. The only difficulties on this hike would be the heat and crossing the bridge at the entrance where the rocks are very slippery and too far apart and I recommend just taking off your shoes and walking in the water. But if you want a longer hike, you can walk what is called "La trace des caps", which the Savane des Pétrifications is a part of, from Anse Caritan to Petit Macabou for a total of over 30 km.

9. visit the banana plantation of habitation chalvet

Being from Canada, where we can only grow so much of our fruits and vegetables because of our harsh weather, it's always fascinating to me to visit destinations where so many different plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables can grow, wether they are local or imported. Martinique was one of those places where you would find plantations all around you and every house seemed to have its own garden. At Habitation Chalvet, you can take a guided tour of the banana plantation where they will tell you all about it, but they will also take you through the ruins of the old habitation, to the medicinal garden and the little kiosk at the entrance is surrounded by so many species of flowers and fruits and your guide can tell you all about them. We definitely learned a lot about plants and what they can be used for, but also about the history of Martinique which was great.

10. enjoy the sun and sea at anse salines beach

Anse Salines is the favorite beach of Martinique, and for good reasons. There is fine white sand, blue water, plenty of palm trees to put up your hamac, cute restaurants and shops, and although it is popular, it never seems crowded. There is also a lady going around with homemade ice cream! This beach is also easily accessible, free, and has parking that isn't on a hill or on a road side where you can't see if there are cars coming, a definite win in Martinique!

And the one you could pass on...

If you have read other articles on Martinique or done some research about what to do there, you are probably wondering when I'm going to talk about the Baignoire de Joséphine. Well, here we are! The Baignoire de Josephine is a shallow piece of land in the middle of the sea in between a bunch of islands on the Atlantic side of Martinique. It looks really pretty, as the bottom is white so the water looks really blue, and the fact that you can stand up in the middle of the sea is nice, but although it looks like a sand bar on pictures, it is not.

This is the most popular attraction of the area so there are multiple companies selling boat tours out of Le François and Le Robert that will take you to "iguana" island, la Baignoire de Joséphine and an island with a beach where they will also serve you lunch. One of the problems with these tours is that they all have the exact same itinerary, not just the same stops, but the same timing as well. So you get to each of these spots, and there are ten, fifteen other boats there with you at the same time. While these are all fun stops, although pretty underwhelming considering what we expected from what we had heard, there is never any space to enjoy these locations as there are so many people there at the same time on tiny islands.

On "iguana" island (Chancel island), there were 30 of us trying to get a look at an iguana on a branch, at the Baignoire de Joséphine, there were about 50 of us trying to stand on corrals while they passed around drinks and accras (those were delicious though!) and each boat had its own music on as loud as possible, and then we stopped on an island for lunch and a relaxing afternoon on a beach, but the beach was about the size of my living room (I live in a tiny apartment) and there was barely enough space to walk in the water, as once the water reached your knees, you had to either stop or walk on corrals and sea weed.

We did enjoy ourselves on this excursion, but we definitely had big expectations that weren't met, and I think the tours could be arranged in a much more convenient way for everyone to enjoy their experience. If every company went to the three stop at different times, I think it would already be a better experience. If you still want to visit the islands of the region, which weren't spectacular in my opinion, but still worth a visit, I would recommend renting kayaks and going by yourself, at your own pace. You might not be able to go everywhere, but there are many islands that are easily reachable with a kayak and you would be able to avoid the crowded time slots of the tours.

All in all, Martinique is an amazing destination where you will find plenty of activities in nature, but also historic and cultural activities for the whole family. It is truly a destination that deserves to be discovered and that you should enjoy before it becomes popular.

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