Know before you go: cascades de didier in Martinique

1/3/2024 0 Comments

Know before you go: cascades de didier in Martinique

The French island of Martinique is filled with lush jungles, waterfalls and plenty of hiking and swimming opportunities, but when you research the best waterfall to hike to, you fall on Cascades de Didier very quickly. Unfortunately, the two waterfalls are located on private property, and because of that, the trail isn't clearly marked. There are also people who wonder if the site should be visited at all. The goal of this article is to give you all of the information so you can make your own decision.

what you need to know before you decide to go

Like I said earlier, the waterfalls are located on private property, but I do not mean on the land of anyone living there or on native land. This land is owned by a bottled water company because the river is used as a drinking water source. Again, I feel like I need to clarify, when I say drinking water source, I do not mean tap water, I mean it is treated and purified and then bottled to be sold in grocery stores. I have very limited knowledge of what it takes to treat water to make it drinkable, but I know we swim in rivers in Quebec that are drinking water sources for our tap water and it is fine, which is why I didn't personally see a problem with it. I might be wrong.

It is technically trespassing to visit, but the company tolerates visitors, to the point where a hiking trail, though not clearly marked, as been built to the first waterfall. The site is visited by locals and tourists alike and we asked multiple people, as I didn't want to impose and wanted the opinion of locals before visiting, and everyone, without exception, warmly encouraged us to go.

In the end, it is up to you to decide if you feel comfortable visiting or not. I personally had second thoughts about it up until we got there.

what to bring

If you are planning on hiking only to the first waterfall, you can wear sneakers and you will be perfectly fine. There are staircases and the trail is level and clear. I would still recommend a towel, watershoes, some kind of flashlight and a water bottle, but otherwise, you are good to go! If your goal is to see both waterfalls, I would recommend proper hiking boots that will be comfortable walking through water and will offer good protection for your ankles. You would be able to make it with sneakers, but considering that this is not a park, there are no rangers to come help you if you fall, I would say you are better safe than sorry. I would also recommend some snacks and at least one water bottle.

Some sun protection is always recommended, but honestly we were hidden by the trees almost the whole time and it was so hot and humid that sunscreen would have been pointless.

how to get there

On Google maps, there is an indication for the beginning of the trail, but it isn't exactly clear. You need to go in the direction of the Didier water plant. Just before you get there, about 200m before, on your left, there will be a big blue sign that says "ne marchons pas dans l'eau" with a trail right next to it. That's the trail you need to take. Don't look for any other indications, you won't find any! The trail goes down with steps all the way to the bottom of a ravine and back up and then you will get to a tunnel. If you are 10 minutes into your hike and haven't seen a tunnel, you are not on the right trail (it happened to us so I'm just trying to make it clear).

The tunnel is paved, but quite long and not lit, so this is where you will need that flashlight or your phone. We were told there could be some bats in the tunnel, but we didn't see any and the tunnel is pretty high so I don't think it would be problematic if there had been some. Don't take me wrong, it would have scared me, but I mean, we would have been able to walk under them without issue.

the first waterfall

Once you are through the tunnel, the trail is easy to follow to the first waterfall!

Honestly, just seeing the first one is already worth it. The waterfall is beautiful and falls in a blue bassin where you can go for a swim if you want. The water is pretty cold considering the heat of the jungle, but it is so refreshing and nice. There are also multiple rocks to lie on and people usually don't stay long as they are just on the way to the second waterfall, so it's not crowded at all.

the second waterfall

The hike to the second waterfall is a completely different ball game. If the first one was a piece of cake, this is a piece of whatever the heck is not simple! Don't get me wrong, it is totally doable, but you do need to pay attention where you are going and walking and if you consider a walk through Central Park to be a hike, then this is probably not for you. You have to climb on rocks and roots, you have to walk in the river in multiple places, you have to walk on a fallen tree, there are no indications whatsoever and it is hot. I personally had so much fun on this hike. It is way more demanding mentally than physically in my opinion. It is technical, but it takes about 30 minutes.

The second waterfall is sooooo worth it though! It is so much higher than the first one and so pretty. There is also a good size pool at the bottom if you want to swim and plenty of space to sit around for a snack or to relax before hiking back.

Honestly, I was unsure about going to Cascades Didier and we thought about it for the whole two weeks of our trip before committing to visiting on our next to last day on the island, but I don't regret it. I'm hoping the number of visitors helps find a way to protect this beautiful landscape so the generations to come can continue to visit and appreciate its beauty. What do you think? Would you visit Cascades de Didier or do you think it should be closed off and the access ban enforced?

YOUR CART