The most beautiful natural sites to discover Atlantic Coast

Anse Azérot is an estate founded at the end of the 17^th century by Father Labat, who saw on this seashore the possibility to easily exploit lime kilns. The path goes along the ocean, its beaches and its high cliffs. It is very easy to get there and, by walking all along it, you will discover the remains of lime kilns… It is the best way to appreciate the island in all its splendor.

To get there: on the RN1, one kilometer before the town of Sainte-Marie, at the crossroads leading to the Sainte-Marie estate.

It's the story of a reopening: that of the former La Salle sugar factory, founded at the end of the ^17th century in Sainte-Marie, and which once produced pure sugarcane juice used to distill tafia, the ancestor of rum. Nestled in a magnificent tropical garden, Habitation La Salle offers a real trip back in time, and a lovely walk through its verdant surroundings. The dwelling was formerly known as the Survilliers sugar factory. It was owned by Claude de Laguarigue de Survilliers, born in 1668 on the island of Saint-Christophe. Driven out by the English in 1690, he took refuge in Martinique, settling in Sainte-Marie and marrying Luce de La Salle in 1695. Just before the French Revolution, in 1786, Jacques Guillaume Seguin de La Salle bought the house that today bears his name. After more than 3 years of restoration, the site reopened its doors in March 2021. Nearly three-quarters of the site's traceability has now been rediscovered, enabling us to share with visitors the history of sugar and agricultural rum in Martinique. During your visit (the audioguides are very well done), you can discover the boiler house and its chimney, the 2 paddle mills in operation, the sugar loaves, the guildhall, the stills and the ageing cellars. Take a look at the Maison du Café, home to a host of old machines. The tour ends with a tasting of the rums produced in collaboration with Saint-James: an organic white, a VSOP and XO.

Here you are in front of a hike of a good level (10 km - 2 hours of walk) which offers you a beautiful immersion in the green of the north of Martinique (hygrophilic vegetation, with breathtaking colors and possibility to meet a tarantula) but also the possibility to fly to the river for a moment of refreshment at the bend of a rather unknown path.

Take the Route de la Trace to the Fond-Saint-Denis Deux-Choux crossroads. Follow the D1 to the right until kilometre point 19. A small rustic sign indicates "Trace de Trous-Matelots vers Desgrange". You go into the forest on a path maintained by the ONF. No signpost. The altitude is 620 m. We descend slowly (tree ferns, bamboos and white gum trees). A few tens of meters later, a clearing with red porcelain roses and a small dreary covered with markers. On the left, you can hear the rumbling of a river: after a 200 m difference in altitude, you reach the Deux-Bras gully in 40 minutes.Two solutions: the short track (fork on the left and head towards Falaise-Isaïe) or take a right towards Duchesnetaux and cross the Lézarde river before joining the forest road la Palourde. It is better to take the first one because the second one is very busy. From coast 421 to coast 540, there is a 120 m slope (difficult ascent, unmaintained path, river): it leads to the national road. There are 4 km to go on the asphalt (the least pleasant part) to get back to the starting point.

Several packages are proposed by Luc, the master of the place. He will give you a detailed plastic map of the routes, a waterproof case to protect your belongings and off you go to discover the islets and the exceptional fauna and flora of this little piece of paradise. On your return, you will be able to use the showers and the locker room at your disposal. And to end this day in beauty, a small local snack. Luc also takes you on walks combining hiking and kayaking with an experienced guide.