MONT GRAND MATOURY - SENTIER DE LA MIRANDE
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Mont Grand-Matoury : at 234 m, this is the highest hill on the island of Cayenne. The 2,700-hectare forest has been regularly logged since the 17th century. Wood from the forest fed the boilers of the Mirande distillery (the ruins on the Matoury road), and the slopes, once cleared, were planted with sugar cane, destined for the Mirande factory, then the Rémire factory until 1984.
The Mirande forest: in 1942, it was classified as a forest reserve by a decree issued by the colonial administration at the time. An arrêté de conservation de biotope (biotope conservation order) was signed on April 11, 1994, covering the entire mountain, which is also classified as a Znieff (natural zone of ecological, faunistic and floristic interest).
The Mirande nature trail is probably one of the most beautiful walks you can do around Cayenne in 3 hours. A path winds its way through Mont Grand-Matoury, a nature reserve populated mainly by birds. Encounters with wildlife are frequent, but it's at sunrise and sunset that the chances of spotting macaws, toucans or sloths are greatest. The Paypayo trail (2.5 km loop) takes you through a primary forest rich in biodiversity. The "Cascades" trail (2.8 km loop) follows the small waterfalls of the Mancelière creek. Allow 2 to 3 hours for both trails.
Impossible d'accéder en voiture (ni même en 4x4) jusqu'au 1er panneau donc la balade se trouve plus longue que prévue. Car ensuite il faut encore accéder à l'endroit où on choisit sa boucle ! Bref, c'est une rando avant la rando ;)
Ensuite ça se fait même si on n'est pas sportif mais c'est fatiguant quand même quand on ne fait rien de l'année. Il faut sans cesse regarder ses pieds, ce n'est pas la promenade tranquille la tête en l'air (dommage car on doit louper des choses là-haut... !).
Super sympa à faire. Avons vu des morphos, un très gros papillon, un gros iule, des lézards et petits varans, de jolies grenouilles et une magnifique Terra Fossa (big mygale) près de la cascade.