Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Macouba

It is still possible to admire on both sides of the D10 the ruins of this old sugar house transformed into a distillery in the 19^th century and which faces the sea. The old chimney, still standing, indicates its location. Mill, boilers and evacuation pipes are still visible and evoke the rich past of its rum activity. The distillery stopped working in 1963. At the soccer field, take the path that crosses the banana and sugarcane fields: you will arrive at a temple dedicated to the goddess Mariamman.

Until the middle of the 19^th century, the habitations Chéneaux, Macouba and Bellevue formed a single entity that produced a wonderful tobacco. Of the Habitation, only two pillars remain, which mark the limits of the former domain. The land once dedicated to the cultivation of pétun (tobacco) is now devoted to bananas. A nice hike leads to a hermitage of the time, named La maison du Moine, today a center for seismic measurements. Discover the ruins of the former mansion buried under the vegetation.

One of the island's oldest distilleries. JM agricultural rums are one of Martinique's great vintages. In addition to a visit to the distillery, a stroll through the rum garden is a must. The walk begins in the cane garden, where you can discover the 3 varieties of hybrid cane selected for their quality and resistance to mechanical cutting: straw cane, blue cane and red cane. The garden features the typical square layout that once prevailed on cane plantations. The walk takes you past rich vegetation, the result of exceptionally fertile soil and a cross-fertilization of species. In the rum garden, flowers, aromatic plants, shrubs, lianas and tall trees embody the delicious scents that develop during the metamorphosis of sugar cane and the aging of rums.

As you make your way along the trail, you'll be immersed in the typical scents of JM rums. Coffee, cocoa, guava, pineapple, breadfruit, lemon, citron...: the trail blends indigenous plants, present before the arrival of the first settlers, with domesticated plants, brought by Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and then Indians. The spice garden (basil, lemongrass, ginger, pepper, chili, Indian wood, cinnamon, vanilla...) rubs shoulders with ornamental plants (lilies, gardenia, jasmine, datura, ylang-ylang...). At the end of this enchanting stroll, drop by the boutique for a tasting of the divine nectars produced on site.