The piton breaks heart, a 360 degree panorama!

Welcome to the town of Saint-Anne, located in the South of the island. The community of Sainte-Anne is known for its Club Med, its white sand beaches located on its territory (Grande and Petite Anse des Salines, Anse Caritan, Anse Meunier, Anse Michel, ….). Bordered by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, the territory of the municipality of Sainte-Anne offers many nautical activities because of its geolocation taking advantage of the Atlantic wind (windsurfing and Kyte surf for example) and turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.

In its village, the town offers a covered market, seaside restaurants and has in its center, a magnificent church (Church of Our Lady of St. Anne) classified historic monument and a walk “The Way of Calvary”. In terms of services, you will find a post office, distributors, many shops and a gas station at the entrance of the town.

This territory benefits from its attractive environment to invite you to discover beaches, hiking and seabed.

The town of Saint-Anne is the point of departure or arrival (Anse Caritan) of this great well known hike called “The Trace of the Caps”. It can be broken down into 5 sections that add up, give a route of 27 kilometers with at least 11 to 12 hours of walking.

• Petit Macabou – Cap Macré (5 km, 2h),
• Cap Macré – Cap Chevalier (7 km, 3h),
• Cap Chevalier – Baie des Anglais (6 km, 2h30),
• Anse Trabaud – Salines (5 km, 2h),
• Salines – Anse Caritan (4,5 km, 1h30)

Itinerary

To access the starting point of the hike, from Fort-de-France, join the A1 speedway then go towards the south of the island (N5). You will go through two roundabouts in the town of Ducos (activity zones) then two other roundabouts in the town of Rivière-Salée. Follow the direction of the municipality of Marin. After passing the town of Sainte-Luce then the town of Marin, turn right towards the town of Sainte-Anne (D9). Go past the gendarmerie and at the roundabout, always follow the direction of the town of Sainte-Anne. You will pass a new roundabout then it will remain on the lookout because you will have to take a left 500 meters further (Route Bareto). If you are going to the Moulin d’Or roundabout it is because you missed the road. Once on the road to Bareto, keep going straight for 5 minutes until you reach the Piton Crève-Coeur reception area. Ruins are located nearby.

Park on the reception area where you will find many places to park

Once parked, you will see a green and white barrier and an information sign indicating the direction to follow.

Le Piton Crève-Cœur

Starting point

The Piton Crève-Cœur hike is a land trail accessible to all the family and children over 6 years (depending on physical condition). The course is not sporty except at the end of the course. The ascent of the Piton lasts 45min to 1h and you will have to climb 1.3 kilometers with a positive elevation of 105 m. This ascent allows access to one of the most beautiful panoramas of the south of the island.

Pass the barrier and begin to climb slightly to the first ruins.

These are the ruins of the master’s house of the 18th century Sugar House.

A little of history….

This dwelling was part of the many sugar houses that existed in Martinique during the era of slavery. According to historians, it was equipped with the oldest steam generator on the island during the heyday of sugar production on the island. You can still admire the remains on this house through multiple paths around the Piton

Continue your way along the path that goes to the right of the ruins.

You pass a new undergrowth and will arrive to a new information panel telling you the way to follow.

You see other signs indicating other routes because the site is full of multiple walks.

Here you are on the difficult part of the course, follow the yellow marks and be careful not to approach the edge (photo of the panel above).

Once in the departmental forest of Little Versailles., you will have many stairs to cross to arrive in a short time on a first panorama. Idyllic place to watch a sunset on the woman lying down.

Continue climbing the stairs again to reach a fork. The right path leading to a first panorama is closed at the moment.

View from the first panorama

Take the path on the left to reach the summit at 180 meters altitude and admire the second panorama. A breathtaking 360 degree view.

An orientation table on the ground will allow you to orient yourself and identify the different places on the horizon.

The show is yours !

Click on this link to get a first look at this 360 degree view on our Facebook page.

Click on this link to get a first look at this 360 degree view on our Facebook page.

To return to the starting point, make a U-turn and go down the peak. If you are late afternoon, I advise you as I could do it, enjoy the sunset on the woman lying from the panorama with the bench.

Sunset from the Peak Heart Peak

Your turn to discover it now !

Tips,

Ø Circulation in Martinique:  During the weeks you will encounter many traffic jams from 7 a.m. to 9. 30 a.m. in the industrial and commercial areas. Especially mornings driving from south (Rivière Salée, N5) to the North (Fort-de-France, A1), but also East (Robert , N1) going North , you will find the same traffic jams every evening on the other side from 5 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. Tip, think of the way and time you want to travel in order not to lose time.

Ø Facilities: good pair of hiking shoes or tennis shoes bag with (knife, rain coat, lamp, hats or caps, sun glasses, sun cream and mosquito repellent).

Ø  Santé :

–           Difficuly :4 out of 10, a little sporty course (on the end of the course), can be done by the whole family. Watch out for slips while walking in the forest.

Normally, always start hiking at the earliest in the morning. The daytime heat during minimal sports activity can become quite stifling. This hike is largely in the shade

– Take your time and go as you wish, plan the time that you will need depending on your physical condition.

Important tip: always have a bottle of water per person and a snack in your bag.

Others : you can relax and go swimmimng on the different beaches, Anse Grosse Roche, Cap Macré, Les Salines. You can also visit the municipality Sainte-Anne.

Do not hesitate to post you commentaries or to ask for information on contact@domloisirsetculture.fr.

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Dom Loisirs et Culture at your service.

OLIVIER Damien, your humble guide.

The Dom Loisirs and Culture  team is committed to raising awareness of the protection of the biodiversity of the overseas departments.