The Pointe des Châteaux et l’Anse à la Gourde

Welcome to the municipality of Saint-François, located southeast of Grande-Terre. This coastal town is a popular destination for boaters and visitors who enjoy the many white sand beaches and seaside restaurants.

Also known as a spot that have to be visited in Guadeloupe, the Pointe des Châteaux is also one of the starting points to the Désirade Islands, Marie-Galante or Petite Terre through its ferry terminal.

In its village, the town offers a weekly covered market (local and artisanal products) and restaurants by the sea. In terms of services, a post office, distributors, many shops and a gas station are located at the entrance of the village.

This territory takes advantage of its attractive environment to invite you to discover these many beaches and known spots on and near this territory (islands).

The Pointe des Châteaux is a wonderful site not to be missed during your stay on the Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe. This decor eroded by the winds from the Atlantic and by the waves of the Ocean offers you an undeniably incomparable panorama in Guadeloupe. The view next to the mission cross that dominates this place is incredible, you will see the surrounding islands and the hinterland to the shadow of Basse-Terre.

Itinerary

To reach the beach, from Pointe-à-Pitre, join the N1 expressway towards Le Gosier. You will join the N4 road that will take you along the South coast of Grande-Terre. You will cross the town of Sainte-Anne and Saint-François, going towards the golf course or the aerodrome of the town. The signs will show you the route to follow. The long straight line to Pointe can last a few minutes before you see the parking lot.

Park on the parking lot or along the road .. You will eventually have trouble finding a place especially in high season.

Tip: Take precautions and leave early to enjoy this place in a more intimate way. The idea of a sunrise at the top of the Pointe des Châteaux is the best thing that I really recommend. Click on this link to discover our video!

As soon as you get out of the car, the landscape will captivate you with these rocks, waves and white sandy beaches in the distance. This panorama is beautiful and you will have only one desire, put your feet in these natural blue baths.

La Pointe des Châteaux

A larger, less sheltered beach is located along the promenade leading to the summit of Pointe. You can undertake to go through this beach or either by inland

If you go inland, you will find this sign indicating the direction to follow towards the Pointe des Châteaux

The walk is not very long and does not present any particular difficulties. Its elevation gain will make you slightly sweat if the sun is at its zenith. The way must be approximately 2 kilometers round trip. It is accessible to all the family and it is possible to take young children there using a baby carrier.

Here you are at the summit of the Pointe at 40m high with 360-degree panoramas. Allow yourself the time to admire the hinterland, the waves crashing on the rocks and the surrounding islands (The Desirade, Petite Terre, Marie-Galante).

Désirade Island

Click on this link to have a first video preview of the panoramas on our Facebook page.

For the return take the same path or you can go by the Pointe la Chaise where there is a blower (hole in the rock by where the waves expel jets of water).

End of your walk, you can relax on the surrounding beaches and in particular the beach of Anse à la Gourde that offers the possibility of snorkeling in a basin protected by the swell caused by the trade winds.

Go to your car and go backwards, the entrance to this beach will be on your right after 5 minutes drive

Click on the photo above to check what you could see while snorkeling

As you can see in the pictures above, the beach has few places in the shade. Think, if you do with the family in particular, to provide the protections for children with sun cream index 50 or lycra. The sun is harmful between 10 am and 2 pm.

Enjoy now a well-deserved break, that is what we call vacations

Tips,

Ø Circulation in Guadeloupe: During the week, you will face traffic jams around the Jarry area, especially in the morning, in the direction of Gosier towards Pointe-à-Pitre or Petit-Bourg to Pointe-à-Pitre and vice versa. late afternoon. Think about your journey to adapt to this traffic that can be dense and make you lose time easily.

Ø Equipment: Tennis shoes for walking, tap, swimsuit, towel, beach bag (knife, k-way, cap, sunglasses, sunscreen, mosquito repellent), mask, palm and snorkel.

Ø Health:
– Difficulty: 2 out of 10, walk possible for the whole family (baby carrier). Watch out for strong sun exposure, the heat during the day even during minimal sports activities can become quite stifling.

– Quality of the swimming area (Pointe des Châteaux and Anse à la Gourde): Excellent (Source: Ministry of Health, see map);

– Accessibility: Easily by car and little walk, no disabled access;

– Sunscreen mandatory because the beach is well exposed to the sun, think even Lycras for children and adults;

– Most important thing, always a bottle of water per person and a snack in your bag

Various: you can enjoy the other beaches near the town (Raisins Clairs Beach, ….) or go shopping in the covered market of the town (spices, jewelry and other local produce, …).

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.