Welcome to the municipalities of Trinité and Sainte-Marie, located to the east of the island of Martinique on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
The town of Sainte-Marie is known for its distillery, the Habitation Saint-James, and its church “Notre-Dame de l’Assomption” which sits at the top of a staircase which dominates the town. Within the town, you will find in terms of services a covered market (next to Passage Tombolo), banks, gas station and post offices. Seaside restaurants are also present in the town to delight in local flavors. In terms of activity, in addition to visiting the rum factory and its train tour through the banana plantations, hikes and beaches are located near this town. Swimming is prohibited near Passage Tombolo because the currents there are too dangerous, but the Anse Azerot beach will allow you to enjoy a swim in a magnificent setting. This is the last beach suitable for swimming in the North Atlantic before arriving in the town of Grand’Rivière (Sinaï Beach).
The town of Trinité is known for its beaches and its surf spot (Tartane), its fish market and its Hardy distillery, created in 1830 and bought by Gaston Hardy in 1905.
Within the town, you will also find in terms of services a covered market, banks, gas station and post office.
There are also many hikes to do in this area, including one of the best known in Martinique, the magnificent Caravelle Peninsula hike or the Cosmy-Belle Etoile hike that I am showing you today.
Itinerary
To reach the starting point of the hike, leaving from Fort-de-France, join the A1 expressway then exit towards the commune of Robert (N1). From this exit, allow a 45-minute drive, follow the direction of the communes of Robert, Trinité then Sainte-Marie. On the road to Sainte-Marie (after 15 minutes), you will need to watch for the sign on your right (below) towards Cosmy beach (Pointe Rivière Salée).
On this road, continue straight then take a path on the right passing next to fields and taking you towards the starting point of the hike (near “Cosmy Plage de Trinité”.
The starting point is at a junction a little before Cosmy beach. Park nearby on the side of the road. You won’t have too much trouble finding a place along the road at this level.
Cosmy-Belle Etoile Hike
The Cosmy-Belle Etoile hike takes you to discover the coastline on the Atlantic side between the towns of Trinité and Sainte-Marie. Magnificent panoramas will follow one another as you progress through this vegetation laid down by the trade winds. The trail is accessible to the whole family (children over 8 years old and depending on physical condition) and covers 10.4 kilometers (round trip) with a round trip walking time of 4 to 5 hours. You will have a positive altitude difference on the way out of 145 m with slight climbs to climb at Le Morne and Les Pointes. If there are several of you, choose to put a vehicle on each side of the hike to avoid having to return on foot.
Tip: If there are several of you, consider putting a car at each starting point of the hike to make it easier for you to return if you don’t want to walk again in the other direction.
Alternate starting and ending point of the article
Once parked, take the path in front of you (towards the red cabins, photo) and follow the shore of Anse Richer. You will see many seaside cabins where people like to gather with their families on weekends to enjoy the pleasant setting.
Walk along the shore along the beach, passing near the houses to reach Luciole beach.
You can take a closer look at Morne Bataillon and its woods lying in the distance.
Catch up with the back beach road to continue your walk towards a small path providing access to the ascent of Morne Bataillon.
View of Saint-Aubin Islet
Once the path has descended, pass by the cabin to begin the ascent of Morne.
Ascent of Morne Bataillon
Arriving at the top of Le Morne, you will have one of the many magnificent panoramas offered by this hike.
Click on this link to have a first video preview of the panorama on our Facebook page.
After admiring the view of the Saint-Aubin islet, go back down the hill towards the next beach, Anse Azerot.
You are on the beach of Anse Azerot, follow it along the road to reach the rest of the hike.
Proceed to the end of the road then pass behind the restaurant until you reach an asphalt road. This path goes up to a gate of a housing estate located in the heights of this cove.
Arriving at this closed gate, go to the right of it. Climb the steps to reach the level of the housing estate that you will have to cross to reach the rest of the path.
Do not pay attention to signs prohibiting passage.
Arriving at the top, immediately turn right, then continue straight ahead to find the exit from the housing estate.
Once out of the housing estate, follow the road until you reach a junction going off to the right.
At this level, take the right path.
Once on this path, be careful not to miss the path which goes on the left towards the beach of Anse Dufour.
Path not to be missed on the left of the road (below)
However, you can continue to go down the road to enjoy the panorama of Trou Domingue and the Anse like me. You will have to retrace your steps to continue the hike and take the path (photo above).
Back to the hike, the path taken plunges you into back beach vegetation descending towards the Cove. Be careful of roots and slippery terrain.
Anse Dufour
The rest of the route is located a little further on your left and takes you to the ascent towards Pointe Lahoussaye.
Once at the top of the hill, you can enjoy the different panoramas available to you near Pointe Martineau.
Click on this link to have a first video preview of the panorama on our Facebook page.
The rest of the hike is on your left, a path which runs alongside a fence allows you to head towards Pointe Lahoussaye.
Different panoramas present themselves to you through the lying and xerophilous vegetation.
Get closer to the Pointe to admire the view.
At Pointe Lahoussaye, retrace your steps and take the path on the right going up to an orientation table.
The path continues in the middle of the vegetation and you quickly arrive at a next rise on your right (if you wish) which you can climb to get a closer look at the Virgin of the Seafarers.
A path also leaves on the left and takes you back down towards the oxen pens. Turn right at the bottom of the slope and follow the parks to the end point of your hike.
The panorama is also magnificent with the colors of the terrain and the ocean on the horizon.
Click on this link to have a first video preview of the panorama on our Facebook page.
A few more minutes to arrive at the entrance to the town of Sainte-Marie.
You are now in front of the trail information board.
After a short break to hydrate and snack on something, for the bravest, it’s time to head back to the starting point.
It’s up to you to discover it now!
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En termes de conseils, In terms of advice, Ø Traffic in Martinique: During the week, you will face traffic jams around industrial or commercial areas, particularly in the morning, in the direction of the South (Rivières Salée, N5) towards the North (Fort-de-France, A1) and from the East (Robert, N1) to the North (Fort-de-France, A1), from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and vice versa at the end of the evening from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Think about your journey the day before in order to adapt to this traffic which can be heavy and easily cause you to waste time. Ø Equipment: Good pair of grippy sneakers or hiking shoes, hiking pole, sports outfit, hiking bag (knife, flashlight, headlamp, k-way, cap, sunglasses, sunscreen). Ø Health: – Difficulty: 6 out of 10, paced walk with elevation changes over short distances, possible with a baby carrier or with children over 8 years old (depending on physical condition). The heat can make this hike quite sporty. – In normal times, always start hiking as early as possible, the heat during the day during minimal sporting activity can become quite stifling. – Go at your own pace and plan the time it will take depending on your physical condition. – The most important thing, always a bottle of water per person and something to snack on in your bag. With the heat, any fairly physical hikes can be dangerous with fatigue.
Miscellaneous: you can enjoy the different beaches of the hike, notably that of Anse Azerot which has a seaside restaurant. You can also take advantage of your presence not far from Sainte-Marie to visit the Habitation Saint-James, the Museum de la Banane or even cross the Passage Tombolo. Other hikes also exist nearby, such as the Forêt La Philippe.
Do not hesitate to post you commentaries or to ask for information on contact@domloisirsetculture.fr. Subscribe on our page on Facebook, where you will discover a new article or video every week. Dom Loisirs et Culture at your service. OLIVIER Damien, your humble guide. |
2 Comments
BONY Patricia · Wednesday February 12th, 2020 at 10:48 AM
Bonjour Damien, merci mille fois pour toutes ces explications dans vos articles, nous allons faire cette rando, je ne comprends pas très bien, vous dites :
Une fois sortie du lotissement, suivez la route jusqu’à une bifurcation partant sur la droite.
Une fois sur ce chemin, attention à ne pas louper le chemin qui part sur la gauche vers la plage d’Anse Dufour.
Faut-il prendre la bifurcation sur la droite ou continuer tout droit ?
J’adore votre blog, une suggestion, je regrette que l’on ne puisse pas imprimer en PDF (je recopie sur Word), je n’ai pas internet sur mon tel.
Bonne continuation, continuez de nous faire découvrir de superbes ballades.
Cordialement.
PATRICIA
OLIVIER Damien · Wednesday February 12th, 2020 at 11:06 AM
Bonjour, tout d abord merci milles fois egalement pour vos compliments sur le blog ;).
Concernant la randonnée, en sortant du lotissement vous arrivez à une bifurcation identifiée sur la photo avec le poteau électrique et la boite à lettre juste à côté. Prenez ce chemin de droite qui vous fait descendre vers l Anse Dufour. Sur ce chemin qui descend, vous avez un passage sur la gauche identifiée par la photo suivante. C est par ce chemin que vous poursuivez la randonnée. Ca sera plus facile à observer lors de votre parcours. Je vais mettre des légendes sous les deux photos que vous verrez sur l article en vous connectant sur le blog.
N hesitez pas si toutefois à me recontacter. Bonne découverte et à bientôt !
OLIVIER Damien.