The Vauclin Mountain, a getaway to the light

Welcome to the town of Vauclin, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, it is known for its particular spot for sliding sports and school (windsurfing, kyte surf, ….). This territory also has two beautiful beaches of white sand on the Macabou area, beaches popular for bivouacs to sleep) the beautiful star. Another activity, the Boucle du Vauclin, or the Trace des Caps whose starting point is the beach of Petit Macabou, both are hiking well known from walkers.

The beaches of Petit and Grand Macabou are part of a section of this famous hiking trail “The Trace of the Caps”. It can be broken down into 5 sections that when added all together give a route of 27 kilometers with at least 11 to 12 hours of walking. You will discover this beach during the first part (Petit Macabou- Cap Macré).

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

In terms of services, you will find in the Vauclin  a post office, distributors, many shops, restaurants and a waterfront service station at the entrance of the town.

Finally, let’s keep the best for the end, the biggest pride of the town is its “Mountain”, majestic, it rises to 504 meters above sea level. This made it the highest peak in the South of the island.

Itinerary

Two ways of cross allow to reach the summit of the “Mountain”. You have a first start of the climb which is in the district “Coulée d’Or” of the commune of the Vauclin.

The other departure is the one detailed in this article. The Way of the Cross located in the district “Rooster”, near the oratory and the bus shelter. The rise of the Way of the Cross will take you to an exceptional panorama of the Atlantic Ocean.

To get to the start of the hike, coming from Fort-de-France, take the main road of the island (A1 and N5) and take the exit towards the town of François (N6). After 10 to 15 minutes of road, you will arrive on the roundabout allowing you to go towards the commune of Saint-Esprit by the departmental road D16. Take this exit, drive for 10 minutes and take the provincial road D18 towards Vauclin. The road through the hills offers magnificent views towards the sea. You will arrive after 15 minutes at this bus shelter, turn left (“Chemin des Croix”), it is there.

If you come from the town of Vauclin, take the D5 departmental road towards the town of Saint-Esprit then the D18 departmental road towards the town of François.

To help you to get to the departure point you can take as reference nearby the Garden of the Mountain of Vauclin which can serve you as GPS reference point.

Park on the side of the road (in general you will easily find a place) and take the path on foot with starting point a white cross with the number 1.  You will have to go to the cross number 14 to reach the panoramic view on The Atlantic Ocean.

Montagne du Vauclin

Start of the hike

For this hike, I had decided to get up at night so I could observe the sunrise at the top of the “Mountain” of Vauclin. The video will be soon on our Youtube channel.

The path takes you on a grassy course with a height difference of more than 170 meters. The course measures 2 kilometers round trip. Starting at night with a headlamp, I climbed quite quickly in half an hour. This course can become difficult with the rain because the course becomes quite slippery with moisture. You will also need your arms to help you with the rope so you can climb at times during your ascent. It takes an hour to an hour and a quarter return.

Take the start of the hike along the house,

You will arrive quickly towards a grassy path, more and more steep, always trivialized by crosses and ribbed wooden posts. Use ropes to help you move forward and secure yourself if the terrain is slippery.

Do not hesitate to take breaks during your climb to enjoy the different views.

View of the Bay of Fort-de-France

View of the Morne Larcher – municipality of the  Diamant

When you arrive at the top of the climb and facing the cross number 8, you must go on your right and pass the sign announcing that you are at the top of the “Mountain” Vauclin (504 m).

Continue straight until you reach a ford with a chapel where you can put a candle. Follow it to your right, you will arrive at the level of a large cross, open your eyes and admire the panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean.

From the summit, you will have a magnificent 180 degree panorama!

Here are two more shots of the view of the Atlantic Ocean and its sunrise that you may have the opportunity to observe

Here is a link to the video of the sunrise from the Montagne du Vauclin on our Youtube channel

To go back take the path in the opposite direction and be careful when going down because you will have a high risk of slipping with the moisture of the soil and vegetation.

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 Equipment: Good pair of sneakers that grips or hiking shoes, hiking stick, sportswear, hiking bag (knife, flashlight, headlamp, k-way, cap, sunglasses, sunscreen).

Ø Health:

–   Difficulty: 5 out of 10, a rhythmic walk with a big difference in height over a short distance, possible with a baby carrier (be careful of slipping!) Or with children over 8 years old. –

–    Normally, always start hiking early in the morning. The heat during the day when even minimal sports activity can become quite stifling. –

–    Go at your rhythm and plan how much time you need depending on your physical condition. –

–    Most important thing, always have a bottle of water per person and a snack in your bag. With the heat, all fairly physical hikes can be dangerous with fatigue.

Others: you can go nearby, The Botanical Garden (open every day from 9h to 17h, 5 euros entry)

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.