The commune of Saint-Claude, where “Les Bananes Vertes” ecolodges are located, is just 30 minutes from the Trois-Rivières landing stage, the ideal starting point for a trip to Les Saintes and, more specifically, the island of Terre-de-Haut.
Today, I'd like to take you on a tour of this island, which I'm particularly fond of. Are you ready? We're off in the direction of Trois Rivières to catch the boat to Terre-de-Haut. For those who want to make the most of the scenery during the crossing, I'd advise you to sit outside (where possible), but watch out for the spray - you're liable to get wet! After a thirty-minute crossing, we arrive in the Bay of Les Saintes, classified by UNESCO as one of the 10 most beautiful bays in the world. It's time to get off the boat and make the most of our day.
The island of Terre-de-Haut isn't very big, but if you want to discover it fully without hurrying, I recommend renting a scooter, an electric bike or even an electric cart, and especially booking in advance. Once we've collected our means of transport, it's time to head off in the direction of Fort Napoléon.
Open only in the mornings, this fort offers a 360° view of the bay of Les Saintes, the ilet à Cabrit, the island of Terre-de-Bas, Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante and even Dominica on sunny days!
Built in 1867, on the ruins of Fort Louis, an ancient fort destroyed in 1809 during the battle of Les Saintes against the English, Fort Napoléon was transformed into a museum in 1976 and classified as a historic monument in 1997. As you can see, it's a must-see in Terre-de-Haut.
Once we've finished visiting the fort, we head off to the beaches. I've got my favorites, which I'll tell you about below, so all you have to do is choose the ones you want to visit.
- Pompierre beach, large and shady with its many coconut palms, is for me one of the most beautiful beaches on the island.
- Anse Mire beach, facing the bay, is best known for its access to the wreck of the Lindy. Put on your flippers, mask and snorkels and set off to discover this former ferry boat, which was deliberately sunk. Rest assured, the wreck has been cleaned so as not to pollute the seabed.
- Pain-de-Sucre beach, at the western end of the island, is a small beach accessible only on foot or by boat, with a seabed worthy of an aquarium. So get out your masks, get set, swim!
- La plage du bourg, this small beach boasts a number of toes-in-the-sand restaurants and a sublime view over the bay of Terre-de-Haut, while the fishermen's boats, moored to await the next trip, give this beach even more charm.
After soaking up the sun, it's time to head for the landing stage, as it's almost time for the return boat. Before boarding, I recommend stopping off at Cesibon, the ice cream parlour just before the landing stage, and sampling one of their marvellous homemade ice creams!
And don't forget to try the “tourments d'amour”, a speciality of Les Saintes. These little cakes were originally baked by fishermen's wives to bring them a little comfort on their return from fishing.
This is where our escapade in Terre-de-Haut comes to an end, as we board the boat that will take us back to Trois-Rivières after a busy day.