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EXCURSION #2 The South of Grande-Terre |
Points of Interests: Beaches, windmills, the Atlantic coast, fishing ports, surfing spots, sugar cane fields, sugar cane factory and distillery, museum, Les Grands-Fonds.
Itinerary : Marina, le Gosier, Sainte-Anne, Saint-François, Pointe des Châteaux, Le Moule, Les Grands-Fonds, Les Abymes, Pointe-à-Pitre.
Closed by :
* Golf Village Hotel
* Le Vallon Residence
The Finish Line of La Route du Rum
On the outskirts of Pointe-à-Pitre, the Marina, with its narrow bay, is well-known as the finish line to navigators participating in La Route du Rhum race. Walk around and visit the shops and restaurants, then take off for the mangrove and Caret Islet (Grand-Cul-de-Sac Marin). A little further on, you will discover the splendid Aquarium of Guadeloupe (the largest of the lesser Antilles) where you can learn about the fauna in the Caribbean. Further along, you will come to Fort Fleur-d'Epée (history and architecture) which overlooks N4 and offers a wonderful view of Gosier Bay and the Petit-Cul-de-Sac Marin.
Dolce Vita on the Riviera
With its succession of hotels and magnificent beaches, la Riviera will lead you to La Pointe des Châteaux and Le Moule: in Saint-Anne, visit the public beach, Caravelle Beach - known as "the Club Med beach", or Bois Jolan Beach a little furtherdown the road. In Saint François,you will find les Raisins Clairs beach and lagon Beach as weIl. In Le Moule, there is the unassuming yet wild le beach of l’Autre Bord as weIl as la Baie Beach. At La Pointe des Châteaux you will discover L'Anse à la Gourde and L'Anse à l'Eau beaches and the nudist beach at Pointe Tarare. From Gosier take a short ride in a Saintoise to Gosier Islet. For you to choose!
While Gosier is totally dedicated to tourism, the sea resorts of Sainte-Anne and Saint-François have conserved their charms of the past : the vestiges of windmills line the road connecting the two towns and traditional fishing methods remain. (there is a small market on entering Sainte-Anne and the Port of Sajnt-François)
From Sainte-Anne to Saint-François
In Sainte-Anne visit the church designed by Ali Tur, with its beautiful collection of tender and moving commemorative offerings left by the faithful at the foot of their preferred saints. After a stop in the Courcelles Gardens (numerous tropical flowers), take time to discover the two distinct areas of Saint-François : the first with tourist sites lnternational golf, Marina where you can compete against the islanders of la Désirade), and the charming village( With old cases (houses) still "alive" after the cyclone Hugo of 1989, market and fishing port). Take note of the recent discoveries of Amerindian vestiges and "pagan" cemetery, (Information from the Office of Tourism, next to the Marina, avenue de l'Europe.)
Brittany in the Tropics
Depart from Saint-François for la Pointe des Châteaux (D118). As the strip of land becomes narrower, the vegetation becomes stunted, dried-out under almost permanently sunny skies, strong winds from the Atlantic and salt spray. While beautiful “ Brittany ” beach is reserved for expert surfers, bathers will prefer a dip in the calm salt waters on the northern coast of the point. La Désirade can be seen on the horizon and looks like an overturned canoe.
Windmills and Sugar Factories
Leavlng the coast along route N5 will lead you to Le Moule as it climbs and rapidly enters the privileged domain of sugar cane fields and animal rearing which stretches to the extreme north of Grande-Terre.The oxcarts “ cabrouets ” filled with harvested sugar cane, are being replaced more and more by motorised vehicles. You will notice the vestiges of windmills here and, there. Don't miss the sugar factory chimney (the factory no longer exists) along the Zevalos road, and the majesfic colonial style house probably built by the Gustave : Eiffel workshop (the,house is private and not open to the public.)
Le Moule, The Sugar Cane Capital
In Le Moule, be sure to stop off and admire the neo-classical facades of the church (unique in Guadeloupe and a classified historical monument)There are beautiful cases (houses) to discover here with some covered with essente, (very rare), along with the straight streets, the vestiges of ancient battery (at l’Embarcardère) and the ambience of this ancient capital of the island.
A few miles away from Le Moule (N5), on the road to Sainte-Marguerite, (direction Petit-Canal- D123) stop off at La Rosette With its interesting museum Edgar Clerc, dedicated to Amerindian artifacts.
Return through Les Grands.-Fonds
The return route goes through les Grands-Fonds ( D101, between Château-Gaillard and David, just before Les Abymes), spectacular with overlapping valleys and mornes (small hills). The descendants of the "Blancs Matignon" came to live in this area which was the agricultural center of Pointe-à-Pitre for a long time. They were a small population of Europeans who wanted to escape, the problems and horrors of the fight to abolish slavery.
Return to Pointe-à-Pitre on N5 which links the capital to the Pôle Caraïbes International Airport, the most modern of the Antilles and symbol of the island’s importance in the Carribean.
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