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Martinique Southern Caribbean Hikes |
Galocha to Pagerie
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Time: 2.5 hours one way. Difficulty: 2-3. Trailhead: Taking D7, drive across Trois-Ilets and to Galocha. Just after a riding stable, facing the school, the trail begins: the concrete road toward the antennas of the TDF. This is one of the trails crossing the town of Trois-Ilets, leading to the summit of Morne Bigot before descending toward Pagerie. The trail is driveable at first, joining a second route 1.5km away. Both lead to Morne Bigot. Take the one going straight ahead. After an alley of coconut palms, you'll arrive at a path along a fence. The slope is relatively steep. Climb to the crossing and take a left, since the right leads to Anses d'Arlet. Continue your ascent and enjoy the variety of plant life in this humid area: bamboo, breadfruit, cocoa and tamarind trees, and rose apples. You'll pass by the remains of a building formerly used by hunters. Twenty meters farther, you'll see a second camp in worse shape than the first. Here the slope is less steep. You'll arrive near a TV relay surrounded by enormous rocks. From here you can see Morne Larcher, Morne Gentil, and the coastline of neighboring St. Lucia. It's about 45 minutes to the summit of Morne Bigot, where the main antenna stands. This magnificent panorama encompasses the Salty River (Riviere Salee); the Pottery Works of Trois-Ilets; Lamentin and part of its industrial zone; Fort-de-France and its harbor, overlooked by the peaks of Carbet and Mandoline Island. You'll now come out onto a road, turn right, walk some 20 to 30 meters before taking a path on the right. (The road itself leads to Anses d'Arlet.) After 1.5 hours you'll reach a small clearing where 2 calabash trees are standing -- a good place for a rest and a drink of water. Continuing your descent, the trail goes around Morne Bigot and through a forest of India wood, sea grape, pimento, logwood and sweet pea. Note how the vegetation differs on the two slopes of Morne Bigot: this one is much dryer. When you arrive at another crossroad, take the right. Look-- don't touch--these mangos, especially if it is mango season. The proprietors do not permit free samples. After two hours, the path becomes a wide and uncompleted road. A half-hour later you'll see Croc-Souris River, the end of the trail.
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