Things to Do in North Martinique in One Day

As we mentioned in our previous articles, we had to make some choices about what to do in Martinique, but we really wanted to visit the Balata Garden, catch a glimpse of Mount Pelée and drive the Route de la Trace. Enough to fill a long day in North Martinique!

We’ll admit it was a bit of a marathon day – the next day, we had a well-deserved rest on the beach ^^! If you have more than a week, unlike us, we’d recommend spending a little more time exploring the north of Martinique!

Here is our itinerary to explore North Martinique in one day, from Fort-de-France to Anse Couleuvre, via the Balata Garden, the Route de la Trace and Saint-Pierre…

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What to see in North Martinique: our top things to do

Fort-de-France

I’d spotted a few beautiful buildings to see, as well as the market, which I couldn’t wait to discover! So we set off very early on Sunday morning for the island’s capital.

As it was Sunday, we knew the buildings would be closed, but we could still admire them from the outside… According to the internet, the market was supposed to be open… Unfortunately, it wasn’t… A word of advice: don’t trust the opening hours you find online, they’re far from reliable! (The same thing happened to us at other places.)

The city is deserted – everyone is at church. In the streets, a few homeless people and some shady characters who look like they’ve been drinking for weeks… The mix gives the city a rather gloomy feel… Even though the little streets are quite charming, with colourful cottage-like buildings that make you feel like you’re in a village, the atmosphere makes us leave fairly quickly…

Heading towards the Balata Garden, 10 km away, we climb above the city and drive past colourful houses clinging to the hillside, which remind me a little of Rio de Janeiro and its favelas…

We then take the Route de la Trace and are supposed to drive past the Balata church, but the GPS has other ideas… We quickly reach our next stop: the Balata Garden.

The Balata Garden

This botanical garden was created in 1982 by Jean-Philippe Thoze, a horticulturist and landscape designer. Having come back to his grandparents’ land, he developed a passion for botany. Once you’ve paid the entrance fee (€16, price updated in October 2026), you follow a landscaped trail through the garden. Trees, flowers, plants – everything is labelled and beautifully kept… It’s really stunning… A picture is worth a thousand words!

A word of advice: stay in the middle of the path… We spotted a huge tarantula… and I (Cécilia) am arachnophobic! I’ll let you imagine the scene!

The Route de la Trace

This road was built by the Jesuits in the 18th century and runs from Fort-de-France to Ajoupa-Bouillon… It offers stunning scenery as it crosses the Pitons du Carbet and winds through incredibly lush rainforest, where you’ll see fifty shades of green: huge century-old trees, vines everywhere, ferns…

The Saut du Gendarme waterfalls

We knew it was nearby, but we actually ended up there by chance! A pretty little waterfall right on the Route de la Trace, a few cats, all surrounded by the lush vegetation we mentioned earlier.

Saint-Pierre

We arrive in Saint-Pierre and decide to have lunch there… Luckily we didn’t wait for the next stop, as there’s absolutely nothing at Anse Couleuvre! A magnificent view of the horizon, delicious Martinican food… What more could you ask for?
We caught a glimpse of the town’s famous ruins, but didn’t stop.

Anse Couleuvre

After driving a few kilometres along a potholed road, the air becomes even more humid and we reach a dead end in the middle of the jungle. From here, there’s a hiking trail up Mount Pelée (given the heat and our short stay on the island, we gave the hikes a miss), or a path leading to the famous Anse Couleuvre. But first, you have to continue on foot through the jungle, past some old ruins…

As our minds started to wander, wondering why there were ruins in the middle of the jungle, the distant sound of the waves reminded us that it was the sea we were looking for…

Some say it’s one of the most beautiful beaches in Martinique. Others aren’t so keen, given its location.
As for us, we rather liked it: its unusual setting, its black sand… However, the weather of the previous days (or perhaps simply its proximity to Mount Pelée) made the sea a little rough when we visited… So no swimming, but a few lovely shots of this wild volcanic sand beach…

The west coast

After all these adventures, we only wanted one thing: a swim somewhere else! So we drive along the coast in search of the Holy Grail, enjoying the magnificent sea views…

Carbet beach

This is where our quest ends: a good hour of swimming in this idyllic setting to round off our day in North Martinique… We then leave Carbet beach along the seafront, with gorgeous scenery alternating between coastline and greenery… The next day, we’ll recover from this exhausting day at Les Salines beach!

If you have more time

Short on time, we had to skip several of the north’s highlights… Mount Pelée, which we only saw from a distance, can be climbed in a half-day hike from the Aileron car park in Morne-Rouge: from its 1,397-metre summit, the view is said to be incredible on a clear day. In Saint-Pierre, take the time to visit the ruins and the Memorial to the 1902 disaster, which tells the story of the eruption that wiped the town off the map. Rum lovers can also stop at the Depaz distillery, at the foot of the volcano.

On the Atlantic side, the Gorges de la Falaise in Ajoupa-Bouillon and the village of Grand-Rivière, at the very end of the northern road, are also well worth a detour. And if you fancy some time at sea, don’t miss a boat trip to see dolphins in Martinique – one of our best memories of the island!

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Our favourite part of this day in North Martinique? The stunning Balata Garden, but also simply the variety of breathtaking landscapes along the way: mountains, lush greenery, black sand beaches, the sea, nature everywhere…

FAQ: things to do in North Martinique