Pointe des Chateaux – a trip to Guadeloupe’s East

Today I’m gonna show you one of the most stunning places in Guadeloupe. Pointe des Chateaux is a peninsula which extends on the Eastern side of the island. On one side we can see the Caribbean Sea, while on another one the Atlantic Ocean spreads in front of us.

Let the name will not confuse you. There is no castle in this area (fr. chateaux means “castles”). Pointe des Chateaux, according to the official website of the place, took his name from the religious community of the Capuchins, who established their Parish of Castles on the island in XVII century.

Read more: The Ultimate Travel Guide to Guadeloupe.

Let’s begin the walk

Getting to the destination was really easy even with public transport. You can find some tips at the bottom of the post. Especially easy when you start from any city between Pointe-à-Pitre and Saint-François.

The well-described map of the trail can be found on the official website of Pointe des Chateaux. It’s really useful and you’ll find the link at the end of this page.

Amazing views start just on the car parking. The trail starts next to the beach, on the area covered with stones. From here you are able to see La Désirade – a Guadeloupe’s island, situated around 10 kilometers from Pointe des Chateaux.

But let’s go further! Before climbing to the highest point during this trip we need to cross the beautiful yet not so safe beach. At first, we were happy to take a bath just at the beginning of our walk, but we changed our minds. The Atlantic waves were really huge in this place and underwater stones efficiently scared us from going into the water.

After few whiles on the beach, we headed towards the hill. The end of the peninsula is formed of monumental rocks, which together with a hill create Pointe des Colibris. The first cross on its peak was built on 1951, recently replaced with a huge monument of 10 meters height.

Reaching the peak is relatively easy. The path on the hill is created of stone steps in most critical points so it’s well available. But you will not defeat it too simply without many stops caused by beautiful views.

The path of diversity

Fortunately, wonderful landscapes do not end at this point. While heading further we get a charming view of the other hill’s side. If you don’t feel all right with walking for next hour, you can return to the parking now. But we had no intention to do that, so we continued walking.

The path led us down from the hill, through meadows and stones to the lower point giving us a perfect view for the cross. We could observe a small azure window and waves sculpting the cliffs. The trail is well signed during the whole path so it’s almost impossible to get lost.

Into the sea

For the next few minutes, the path was leading along the stony beach. The landscape was changing from “wows” on each step to a nice walk among the island’s nature.

While we get closer to the seashore, we could meet more sea creatures. It even get harder to avoid them sometimes!

Looking for the final relief

The path of Pointe des Chateaux is pleasant, but also exhausting, because most of the path lead on the full sun and there is not much shadow there. But we bravely continued the walk looking for a beach promised by the map.

Finally, the path turned into the humble forest, where we could rest a little bit. And then we get to the main road leading to the parking! We already took it, when I found out that the path signs led forward into the wild. We were pretty sure it would take us to the beach, so we entered the “gate”.

And then we get lost.

The “gate” was leading to another trail going into the land, which was not our destination. Covered by forest we missed our beach and catch a kilometer or two.

But finally, we found our place! A lagoon created by rocks, where the shallow water was so warm as in a bath. That was a great place to chill after a walk.

This beach was located just next to the parking. So after some chilling time, you can simply get to your car or wait for a bus. We took that second option.

We made our waiting time sweeter by buying a coco sorbet on one of the sales stands. This kind of dessert is very popular among the streets on Guadeloupe. We mourned the single-use plastic cup this time to try this local delicacy.

Read more: 16 delicious meals, sweets and drinks you must try in the French Antilles!

How to get to Pointe des Chateaux?

This place is one of the easiest to reach on the island. Especially easy, when you travel by local transport.

The peninsula is located more than 20 minutes by car from Saint-François. You can take a direct bus from this city. It starts its route from the main bus station, next to fishery port.

Read more: Wanna rent a car in Guadeloupe? Check out my tips!

Sometimes the bus will look like a regular bus, sometimes it might be a 9-person van. So cameral!

The bus line is operated by Karu’lis – an official transport company on Grande-Terre (East part of Guadeloupe). Their timetable is published online and is more or less correct. You can find them HERE.

Pointe des Chateaux – useful tips:

• All of the traces that you can take are well described on the official website of this place. You can find them HERE.
• The main trace is labeled with a yellow color. You can find proper symbols on stones on the path.
• The main trace, and probably the most attractive, should take you 1,5 hour to achieve. Of course, it depends on your physical ability, but even more influencing will be the duration of stops that you’ll be doing so see all of the wonders.
• The trace is not really hard, so even children (at least few years old) and seniors will also be able to accomplish it. The only inconvenience could be the heat and lack of places to hide away from the sun.
• The path is most comfortable, but in a few places you’ll need to walk on stones, so flip-flops will not be the best idea. But sneakers will be enough. We had leather sailing shoes with the anti-slippery sole and they did it well.
• There are no standard shops in this place. Only a few stands with souvenirs, coco sorbet and maybe some meals. So be sure you’re equipped with water and some snacks to renew the energy.
• Be sure to take a swimsuit with you. At the end of the main trace, you’ll have an opportunity to take a bath in a peaceful and shallow lagoon.
• At the end of your journey, when you’ll see the bus after an hour of waiting, don’t run to it waving your hands. You will only scare the driver. He will stop to check what’s going on with you, and when you’ll buy a ticket and take a seat, he will drive just a few meters more to stop the bus and wait there for other passengers. So really, don’t be silly like we were, keep calm, he will stop for you in a right time and place.

I hope you like this post and find our tips useful! I am still at the beginning of my blogging journey so I will be grateful for your comments. And sharing will also do a job! So thank you in advance!

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Get to know Guadeloupe better:

• The 9 best things to do in Guadeloupe
• Climbing La Soufrière – the highest volcano in Guadeloupe
• The sensual trip to Deshaies Botanical Garden in Guadeloupe
• The Caribbean Packing List – what to pack for your dream vacation?
• Guadeloupe or Martinique: which island to choose for your perfect holidays?

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