The Matouba Hot Baths

We took advantage of the May long weekends to get back to hiking in Guadeloupe. We’ve just shared with you the short story of a superb waterfall: the Matouba Waterfall, magnificent, very short and very nice.

Don’t really ask me why, but we had decided to follow up with the hike that leads to the Matouba hot baths. Even though we live in Saint-Claude, we had never been there before. Well, I’m going to keep it short today in this article because, between us, the point of going there is more than limited, unless you want to stretch your legs…

We also have a page on the site dedicated to hikes in Guadeloupe!

But I still decided to tell you about it in this short article, so you know what to expect. It was nice to do with the kids, who really burned off some energy, but if you’re looking for hot springs in Guadeloupe, there are much better ones, nicer / more beautiful and easier to access than these hot baths, which are now nothing more than “showers”… and that’s still saying a lot! I’m thinking in particular of the Bains Jaunes, at the foot of La Soufrière.

Before telling you about the hike itself, there is one thing you need to know. There are two hiking trails that start from two different places. The first starts from the Matouba forest house and the other from Papaye, behind the Les Eaux-Vives Clinic. For the details, we find about:

• From Papaye: 2.7 km one way, about 1h30
• From Matouba: 3.1 km one way, about 2h

We initially planned to start from Matouba, but the kids were already tired, so we chose Papaye, as the route is said to be slightly shorter.

As I was saying, we left from the village of Papaye. In four years of living here, it was the first time we’d come to this area… it’s really out there, at the very end of the road! We were able to park at the top of the street that climbs behind the Les Eaux-Vives Clinic, but you can also park at the bottom and walk up: it’s short.

We therefore start this walk on the trail, rather well indicated, right in front of us. We follow the track on Maps.me, the app that allows you to find your way offline: it works well. We first walk through fields, on a very slippery clay path; it’s not far from an ice rink. I almost smashed my camera on the ground…

This start of the walk through the fields is rather nice. Turning around, in good weather (rather rare here, haha), you have a beautiful sea view! We cross quite thick fern fields, proof that maybe there aren’t that many people who pass on this side, right? The other side seems much more frequented, given the number of cars parked. We then enter the undergrowth. It’s pleasant: the trail crosses, along the side of the hill, the forest, and, as always, nature is superb. By keeping your eyes open, you can observe quite a few things, certainly classic here but always nice: tons of epiphytes, various birds, hummingbirds, beautiful ferns or even those famous angel hair, those greenish mosses as long as hair that hang on the trunks and branches everywhere. One thing is sure: it’s really very humid around here.

The trail crosses ravines in several places; you therefore need to watch where you put your feet, because some areas are really sensitive and you can see that the trees and certain sections of the mountain can quickly slide. After about forty-five minutes, you cross the “Ravine Chaude” which, as its name does not indicate, is cold, haha! A wooden staircase allows you to get there. An hour after departure, you finally arrive at the junction of the trail that climbs from the Matouba forest house.

And that was the fun part of the walk. The rest is much less funny…

A yellow sign announces the “Matouba hot baths” thirty minutes from this junction. I must say that this morning’s walk to the Matouba Waterfall, combined with the hour we’ve just done in the undergrowth, is starting to be felt. What awaits us is still less fun. We’re at about 950 m altitude and we’ll climb up to 1,050 m. Sure, nothing crazy, but the distance is short and the slope gets steeper, with sequences of steps more or less high: enough to bust your legs a bit (which Mélanie loves, haha).

Even if it really didn’t rain at our place, I don’t think that’s the case here: everything is waterlogged and there are quite a few big puddles where it’s almost impossible not to get your feet wet…

The climb isn’t that fun at the end and, unfortunately, when we finally arrive after thirty minutes, the disappointment is there. We find an old complex fitted out as showers, but the site seems abandoned. The showers barely work and there’s only a trickle of boiling water flowing from a pipe. Nothing crazy unfortunately, and it’s frankly too hot to get under. To rinse your feet, at most, haha!

In short, we’re disappointed, but happy to have arrived because everyone is hungry. We eat our snack under the sheltered carbet. What’s more, other groups arrive little by little and it starts to be a bit too much for us. We therefore decide to head down quickly by the same trail: no choice…

The descent will, for once, be much faster: one hour to get back to the car in Papaye.

Well, is it the hike of the century? NO. Do we really recommend it? NEITHER, haha!

If you’re looking for a nice place to stay nearby, I recommend:

• Habitation La Reine du Camp : Guesthouse in a former colonial estate set at the foot of La Soufrière: offering sea and mountain views, the setting is magnificent.
• Hôtel Saint-Georges : A 3-star hotel in Saint-Claude that ticks a lot of boxes with its pool, comfortable rooms with balconies, and two restaurants.

Frankly, there’s much better, more interesting and simpler. In another style, really superb, we recommend you go discover the Moustique Canyon, an aquatic hike that will allow you to follow a beautiful river in a narrow canyon! Magical!

See you soon,

Written by Sylvain PONS

Since 2021, I've been living in the Guadeloupe archipelago with Mélanie and our two children. We are exploring these beautiful islands and discovering the treasures that we are happy to share with you!

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