The Matouba waterfall

Hi there! I’m finally back with a new article about Guadeloupe. Ever since we bought our house in Saint-Claude, we’ve been spending every weekend enjoying the garden and working on little projects! Needless to say, hikes in Guadeloupe have become less frequent lately—as the extra pounds on the scale can confirm! Today, I’m taking you to discover a beautiful waterfall: the Matouba waterfall.

If you love nature and want to discover Guadeloupe’s wildlife, the link above will take you to our page dedicated to hiking in Guadeloupe. There, you’ll find all our hiking articles, along with GPS tracks you can download and follow without getting lost!

But back to the subject. One of the last hikes Mélanie and I did was to Parabole waterfall, above the famous Bassin Bleu in the commune of Gourbeyre. We had visited this area two years earlier with Mélanie’s father but hadn’t been back since. With all the public holidays in May, it was the perfect opportunity to ease back into hiking.

Afterward, we also continued on to the Matouba hot baths, another place we had never visited…

To give you an idea, we live less than fifteen minutes away by car, which certainly helps, right? (haha). More seriously, the waterfall is accessed from the commune of Saint-Claude. Take the main road up to the town center, drive through it, then head toward Matouba and follow the signs. The route is fairly well marked: the turn will be on your left after you leave the main road, shortly before reaching Matouba. Here is the route from Basse-Terre.

The road to the trailhead is generally in good condition, and the lush scenery along the way is lovely. The higher you climb, the cooler it gets, which makes the drive even more pleasant. At the site, there’s a small shelter in case it rains, and a little playground has even been added for children—always a welcome touch!

This is more of a walk than a full hike, a little like Bassin Bleu in the hills above Gourbeyre. It’s therefore a good option if you don’t hike often. The official route is currently listed as open, but it can be dangerous in wet conditions because of unstable ground and rising water levels. I strongly recommend avoiding it if it rained the day before or if bad weather is forecast. As we often say, you’re an adult and responsible for your own safety, right?

Anyway, back to the hike! You begin by crossing a banana field that may be lush or freshly cut, depending on the season—as it was during our second visit. It only takes about five minutes to cross, but the views are lovely. Once past the field, you head straight into the beautiful local forest, and the atmosphere changes immediately. I love this kind of scenery. It had been a long time since our last walk, and everyone was having a great time. As always, the kids were thrilled with very little: leaves, a few sticks, some rocks, and the morning was perfect!

There are no major difficulties, and the trail is well marked through the vegetation. You still need to watch out for a few sections damaged by landslides after heavy rain. That’s why I recommend avoiding the trail in wet weather: there’s no point taking unnecessary risks. On the way down, you’ll see water running along the wall to your left, a clear sign of just how damp this area is…

Along the way, you’ll also see beautiful yellow and red heliconias. We may know these flowers by heart, but they’re still a pleasure to admire, sometimes accompanied by hummingbirds whose wings you can hear buzzing nearby. The descent takes no more than twenty minutes, with a few sections of large steps. Nothing too difficult—it’s quite manageable, even with children. At the bottom, you reach the Saint-Louis River, a tributary of the Rivière des Pères. It’s the same river we can hear roaring from our house, especially after heavy rain!

The river is calm here, and you can already hear the waterfall crashing in the distance. Since we knew the area, we headed toward the back of the valley and the beautiful waterfall we remembered. Although it hadn’t rained for several days, the current was still fairly strong. At one point, we had no choice but to wade through the river in our shoes. During the dry season, you may be able to reach the end without getting your feet wet, although that hardly matters in my opinion!

After just a few minutes of brisk walking, the waterfall comes into view. It is honestly one of the most beautiful we’ve seen so far on our hikes in Guadeloupe. Best of all, we arrived to find the place completely empty! At first glance, it may not seem especially dramatic since it stands only about ten meters high, but it still makes quite an impression. At its base is a beautiful, very deep pool.

For ten or fifteen minutes, we had this wonderful setting entirely to ourselves. The waterfall is genuinely impressive, and the atmosphere below it is striking, with a huge cave to the left and lush vegetation all around. We had brought our swimsuits, and it had been a long time since I’d enjoyed swimming in a river this much. The water certainly wasn’t warm, but I managed to get in fairly easily—even though I’m usually sensitive to the cold!

I first tried swimming straight toward the waterfall, thinking I was strong enough, haha, but the current made it impossible. I had to move along the left side toward the cave and its recess instead. Once beneath it, the feeling was remarkable. Looking up at the massive rock above me, I found myself hoping nothing would fall at that exact moment! From the calmer water on that side, you can swim toward the waterfall more easily, but the strong current quickly catches you and carries you straight back to where you started.

We spent a good hour at the bottom enjoying this wonderful setting, which we found more beautiful than many other waterfalls. Then we headed back up along the same trail. The return was quick this time.

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay nearby, check the map below to see the available accommodations.

We particularly recommend these two places in the area:

• Villa Créole : a small, well-equipped Creole-style villa surrounded by greenery in Gourbeyre, with a terrace, kitchen, parking, Wi-Fi, mountain views, and attentive hosts.
• Les Trésors de Laurëlia : a cozy villa in Gourbeyre with a private pool, mountain views, and a fully equipped kitchen. Its peaceful setting also makes it a convenient base for exploring Basse-Terre at your own pace.

For another lovely waterfall, head to Saut du Bras du Fort in Goyave, one of the first hikes I had the chance to do after arriving in Guadeloupe!

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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