Discovering Anse Castalia
Last update: 07/18/2024
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It’s been over two years since we left French Polynesia for Guadeloupe. We still feel as much at home here as ever. Living on the southern end of Basse-Terre, we still have a lot to discover, especially on the island of Grande-Terre. Contrary to what you might think, Guadeloupe is not an island. It is an archipelago made up of the two main islands (Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre), Desirade island, Marie-Galante and the Saintes archipelago (Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas).
We decided to take advantage of a long weekend on 1 November to explore the north of Grande-Terre, in particular the area around the commune of Le Moule. It’s an area we don’t know much about and it’s almost 2 hours drive from our house. As we are increasingly doing lately, we’ll share here our discovery of a place we’ve known by name for a very long time, Anse Castalia, in the Anse Bertrand community.
We spent four full days in the area around Le Moule, exploring the surroundings, the beaches and other activities. One of our goals is to write an article about things to do and see in Le Moule.
Discover Anse Castalia
Unless you live here, you probably haven’t heard of the famous Anse Castalia. It’s not one of the most famous beaches in Guadeloupe. In fact, it’s not so much Plage de Castalia as Anse Castalia, because the beach (which is difficult to access and closed to bathers by decree) is hard to get to. Only the most adventurous and those who want to discover something other than the classic beaches of Sainte-Anne or Saint-François risk going there.
I’m not going to tell you exactly how to get to Anse Castalia, as I’ll describe the route in the practical information section.
As I said, it’s a place that has been recommended to us several times, and we’re in the north of Guadeloupe for a four day-trip. So we decided to head there early in the morning, leaving from Le Moule, where we’d spent the night. About 40 minutes later we arrived at the site, which is located north-east of the market town of Anse-Bertrand, on the panoramic road that leads to the northern tip of Guadeloupe, Pointe de la Grande Vigie.
We parked our car next to the road hike at what we thought would be the starting point for the walk. It must be said from the outset that this is not a hike in the strict sense of the word. It is more of a family walk of 10 to 15 minutes, perhaps a little longer if, like us, you have small children and need to be vigilant…
It’s a Monday morning and there’s only one car ahead of us, so it’s not very busy. We’ve heard that weekends can bring a lot of people here, so the charm must be more limited…
We enter this forest near an information board. Be aware that the trail is actually part of a larger hike that starts at Anse Laborde and ends at Pointe de la Grande Vigie. We’ll make our way through this xerophilous forest, characteristic of the dry limestone plateaux of northern Guadeloupe. Crossing the wet path (there was more water 2 days ago) is pleasant and easy. Don’t worry, it’s impossible to get lost, just follow the natural path and the yellow markings on the trees.
After just ten minutes you’ll come to a crossroads. Turn left, still following the yellow markings. This is the most difficult part of trail hiking of our all day hiking. The descent is steep and as slippery as the skating rink we went through (which reminds me of the Saut de la Lézarde in Petit-Bourg).
Fortunately, there’s a rope on the right to hold on to. I went down first to ensure the safety of Louis, who followed me, with Mélanie and Téo behind. Everything went well. We took our time and descended gently to the flattest spot at the bottom, where we could finally let go of the rope. Louis had a great time, but 3-year-old Téo was not so happy…
A few minutes of brisk walking to reach a dry gully below, and we’re finally at the breathtaking view of the sea. We can already see the magnificent blue on the horizon and the huge limestone rocks that seem to float on the water! The last obstacle of the walk is right in front of us. We have to climb down one last rope to reach the rocks below. Again, nothing too complicated. It’s just slippery. So be careful, especially with children.
Finally, we were delighted to discover the picturesque area, which was really superb. A magnificent cove carved out of the limestone rock, limestone boulders scattered all over the place, a well-cut limestone platform and turquoise waters that remind us of the lagoons of Polynesia. Just before you arrive, there’s a lovely pool, ideal for children to splash around in as it’s not very deep. It’s perfect for them to have fun while the adults get their bearings. Mélanie had a few problems with her drone, which refused to take off, but in the end we managed, haha. Here’s the expedition result for your viewing pleasure.
While Mélanie took photos and videos from the air, I hiked around the rocks to explore the natural area. The waves are breaking violently against the rocks in front of us, leaving a fine foam that the children are having fun in. However, I would like to point out that we were there on a beautiful day, with relatively little swell, which allowed the children to stay in the pool without too much worry. However, despite the good weather, there were a couple of times when the waves were much bigger than expected and flooded the pool where the children were playing. I really wouldn’t recommend swimming in this pool when the sea conditions change as it can become dangerous.
On the left you can see the famous indentation in the limestone. Some time ago, photos taken by a drone were circulated and it’s true that the place is magnificent and breathtaking. There is also a small bay formed by the erosion of the limestone, with a beautiful beach at its foot. The access, however, is very complicated. You have to jump from the rocks and swim to the beach. I’m going to say it again, but everybody does what they want, swimming is not allowed, so you have to take your own responsibility. If there’s a big swell, it can be really dangerous. As far as we’re concerned, we stay on the rocks, which suits us just fine!
We ended up spending a good hour here as a family, alone in the world. It’s a really relaxing place in the backcountry, despite the constant noise of the waves breaking on the rocks by the sea. We headed back up the same path, which turned out to be less difficult to climb than to descend!
That’s it for this little excursion and expedition to Anse Castalia. I hope the photos will inspire you to go there.
L'Anse Castalia - Practical Information
As usual, here’s what you need to know if you’re planning to explore and to discover Anse Castalia.
How do you get there?
First of all you’ll have to get to Guadeloupe, of course. I invite you to read our article. It describes all the options and everything you need to know to visit this beautiful archipelago. Once you’re there, you’ll need to hire a car to be completely self-sufficient – it’s the easiest way. We often recommend comparing prices, especially on a car hire comparison site such as Discover cars.
Once you’ve hired your car, it all depends on where you’re going to arrive. We are located to the north-east of the town of Anse-Bertrand. It’s a 5 minute drive north from Anse-Bertrand. Here’s the itinerary.
However, it seems that Anse Castalia can be reached by two different hiking trails. See the map below for details.
Is this possible with a child/baby?
While we don’t always agree with Mélanie about the possibility of doing certain hiking trails with a baby or young children, we both agree that it is relatively possible. You just have to be careful not to slip. But we don’t think there are any insurmountable problems.
Where to stay nearby?
We decided to stay in the commune of Le Moule. It is quite central for visiting the majestic island of Grande-Terre. In this context, we can write a short article to highlight the accommodation where we stayed for 4 days, the Ti Cocoon. This place deserves to be known as it is good overall and offers good value for money in our opinion. If you’re looking for a nice, clean apartment with enough space for 4 people (40m2) and a short walk to the beach and aboard the sea or even the market town of Le Moule, then this is the place for you!
However, if you’re looking to get closer to Anse Castellia and want to stay close by, you’ll need to look at staying in Anse Bertrand.
In fact, we’d already done a lot of research into accommodation in the natural area as we were supposed to come the week before, but had to cancel due to Cyclone Tammy. Here are some of the accommodations we had shortlisted. We’ll certainly come back to them when we visit and explore the far north of the island for a future article:
- La Villa du Soleil: a beautiful 2 bedroom gîte with an excellent reputation.
- La Kaz à Clémence: this is the accommodation we canceled because of the cyclone, but we’ll be back as we’ve heard great things about it.
- Ti Coin Paradis: a lovely place with a swimming pool that I’m sure we’ll love!
- Zak à Saint-Jacques: located between Anse Bertrand and Pointe de la Grande Vigie, in the fields, in a quiet place, we plan to go there!
What to do in the area?
There’s plenty to do in the area. After that, as always, it depends on what you want to do, your budget and how much time you have. Here are some ideas:
- Explore the beach at Anse Laborde (just to the south) and Trou Madame Louis (excellent),
- Swim at Anse de la Chapelle beach in Anse-Bertrand
- Walk along the northern tip of the island at Pointe de la Grande Vigie,
- Explore the cliffs of the east coast, including the area around Trou du Souffleur, from Porte d’Enfer.
Where to eat in the area?
We ended our morning at Le Coucher d’Soleil in Anse Bertrand, where we had a wonderful time and a panoramic view. A simple welcome, just the way we like it, and hearty, delicious Creole dishes. Personally, we really enjoyed it.
Chez Tof Table d’hôtes, Le Rayon de Soleil, L’Océane and Restaurant le Zion are other well-known restaurants in the area. Definitely worth a try on our next visit!
If you’re in Grande-Terre, we invite you to discover the majestic Pointe des Châteaux!
We hope to see you soon!