Page 30 - Flipbook

Because intrepid pioneers first explored this island on foot, it’s only appropriate that travellers today strap on their kicks and follow their example. And since St. Martin’s hiking trails are largely undiscovered - they’re competing with diversions such as French restaurants, lively beach bars and casinos, after all - you’ll be rewarded with the same cliff-side views, quiet beach coves and untamed wildlife that probably lured the island’s European founders. Below we’ve outlined some favourite trails.
Pinel Island
Boats (tickets, $12) leave St. Martin’s northeast coast every half hour to get
to this small isle, uninhabited except
for a few restaurants and bars. After disembarking, most travellers settle on yellow beach chairs, leaving the rest of Pinel for explorers. Paths cut through high grasses and purple-flowered sea potato vines, leading to a seaweed-covered beach that makes for great shelling. Farther along you’ll spot a scenic slope where the island’s iguanas—some quick and green, others ancient and gray—congregate, sunning themselves on warm stones.
A flat trail through blooming agaves
and thick shrubs leads to another empty crescent of sugar-white sand on Pinel’s east coast. Look for marine life ranging from thumbnail-size crabs to dark red sea urchins. The beach is also a nesting ground for green and leatherback turtles, though sightings are rare.
If you’re hungry, grab a table at Karibuni (Pinel Island; 011-590-690-39-67-00; karibunipinel.com; lunch for two, $85, on the island’s main beach. Besides conch- filled pineapple salad and whole roasted
snapper, there’s grilled spiny lobster with butter and garlic. Crustaceans can get pricey, though; for a less expensive lunch, try a hot ham-and-cheese sandwich at Snack Pinel (Embarcadère de Cul de Sac; 011-590-690-61-55-01; no website; lunch, $15, back on the mainland.
Back Bay
While it’s just minutes from the town of Philipsburg, few people know that this scenic 2.5km hike exists, as its trailhead is at the end of a neighborhood street. The path itself is well kept, though, and travellers who take the time to find it will be rewarded with dramatic views of undeveloped cliffs and crashing turquoise waves.
Steep grassy hillsides are punctuated by black boulders, and stretches of tall grasses ripple in the Caribbean breezes. The hike
is mostly flat with a few short inclines, but you may encounter low-lying native plants, some of which, such as endangered pope’s head cacti and acacia, have thorns, so wear pants and good walking shoes. Follow the trail for 50 minutes to a route that zigzags down to a natural pool at the ocean’s edge.