In Petit-Canal, the Marches des Esclaves lead up 54 carved stone steps to an esplanade where enslaved people were sold. Two routes pass through different landscapes, from sugarcane fields and swamp forest to dry forest. At Anse Maurice, beach huts invite families to picnic. The options therefore range from history and hiking to a picnic.

History at Specific Sites

The Marches des Esclaves connect the former port, where captives tragically arrived, with the esplanade where enslaved people were once sold. The 54 carved stone steps lead to this esplanade. This locates the arrival by ship and the subsequent sale at two connected points in history.

The Monument de la Flamme Eternelle was inaugurated on 28 May 1994. According to historians, it contains whips returned by forty plantation owners when slavery was abolished. The Church of Saint-Philippe-et-Saint-Jacques, memorial sites and historic buildings also offer insights into the development of the area and the significance of history to Petit-Canal’s identity.

The Sentier de Beautiran

The yellow-marked Sentier de Beautiran starts at the Marches des Esclaves. It passes the Church of Saint-Philippe-et-Saint-Jacques, the ruins of the former prison, the road by the landscaped park, the area behind the stadium, an old mill and a pond. The trail crosses sugarcane fields and swamp forest, passing industrial remains on its way to the coastal port and the chapel at Beautiran. The return journey follows the same route. Be sure to allow time for the return journey along the same route.

What defines this route is its combination of historic landmarks with fields, swamp forest and traces of earlier industrial activity. Check local guidance on trail conditions.

The Boucle du moulin de Poyen

The Boucle du moulin de Poyen offers a different route. It passes through the dry forest of a managed biological reserve in the northeast of Grande-Terre. The starting and finishing point is the Poyen station in Petit-Canal.

On the Sentier de Beautiran, the return journey follows the same route, while the Boucle starts and ends at Poyen station. The landscapes also differ: sugarcane fields and swamp forest on the Sentier, and dry forest on the Boucle. You can compare the routes by their layout and the landscapes described.

Picnics at Anse Maurice

At Anse Maurice, beach huts invite families to picnic. For travelers planning a family picnic, they are a specific point of reference when choosing activities in Petit-Canal.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Haut de la Montagne, Grand-Bois, Le Gosier, Les Abymes, Gros Cap, Pointe-À-Pitre, Saint-Louis, Bazin

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