Northern Martinique
The Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique comprise internationally renowned examples of volcanic morphologies and processes.
The Pitons du Carbet count 12 peaks and are shaped by lava domes. Mount Pelée (which is only partly included) is an iconic volcano, remarkable for its fierce eruptive style. It has produced a high number of eruptions, such as the deadly one in 1902-1905 which led to the construction of one of the first volcanological observatories in the world. The site further has the most diverse biodiversity in the Lesser Antilles (forest, plants).
Community Perspective: you can hike up Mount Pelée in a couple of hours, but it can be a wet experience and you may find the top covered in clouds.
Map of Northern Martinique
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Zoë Sheng
Chinese-Canadian - 27-Sep-19 -
I'm typically biased towards nature site but this one is really nice and worth a visit. An hour's drive from FdF at the most through beautiful scenery already (although the roads can be narrow yet in good condition) you arrive at the parking lot for Mount/Montagne Pelée. The lookout is nice too but the mountain is obviously what you came for - yes, ignore that ugly power station at the start of the hike /cough cough.
The hike is roughly 6-7km depending where you actually go. The goal is Le Chinois, should I be offended here? The peak doesn't really look like a "Chinaman" at all. You do not necessarily get to the top to enjoy this place. The start of the hike is steep and you may be wondering why the path is so tiny. The mist can make this also a very wet hike and the top is often covered with clouds as you can still make out in my picture, this was the best one I got before it was covered up again. This also meant that some of the hiking is frustrating because the view is not that great sometimes. Don't let it stop you from circling around this lovely and once deadly volcano.
The nature here is just outstanding and fresh. So green. There are other places that want to be inscribed such as Caravelle à Trinité but I stopped there and wasn't that impressed. There are many places on Martinique worth visiting maybe 3 days minimum.
Site Info
- Full Name
- Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique
- Unesco ID
- 1657
- Country
- France
- Inscribed
- 2023
- Type
- Natural
- Criteria
-
8 10
- Categories
- Natural landscape - Volcanic and thermal
- Link
- By ID
Site History
2023 Advisory Body overruled
From Deferral to Inscribe
2023 Inscribed
Site Links
Connections
The site has 12 connections
Ecology
Geography
History
WHS on Other Lists
World Heritage Process
Visitors
34 Community Members have visited.