Martinique’s Les Ombrages park offers both nature and history
Enjoy hiking, guided tours of the botanical gardens, and more at this beautiful park in northern Martinique
Martinique - In a little-known corner in northern Martinique, there’s a gem waiting to be discovered: Les Ombrages. In this seven-acre park - a combination hiking area, nature preserve, botanical garden, and environmental laboratory - you can follow a two-mile trail deep into the forest and deep into history.
DISCOVER NATURE
Les Ombrages straddles the Rosalie River, which runs at the bottom of one of the many ravines dissecting the pumice slopes of Mount Pelée. The Rosalie’s banks are generally covered with cocoa, banana, and pineapple plantations, but at Les Ombrages nature comes into its own.
Follow the Ombrages trail along the river and you’ll see wild flowers, giant bamboo, canna plants, tree ferns, and delicate carpets of moss thriving under a forest canopy. At certain points along the trail you’ll find landscaped zones – the Creole Garden, the Caribbean Garden, the Heliconia Garden, and the Calabash Garden – with carefully selected flowers, trees, and ornamental plants emphasizing indigenous species. All along the trail signs explain what you are seeing, so you can fully appreciate the floral beauty of Martinique.
You’ll also hear Les Ombrages’ own sort of music. The sounds heard on the trail are many and varied, sweet and piercing, wild and tame: the sweet song of the flowing river, the persistent dripping of water from the cliffs, the gurgling of the rivulets, the shrill notes of the wind from the mountains, the peaceful cooing of partridges, the metallic sounds of hummingbird wings, the rustle of the wind among the bamboo, and sometimes the noisy breakage of bamboo trunks. All of these tones come together in a natural harmony.
DISCOVER HISTORY
The plants at Les Ombrages not only delight the eye, they have a story to tell. And nowhere are they more eloquent than in the Creole Garden. All the areas of Les Ombrages show the history of nature on the island, but the Creole Garden also speaks of the history of man. It’s entirely devoted to plants used by slaves during the earliest days of colonization, generally for food, medicine, early industry, or for magical or religious ceremonies. They are testimony to the slaves’ determination – one could say defiance – in the face of hunger, disease, destitution, and psychological and spiritual despair.
Reflecting the diverse origins of these early slaves, these plants originally came from the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia (particularly India). They were brought to Martinique from conquered territories all over the world during the Age of Discovery, when the migration of people was literally accompanied by the migration of plants. Today these plants constitute two-thirds of the domestic flora of Martinique, including breadfruit trees, coconut palms, and various fruits and spices.
For another foray into history at Les Ombrages, try the old site of the Vivès-Hayot sugar cane distillery on the Rosalie River. Martinique’s once thriving sugar cane industry went into decline as a result of the Second World War. After the war many smaller factories and distilleries were abandoned, eventually taken over by plantations or forest. The grounds of the Vivès-Hayot distillery are now cleared of overgrowth and the building ruins partially restored.
DISCOVER THE REGION
Northern Martinique has long been off the beaten path for tourists, but governmental and private organizations are working to develop this region and reveal its treasures to the world.
At Les Ombrages art and educational exhibits will enrich your understanding of forests, horticulture, Creole gardening, rivers and streams, and how man and nature have coexisted in the region. Guides trained in botany and nature conservation give tours and shops sell traditional products that reveal something of the regional culture.
But Les Ombrages is only part of a broader development scheme encompassing the local town, Ajoupa-Bouillon, and the rest of the Mount Pelée federated territory. Exciting changes in the works include more historic and natural sites planned for renovation and development; more programs for environmental education, both for tourists and local residents; expanded hiking trails to link local towns; pooled knowledge of regional cuisine by area restaurants; greater support for cultural activities, including an arts festival to celebrate the heritage of the region; and more accommodations in the area, with already existing rural property rentals complemented by charming bed and breakfasts.
Northern Martinique has a lot to offer. It has its tales of man and nature, and it has beauty. Les Ombrages is already there to charm and fascinate you, delighting your senses while stimulating your mind. And it augurs well for the future of this very special region of Martinique, a region just waiting to be discovered.
For more information on Martinique contact the Martinique Promotion Bureau /CMT USA at (212) 838-7800 ext. 228 or info@martinique.org.
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