sales guide martinique

THE ATLANTIC NORTH
AJOUPA-BOUILLON
This mountain community marks the beginning of the
North Atlantic region, and it boasts some marvelous
natural sites, especially the «Gorges de la Rivière
Falaise » (Gorges of the Falaise River). A climb along
the gorges will eventually take you to a very pretty
waterfall. In the gardens of Ajoupa-Bouillon you
can buy tropical flowers, which they will ship home
for you. Other attractions: Saut Babin, a waterfall
on the Capot River; Maison des Ananas (House of
Pineapples); and the Les Ombrages botanical garden,
with excellent displays of the local flora, including
beautiful trees. This lovely village earned the label
«Villes et Villages Fleuris » (Towns and Villages in
Flower).
Twenty-five miles from Fort-de-France.
Office of Tourism
Tel. : 0596 53 32 87 - Fax : 0596 53 35 91
BASSE-POINTE
The birthplace of the great poet Aimé Césaire. Along
the road to the town, you can admire the expansive
banana and pineapple fields. Be sure to make a
detour and visit the Leyritz Plantation, a colonial
house built in 1700 and restored in 1970.Today it’s a
hotel-restaurant where you can explore a museum of
plant dolls. Basse-Pointe is a historic place situated
near some venerable plantations: Pécoul, Chalvet,
and Gradis. In the town itself, you will discover the
300-year-old bells of the local church, which were
salvaged from the bottom of the Atlantic and recently
restored. Basse-Pointe is also the birthplace (1869) of
Doctor Hyppolite Morestin, renowned plastic surgeon
at the famous Val-de-Grâce Hospital in Paris.
Thirty miles from Fort-de-France.
Office of Tourism
Tel.: 0596 78 99 0l - Fax : 0596 78 96 29
Otsi.basse-pointe@wanadoo.fr
GRAND-RIVIERE
This is where you’ll find “the other Martinique.”
Located on the northern-most point of the island,
Grand-Rivière will seduce you with the incredible
diversity of its terrain: forest, river, mountains. If you
hike there, you will be able to appreciate the beauty
and lushness of the vegetation. Grand-Rivière is also
known for its gastronomy. On the coast you’ll see
fishermen braving the waves. Along with the youths
surfing on light-weight tree-trunks called bois flots,
they wield perfect mastery over the Atlantic.
Thirty-nine miles from Fort-de-France.
Tourist Information Bureau
Tel./Fax : 0596 55 72 74
grand.riviere@wanadoo.fr - www.grand-riviere.com
LORRAIN
Formerly called La Grande-Anse, this town is the
location of an important pre-Columbian site (Vivé).
Le Lorrain is embued with rich traditions and a grand
history. It was the site of an early 19th-century revolt
of slaves and free people of color, and you will find
numerous memorials to commemorate the event.
Attractions: factories making cassava flour, tank
syrup (from cooked and concentrated sugarcane
juice), and traditional clothes and headdresses.
Twenty-nine miles from Fort-de-France.
Office of Tourism
Tel. : 0596 53 47 19 - Fax : 0596 53 47 29
Office-de-tourisme-du-lorrain@wanadoo.fr
MARIGOT
A community swathed in flowers, Marigot is built
in the shape of an amphitheater facing the Atlantic
Ocean. Attractions: Creole gardens, which are small
plots growing fruits and vegetables; water pools
used for aquaculture; and Habitation Lagrange, an
old plantation. Don’t miss Marigot’s Festival of the
Mountain Flute, in memory of singer and musician
Eugène Mona.
Twenty-six miles from Fort-de-France.
Tourist Information Bureau
Tel. : 0596 53 62 07 - Fax : 0596 53 65 10 (Town Hall)
MACOUBA
Perched at the top of a cliff overhanging the Atlantic
Ocean, Macouba was known in the 17th century
for its tobacco. Today it’s known for its gastronomy.
The town’s church is beautiful and well worth a visit.
Macouba is also home to the distillery that produces
a famous rum, JM Crassous de Médeuil.
Thirty-two miles from Fort-de-France.
Tourist Information Bureau
Tel./Fax : 0596 52 69 62
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