Saint Lucia Hiking: Enbas Saut Falls Trail

Enbas Saut Falls - Trail Info, Local Hiking Guides & Tour Operators

Overview of St. Lucia’s ‘Enbas Saut Falls’ hiking experience:

  • Time required: 3 – 4 hours round trip
  • Degree of Difficulty: 6 out of 10
  • Elevation: Approximately 1,300 feet (400 meters)
  • Distance: Just over 5 miles (9km) round trip
  • Guide Required: YES – You may be able to find the trail yourself, however it is St. Lucian law for visitors to the island to be accompanied by an official guide from the Forestry Department. The Lucia Forestry guide charge of $25usd per person is well worth it, as he/she can inform you of local flora / fauna that you would otherwise likely miss out on.

Plan your vacation with Active Caribbean Travel – Have fun hiking the Enbas Saut Falls Trail on Saint Lucia with a knowledgeable guide.Similar to the Mount Gimie hike, you can start in the town of Migny or drive part way up the secondary road and park where the trail splits between the Mount Gimie hike and the path to the Edmund Forest Reserve (and Enbas Saut Falls). The first 45 mins or so of the drive / hike to the Edmund Forest (also referred to as the Central Rainforest) Reserve is a steady/gradual up-hill incline, with some minor ups and downs, along a rough dirt road. At one point, you will walk past an area where the side of the mountain had recently washed away, due to hurricane damage from a few years ago.

Eventually, the road transitions into a natural trail which takes you to a little gazebo and a shack with a sign on the ground stating “Welcome to Enbas Saut Falls”… While this may be the official trail-head, it will take a while to hike to this point. From here you head down a long man-made staircase of “hollow” wooden stairs. There is a mix of stairs and natural trails, that gradually takes you down into a valley with Morne Gimie looming in the background. The “hollow stairs” were perhaps once solid, however the rock /dirt filling for the stairs has been pretty much washed away, making the stairs somewhat awkward to walk on. Apparently there are >1,200 of these stairs down to the waterfalls – not sure who counted them 🙂

The Enbas Saut Falls trail takes you through rain-forest, cloud forest and elfin woodlands and your guide should provide a wealth of information on the local flora and birdlife that you can encounter along the way. He/she can identify things like ferns and gommier, mahogany, mahoe and mango trees, as well as pointing out different types of hummingbirds and bird species. You could see land crabs as well as plants growing out of plants wrapped in plants! Your guide could also point out and explain to you several plants that were/are used for traditional medicines.

As you will be in the thick of the rain-forest, it should be no surprise if it rains a little from time to time… You’ll already be pretty moist from the humid air and the physical excursion, so it won’t dampen your spirits at all (no apologies for the pun). You’ll enjoy this beautiful hike, however be careful with your footing as the ground and trail can be wet and slippery…

Eventually you’ll cross a small river somewhere in the valley, which has a vine “rope” hanging over it. Take turns swinging on it, channeling your inner tarzan! When you get to the actual falls and pool areas, you’ll come across 10-15 cement stairs in the middle of nowhere leading down to the upper pool… Can you imagine having to carry cement bags all the way down there?

There are actually 2 small cascading waterfalls with pools. The top falls are about 15-20 feet tall with a fairly large/deep pool, while the bottom falls are slightly higher at 20-25 feet tall with a small shallow pool that spills into a rocky river. You can swim in the upper pool, being careful not to slip all the way over the second set of falls! When you’re done splashing around, you head back up the way you came. This time, you have to go ‘up’ the 1200 or so steps. While there are a few steep sections, it’s not really too strenuous a hike (although that’s a matter of perspective).

 

 

In summary, St. Lucia’s Enbas Saut Falls trail is an easy-intermediate difficulty hike, with lots of steps, and mixed level sections making it a gradual decline / incline. This is a great rain-forest experience with heavy jungle, lots of birds and hummingbirds along with a huge variety of vegetation. A local guide will make the experience all that much better. A very educational and fun 3-4 hour hike.

For a guide / tour to hike the Enbas Saut Falls Trail in Saint Lucia, these local Tour Operators will take good care of you:

If you have your own transportation and are comfortable driving on the island, you could also contact the St. Lucia Forestry Department directly to arrange for a hiking guide to meet you near the Enbas Saut Falls Trailhead.

 

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