Saint Lucia Hiking to Enbas Saut Falls – A Stairway to Adventure
Saint Lucia is one of the most popular Caribbean Islands for good reason. Located just south of Martinique and west of Barbados, the island is a mountainous green paradise surrounded by inviting blue waters. Best known for its distinctive twin Pitons, St. Lucia offers a variety of hiking trails for those looking to be active in the Caribbean. There’s something for everyone, from short nature walks to intermediate hikes along with a couple of challenging adventures. On this trip to the island, we were looking for a rustic rainforest hike with waterfalls – We found that with the Enbas Saut Falls trail.
Similar to our Mount Gimie hike, the adventure began in the town of Migny, just south-east of Soufriere. This time we decided to challenge the rough secondary road in our rental vehicle. It wasn’t quick or easy, but the little car made it partway up the rocky/slippery track without taking too much of a beating. Honestly, the drive was a little stressful and I’m not sure it was worth it – Might as well have walked up the road and enjoyed the sights and sounds of nature. Anyways, we parked where the hiking route splits between the Mount Gimie trail and the path to the Edmund Forest Reserve, also known as the Central Rainforest. Heading towards the Reserve, we followed a dirt road slightly uphill into the rainforest. At one point, we passed a strange sight – An area where the side of the mountain had washed away due to a recent hurricane. Always humbling to see the power of nature.
The day was a little gray and overcast, but our spirits were high as we were looking forward to another wild St. Lucia hike. After a half-hour or so the trail transitioned into a natural path which eventually took us to a little gazebo next to a hut where a sign laying on the ground unceremoniously proclaiming, “Welcome to Enbas Saut Falls”… OK, so if this is the official trailhead, how are we supposed to get to this spot in the middle of the forest? I suspect there’s more than one trail to reach this spot. Regardless, from here we started down a number of man-made “hollow” wooden stair sections. I say “hollow”, as the rock/earth filling for the steps that I imagined were there at some point, had been pretty much washed away, making the stairs almost awkward to walk on. Between sections of stairs, there were some natural paths as well, making this a nice diverse hike. I found this outing pleasantly offbeat as most Caribbean hikes I’ve experienced started with an uphill climb. On this trail, we were already on somewhat high ground, so we gradually descended into a valley. With Morne Gimie, the island’s tallest peak, looming ever larger in the background, we made our way down over 1,200 of these steps down to the waterfalls area. Don’t ask me who counted them, but that’s what our guide told us.
Our unassuming guide provided a wealth of information about the local flora and birdlife that we encountered along the way. He identified various ferns along with gommier, mahogany, mahoe and mango trees. He also pointed out a few plants used in traditional medicines on the island. Our guide also showed us two distinctive types of hummingbird, along with a number of different bird species. We saw several land crabs climbing along the steps, and I was bewildered with the dense vegetation everywhere. There were literally plants growing out of plants wrapped in other plants! Hiking through a cloud forest, rainforest, and elfin woodlands, we reached the valley floor about an hour or so after we left the top of the stairs.
As we had been in the thick of the rainforest, it was no surprise that it rained a little, a few times… but we really didn’t notice it as we were already pretty moist from the humid air and the physical excursion – The weather didn’t dampen our spirits (no apologies for the pun). It was a beautiful hike and we did not feel uncomfortable at all, although we had to be careful with our footing as the ground and trail were wet and a little slick.
Down in the valley, we crossed a small river, which had a natural vine “rope” hanging over it. Well, you know we had to take turns swinging around playing Tarzan! Although I’ve enjoyed several hikes in the Caribbean, this was the first time I’ve had this pleasurable experience.
It wasn’t long before we reached the actual waterfalls area. Suddenly, the trail had 10-15 cement stairs in the middle of nowhere, leading down to the upper falls’ pool… Yes, I said cement. Wow – I can’t imagine having had to carry bags of cement all the way down here! There was a small group swimming in the pool, so we continued on and discovered that there were actually 2 small cascading waterfalls with pools.
The top falls were about 15-20 feet (5.5m) high with a fairly large/deep pool, while the bottom falls were slightly higher at 20-25 feet (7m) tall with a small shallow pool that spilled into a rocky river that carried the water away. We took a refreshing swim in the deeper upper pool, careful not to let the current take us all the way over the lower falls. The rocks here were so large and smooth, it felt like we were slipping and sliding in a giant cement waterpark.
I found this area very soothing and peaceful. Surrounded by thick jungle canopy, I really enjoyed this wild experience in Saint Lucia! As the sun was unable to penetrate the foliage, I can’t exactly say that we dried off, but after a bit of a break we eventually put our shirts back on, gathered our packs and headed back up the way we came. This time, in the more familiar up-hill direction, we went back up the 1,200 steps. While there were a few steep sections, it was not too strenuous a hike back to the car. This intermediate-level St. Lucia hike was educational and a fun way to spend the morning.
Want to see more? Check out our Hiking down to Enbas Saut Falls video on YouTube!
ACT Staff
For a more ‘technical’ Trail Report as well as much more information on hiking in Saint Lucia, please reference the following links (to pages on our website):
For an overview of this popular Caribbean Island destination, take a look at our Saint Lucia Vacations page
If you’re looking for more active things to do while vacationing on the island, click on our Saint Lucia Adventures blog for more great ideas!
For a more relaxed vacation itinerary, you can find great Tourist Attractions on the island, by checking out our Things to Do in Saint Lucia blog
