The Bassin Sassa

How to get there:
- From Saint-Louis: head towards Saint-Pierre via the N1. After crossing the Rivière Saint-Étienne, take the next exit onto the D26 towards L’Entre-Deux. At the roundabout, take the third exit, then the opposite exit at the next two roundabouts. After the third roundabout, take the first departmental road on the left. Continue to the end of the road, marked by a ‘Stop’ sign, then turn left towards L’Entre-Deux. Stay on the same road until you reach the town hall. Turn left immediately towards the town centre and park in one of the available spaces.
- From Saint-Pierre: head towards Saint-Louis via the N1. After crossing the Ravine des Cabris, take the next exit onto the D26. At the roundabout, take the first exit, then the second at the next one. Then take the first departmental road on the left. Continue to the end of the road, marked by a ‘Stop’ sign, then turn left towards L’Entre-Deux. Stay on the same road until you reach the town hall. Turn left immediately towards the town centre and park in one of the available spaces.

(S/E) Return to the previous junction via Rue du Commerce, then turn right onto Rue Hubert Delisle. Pass the town hall again, from where you can see the jagged peaks of the Dimitile in the background. Pass three streets on the right and one on the left; then, after the next bend, look out for Rue Julius Hoarau on the left (impossible to miss – there’s a sign indicating it).

(1) Turn left immediately and follow this street for a few metres until you reach the sign marked ‘Sentier Bassin Sassa Cressonnière’. Then turn right onto the path that starts just in front of the sign. This turns into a trail that descends rapidly towards the Bras Long through low-lying vegetation. There will be virtually no difficulty on this section.

Once you reach the Bras Long, leave the path that continues straight on and take the one on the left that runs alongside the ravine. You then follow the Bras Long for several hundred metres through a very green valley. The path crosses it several times. A few weeds try to block the path before you reach the pond, but you can get past them without any difficulty. At the next junction, turn right towards the Bassin Sassa, which you’ll reach after a 25-minute walk. This fairly large pool, fed by a small waterfall, owes its name to the slave Sassa.

(2) Take a few minutes to look at the pool, then return to the previous junction and turn right. The climb back up towards the town begins here; on the right, you can see the Entre-Deux cemetery. The path soon joins a track, which you should follow by turning left (to see the cemetery, turn right at this junction).

(3) At the end of the track, continue straight on along Route Hubert Delisle. After a few bends, a clearing offers a view of the bell tower of the Entre-Deux church, with, in the background, the Coteau Sec, the Chaîne du Bois de Nèfles, the Makes Departmental and State Forest, the Plateau Raisin and the Dimitile. You’ll reach the church at Entre-Deux in a few tens of seconds. Stay on the same road, then turn right onto Rue du Commerce towards the car park (S/E).

Avoid this walk during or after heavy rain, as nearly half the route runs along the bottom of a ravine

Things to see:
The Bassin Sassa
The church and cemetery in L’Entre-Deux
The war memorial (S/E)

Places to visit:
L’Entre-Deux: it is one of the island’s most beautiful villages.