Le Chameau

Climb to the highest peak of Les Saintes in Guadeloupe. Throughout the climb and once at the top, you’ll enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding area.

Details

539727
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.30 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 401 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 402 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 304 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the small park in front of Terre-de-Haut Town Hall.

(S/E) With your back to the town hall, cross the small park and take the street on the left to follow the sea on your right. Pass the many restaurants and shops. Stay on this street and continue out of the town, passing the recycling centre by the harbour.

(1) When the road splits in two at a restaurant, turn left, then turn right at the next junction. The climb begins; it follows the road all the way to the top.

(2) At the next junction, turn left, go through the barriers blocking vehicle access and head up the road. The climb is quite steep in places but offers lovely views of the sea and the surrounding area at others. Towards the end of the climb, continue straight ahead onto the path.

(3) At the Chameau tower, enjoy the view of Grand Ilet. The descent is via a small path, in the opposite direction to where you came from. The first few metres may feel a bit like a short climb down. The rest of the way is a path through fallen leaves with loose stones. Follow the markings carefully, though the path is clearly visible. After a while, it turns right onto almost flat ground.

(4) You’ll reach a road by a pond; head down to the left to see Crawen Beach, then retrace your steps and continue along the road. Pass through a few houses.

(5) At the last house on the left of this small cluster, head down to the left along the small path to visit Pain de Sucre beach. Once at the beach, turn right along the fence to reach another beach with several coconut palms. Retrace your steps back to the road and turn left to return to the starting point.

(2) Go past the junction, keeping to the left, and return via the same route as on the way out to the town hall (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 2 m - Square in front of the Town Hall
  2. 1 : km 0.84 - alt. 3 m - Junction after the recycling centre
  3. 2 : km 1.41 - alt. 65 m - Junction with barrier for cars
  4. 3 : km 3.21 - alt. 304 m - Summit - Le Chameau
  5. 4 : km 4.19 - alt. 35 m - Junction towards Crawen beach
  6. 5 : km 5.22 - alt. 36 m - Junction towards Pain de Sucre beach
  7. S/E : km 8.3 - alt. 2 m - Square in front of the Town Hall

Notes

The ascent is on a tarmac road closed to vehicles; the descent is on a steep, narrow path, so you’ll need sturdy footwear.

Bring your swimwear to enjoy the beaches after the climb.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
françoisetchristine
françoisetchristine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with some stunning views.
The descent from the Chameau is easy to follow, as there are plenty of painted markings.
However, it’s quite a strenuous walk… and requires you to be very careful.
A swim in Crawen Cove is a welcome treat.
The small beach at Pain de Sucre is very busy.
Lots of hummingbirds in the flowers on the first climb before point 2. We pass by there again on the way back. A great opportunity to take some lovely photos

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Roselyne Righi
Roselyne Righi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We followed the same route (the old tarmac road) both up and down, as I found the path back down (after the summit) too dangerous (with a sheer drop) to take.
During the ascent and at the summit, there was an extraordinary view of Les Saintes, with its clearly defined star-shaped outline.
A hike well worth doing.

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Julien B 35
Julien B 35

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We started the hike at point 2 as we’d hired a scooter. 5.9 km according to Garmin. The climb up a concrete path was quite strenuous but offered lovely views along the way, with a magnificent view of the bay once at the top. The descent along the narrow path is technical and quite challenging at the top, but very easy to follow, with equally stunning views of Terre du Bas. A short break at Crawen beach and at Pain de Sucre beach (on the Îlet à Cabrit side). Back to point 2 to finish. We recommend it 👌🏼

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MAVEL
MAVEL

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The climb up the road is “steep”, but the descent along a narrow, very stony path is not recommended in flip-flops, as advised in the guide. You need to be wearing proper footwear. The descent is very well signposted (and thank goodness, as there’s no “path” worn by foot traffic...) I did it at the end of the day; the light was beautiful over the view of the Baie des Saintes

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