It's done! Mount Pelée is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A natural wonder, it towers 1,395 meters above Martinique's northern coastline. It's impossible to miss it, especially if you choose one of our villa rentals near Case-Pilote. But what does UNESCO's new idyll look like?
At first, the slopes are sparse meadows, then banana fields. As you climb, the terrain becomes more demanding. A wilderness emerges. This is the rainforest, dense, hot and humid. As is often the case in the mountains, everything changes for a different flora and climate. In the heights, where the wind blows and the air is short of breath, where layers of vapor circulate and obscure the landscape, where gusts of wind blow, rocky peaks and sparse vegetation emerge. For the hiker, it's the long-awaited crests of the sulfurous and fearsome Mount Pelée.
Hikes on Mount Pelée from your villa
Indeed, the majestic Caribbean summit, la Grande dame du Nordas it is called here, has a fiery, boiling character: it is a volcano. And not really asleep this one. It sometimes happens to shake Martinique a little.
But nothing to do with the disaster of 1902. That year, the population had to face the wrath of the mountain without any preparation and failing authorities. Tragic consequences followed, like the town of Saint-Pierre, with its 30,000 inhabitants who perished instantly in a pyroclastic flow made of ashes, stones and flaming gases, surging at more than 500 kilometers per hour. But travelers, be reassured, the Pelée is now monitored H24.
An exceptional setting for your vacation villa
Steep, conical, with a large crater at the top, the mountain is characteristic of the so-called stratovolcano. So much that their eruption type are referred to as pelean. You are not just standing anywhere here!
For those who wish to prolong the hike and broaden their knowledge of the volcano, the town of Saint-Pierre, now reconstructed, offers a fascinating museum-memorial. One can discover the life of the time when the city was the economic and administrative capital of Martinique. It was a prosperous city with its tramway, its 800-seat theater and its large port. One can learn about volcanoes and the devastating power of fiery clouds: a large bell distorted by the heat is an edifying testimony. Walking around the city, you will discover remains reminiscent of Pompeii, victim of Vesuvius in 79 B.C., as well as the odd beach with crystal clear water but dark sand.
Vacation home at the foot of Mount Pelée
This unique combination of historical, geological and natural heritage makes the region an outstanding area for exploration for lovers. UNESCO has not got here by chance!
Our villa rentals near Mount Pelée
Fond of hiking, culture and history, you would love to stay in the region.
Check our rentals in the Northern part of the island at Case-Pilote and at La Trinité.
