Titou Gorge

Titou Gorge is a slot in the volcanic rock at Laudat where a stream runs between walls close enough to touch on both sides, and the only way up it is to swim, working against the current for a few minutes through cold water in near darkness until the gorge opens at a small waterfall. Hot spring water runs into a pool at the entrance, which is where people warm up afterwards. The gorge lies inside Morne Trois Pitons National Park.

The landscape

• The slot - walls close enough to touch on both sides of the swim.
• The waterfall - the fall at the head of the gorge where it opens out.
• The hot spring pool - warm water at the entrance for afterwards.
• The cold swim - a few minutes upstream against the current in the dark.

When to go

December to April is the drier season with lower, safer flow. Heavy rain closes the gorge without warning. Mornings are quieter before the Boiling Lake groups return.

Practical notes

Flash flooding is a real danger and the gorge closes after rain. The water is genuinely cold and the swim is not for weak swimmers. It gets crowded when Boiling Lake hikers come back through.

Nearby

Laudat is beside it, and Freshwater Lake is above.