Grand Etang

Grand Étang is a lake of around twenty hectares in the forest of southern Basse-Terre, sitting in a hollow at about four hundred metres with rainforest coming down to the water on every side. A level path runs round it in about an hour, and longer trails climb from the same car park to smaller lakes and to the Chutes du Galion. Rainfall here is among the highest on the island and the lake is often under cloud.

What you actually see

• The lake circuit - a level path around the water in about an hour.
• The rainforest - dense forest running down to the shore.
• The smaller lakes - Etang Zombi and others on the longer trails.
• The Galion trail - the route from the same car park towards the waterfall.

When to go

December to April is the driest, though rain here is frequent in any month. Mornings are clearest. The path is muddy after rain.

Honest expectations

It rains a great deal and the path is often a mud track. Swimming is not permitted. Mosquitoes around the lake are persistent.

Nearby

Chutes du Galion are north, and Capesterre-Belle-Eau is east.