Ile Fourchue
The five-peaked day anchorage - a barren private islet in the marine reserve, hiked for its ridge views and snorkelled for its coves.
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Between St Barts and St Martin, Fourchue raises its five arid peaks around a horseshoe anchorage - a privately-owned, publicly-cherished day islet inside the marine reserve, where charters moor for the classic split: snorkelling the cove's rays and reef fish, then scrambling the goat paths to ridge saddles whose views run both neighbouring islands and the anchorage's turquoise below. The islet is barren by drama - cactus, scree and wind - which is precisely the photographic point, and the reserve's moorings-only rules keep the seabed as the fish prefer it.
What you actually see
- The horseshoe anchorage - the cove's turquoise mooring field.
- The ridge scrambles - five-peak views over two islands.
- The cove snorkel - rays and reef fish under the hulls.
- The barren drama - cactus and scree in Atlantic light.
When to go
December to May for settled channels; mornings give the calm the cove's snorkelling wants.
Honest expectations
No shade, no facilities, sharp scree - hats, water and shoes are the kit; reserve rules (moorings, no take) are enforced and right.
Nearby
Gustavia's harbour, Flamands and the channel to St Martin.
What to pack for Ile Fourchue
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
