Health course of Morne Cabri

Morne Cabri: A Healthy Walk in the Heart of Lamentin's Mangrove

The Morne Cabri Health Trail was established in 1992 and renovated in 2009 by the city of Lamentin. The trail owes its name to wild goats that used to roam peacefully there. Today, it is a multifunctional site: both a nautical base, a crab reserve at Easter, and a hunting ground. All of this in the heart of Lamentin's mangrove.

A Health Trail Accessible to All

The Morne Cabri Health Trail is suitable for all levels. Both young and old can come here for a walk, a change of scenery, observation, meditation, physical activity, and to explore the mangrove on the Lamentin side.

It is a loop that stretches for 1.8 km, suitable for beginners and at a low altitude (between 9 and 17 meters). Allow less than 1.5 hours for your walk between land and sea.

What is your playground? A park mainly composed of trees and grass. Mangroves and stilt trees, cursed fig trees, crabs, and oysters are part of the backdrop for your immersion in Morne Cabri.

Throughout the trail, you will discover the botany of the area, the names and characteristics of the species, making the walk as fun as it is educational and sporty.

You will move through a changing natural landscape. Over 180 meters of boardwalk await you, between land and sea. The belvedere, on the other hand, offers you an incredible view of the bay.

How to Access the Morne Cabri Health Trail?

The Morne Cabri Health Trail is located at the end of the La Lézarde industrial zone in Lamentin. When exiting the A1 highway, heading towards the industrial zone, take a right at the end, then turn left towards Impasse Morne Cabri. It's possible that the path may be flooded; keep in mind that you are in a very marshy area due to the surrounding mangroves. This is also why several cassis (small bridges) have been built.

Continue until you reach the parking area, which will lead you either to the entrance of the trail or to the nautical base and the Morne Cabri Sailing School.

The Morne Cabri nautical base is popular among boat owners who prefer to shelter their boats in this part of the island. It is indeed a buffer zone in the Bay of Fort-de-France and in the protected mangrove of Génipa, shielded from the swell by its circular shape.

Morne Cabri Health Trail: More Than a Walk, a Natural Site Rich in Meaning

Did you know? Morne Cabri is actually an island connected to the mainland by the mangrove. As you can imagine, the site must be preserved, not only from an environmental perspective but also from a historical one.

A Natural Site to Preserve

Highly appreciated by the population, the Morne Cabri site was abandoned for a long time. However, initiatives have emerged to change that.

In 2013, a cooperation project between the city of Lamentin and Santiago de Cuba was launched to enhance the mangrove of Grande Baie.

Nine years later, in 2022, the project aimed at restoring the mangrove, which positively impacts biodiversity, received the award of the new Natural Heritage program from the Heritage Foundation. It's more than just raising awareness about the territory among the population and schoolchildren; it involves cleaning, restoring, and helping the mangrove expand to combat shoreline erosion and rising sea levels, among other benefits.

A Site of Our Historical Heritage

Before it was developed as an arboreal park or a health trail, Morne Cabri once served as a landing point for the sugar cane industry.

The islet of Morne Cabri was artificially connected to the mainland by an old road used to transport products from the sugar industry by sea.

Traces of this former activity on-site are still visible.

Have you ever noticed, near the old railway track (now paved), air bubbles rising from the water?

Or perhaps the ocher color of certain bodies of water, indicating the presence of underground ferric materials?

Another example is the old ruins: today, they are part of the scenery where Mother Nature has taken full possession. However, in the past, it was different. These ruins, some of which are ocher red, trace the passage of ships from the French cities of Brest, Nantes, Bordeaux, or Dunkirk to this part of the island. Large rocks were transported and carried for building construction. This includes the construction of a lime kiln, which, at that time, had an important sanitary function of sanitation and sterilization.