Everyone loves St. Maarten for its beaches, restaurants and nightlife, but we might take the chains of green mountains for granted – we know we at the Health & Beauty do! That is why we have decided to take advantage of the over 20 miles of hiking trails that our island has to offer – and we’re taking our fellow adventurers along for the hike.
There are so many hiking trails on The Friendly Island, from coastal strolls to hikes in the hills, some leading to untouched beaches, others to glorious views of St. Maarten and other neighbouring islands. So, let’s go explore. Happy hiking!
This week’s heavenly hike takes us to the southernmost part of the island. The Natural Pool hike, one of the most popular hikes on the island, starts at the end of Guana Bay Road and ends at Back Bay in Point Blanche (or the other way around, of course) offering happy hikers a coastal trail with dramatic cliffs, open grasslands, the occasional iguana or monkey, colourful cacti, and panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and nearby islands.
And, for those with swim shoes or daring enough to try to avoid the sharp sea urchins, the Natural Pool hike also offers a refreshing dip in the mesmerizing natural pool.
The hike itself is not too strenuous, though clumsy hikers should beware of the loose rocks. Most of the trail is fairly flat, yet there are some stretches of steep incline and decline – and some light rock climbing.
We took the lazy option and parked our cars at both ends of the trail rather than making the roundtrip, which would have only taken us an estimated two hours, because we knew homemade cinnamon rolls and mango mimosas would be waiting for us at a friend’s house in Point Blanche.
The first bit took us along the wild coast of Guana Bay, past a rocky beach and over the hilled and grassy terrain. We passed many different cacti, marvelled at the magnificent views and climbed rocks, until we reached the grassy clearing above the largest natural pool on St. Maarten.
To reach the pool, one must climb down a rocky cliff area. But since none of us had packed swim shoes, we dared not take the sea urchin risk; instead, we opted to let out our inner children by climbing the big rock formation on the edge of the clearing – we had all swam in the natural pool in the past, anyway.
It took our little hiking group about an hour and a half to walk the approximately two miles to reach the car parked in Pointe Blanche. Then again, we ran into fellow adventurers, sat on the rock formation for what seemed to be hours, just chatting away, trying to find whales on the horizon and admiring the ocean views, before making our way over to our well-deserved breakfast. All in all, the heavenly Natural Pool hike is not to be missed!
