Edmund Forest Reserve
Edmund Forest Reserve
4.5
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This typical Caribbean rainforest is a popular hiking destination.
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4.5
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Doug368
Toronto18 contributions
Jan 2012 • Friends
The Edmund Forest trail is currently officially closed because of massive landslides from Hurricane Tomas. But because it connects with the Des Cartiers rainforest trail we were able to contract with our guide Marvin (phone 758/450-2231/2078) from that hike to come back and do the Edmond Forest loop starting from where it connects to the Des Cartiers trail. Marvin wisely advised us to wear long pants because there was much knife-edged grass along the trail. This was the first time he had done the trail in some months and consequently he had to do considerable clearing along the way. However the ground seemed to be stabilizing, giving hope they will be able to reopen it sometime soon.
The hike itself was quite incredible. We started at the Des Cartiers ranger station, walked up and over the slide areas on the way out and got good views of Mount Gimie, the highest in St. Lucia. On the return trip we crossed the slide areas on recut path. It took about seven hours but perhaps an hour of that was waiting for Marvin to clear trail. And of course it included the entire Des Cartiers trail. Marvin was a knowledgeable, friendly, courteous and over-all excellent guide.
The access road leaving the main road north of Micoud and going past the Latille Falls was washed out by a huge landslide. Instead leave the main road at either of the two west-leading roads south of Micoud. These are shown on the large scale Paradise map of St. Lucia. There are no signs but several villages where you can ask directions. Or you can arrange to pick Marvin up on the main road north of the Vieux Fort stadium. Apart from a few rough spots, these roads are good, trailing off into a dirt track for the last kilometer.
The hike itself was quite incredible. We started at the Des Cartiers ranger station, walked up and over the slide areas on the way out and got good views of Mount Gimie, the highest in St. Lucia. On the return trip we crossed the slide areas on recut path. It took about seven hours but perhaps an hour of that was waiting for Marvin to clear trail. And of course it included the entire Des Cartiers trail. Marvin was a knowledgeable, friendly, courteous and over-all excellent guide.
The access road leaving the main road north of Micoud and going past the Latille Falls was washed out by a huge landslide. Instead leave the main road at either of the two west-leading roads south of Micoud. These are shown on the large scale Paradise map of St. Lucia. There are no signs but several villages where you can ask directions. Or you can arrange to pick Marvin up on the main road north of the Vieux Fort stadium. Apart from a few rough spots, these roads are good, trailing off into a dirt track for the last kilometer.
Written 16 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MVCCCan
Manitoba, Canada111 contributions
Feb 2014 • Couples
If the St. Lucian government were to build a proper road to the entrance of the National Forest Reserve there would be a far greater number of visitors to this remarkable works of nature. Getting to the Edmund Trail is the hard part. Thanks to Charlma at Discover Soufriere we were able to get a driver and four wheel drive vehicle to take us to this trail. Our guide Smith was top notch. His knowledge of trees, plants and birds was outstanding. This trail actually goes all the way to the east side of the Island. We didn’t do that but the next time we come to St Lucia we are thinking about doing that all day hike. The views are spectacular. It’s hard to describe with words and pictures what your eyes are taking in. The trail can be muddy, and a bit slippery. Wear good hiking boots and adequate clothing. We like the Ex Officio bugs away clothing. Take plenty of water and even a picnic lunch if you wish. Ask lots of questions. Smith our guide was full of enthusiasm for his island of St. Lucia. I posted a YouTube link at the bottom that we filmed with Smith.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuEShXPpEM4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuEShXPpEM4
Written 21 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nextportofcall
Ottawa, Canada224 contributions
Mar 2017 • Family
Forest reserve hikes
My teenage son (17 years) and daughter (just turned 14), along with myself (60 year old Dad) fund the guided hike of the Millet Trail deep in the Saint Lucian mountain rainforest an absolute highlight of our wonderful trip to the island of Saint Lucia.
The experienced guide, Pamela, was as good as an expert guide can get - extraordinarily knowledgeable, helpful, patient and great to engage. We saw many bird species including the Saint Lucia parrot which flew by us in resplendent colour, three other species endemic to Saint Lucia, all three hummingbirds not to mention a tarantula hidden in her home, an extraordinary cricket and beautiful flowers and edible plants like bay leaves, lemon grass and coriander. The marvelous Pamela also shared knowledge of medicinal properties of plants, and much more.
The tour is two to three hours and there is a lot of up and down hiking as it is a mountain trail, although there are no dangerous spots or cliffs (as I have some fear of heights). Beautiful views of the lush rainforest, neighbouring mountains and the Roseau freshwater reservoir.
We had booked a local driver to bring us to and from the trail from Rodney Bay - about a one hour drive.
Call 758- 726- 4264 to book a tour with Pamela who works at the Millet Bird Sanctuary and Trail.
My teenage son (17 years) and daughter (just turned 14), along with myself (60 year old Dad) fund the guided hike of the Millet Trail deep in the Saint Lucian mountain rainforest an absolute highlight of our wonderful trip to the island of Saint Lucia.
The experienced guide, Pamela, was as good as an expert guide can get - extraordinarily knowledgeable, helpful, patient and great to engage. We saw many bird species including the Saint Lucia parrot which flew by us in resplendent colour, three other species endemic to Saint Lucia, all three hummingbirds not to mention a tarantula hidden in her home, an extraordinary cricket and beautiful flowers and edible plants like bay leaves, lemon grass and coriander. The marvelous Pamela also shared knowledge of medicinal properties of plants, and much more.
The tour is two to three hours and there is a lot of up and down hiking as it is a mountain trail, although there are no dangerous spots or cliffs (as I have some fear of heights). Beautiful views of the lush rainforest, neighbouring mountains and the Roseau freshwater reservoir.
We had booked a local driver to bring us to and from the trail from Rodney Bay - about a one hour drive.
Call 758- 726- 4264 to book a tour with Pamela who works at the Millet Bird Sanctuary and Trail.
Written 28 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CJ C
New York City, NY16 contributions
Jun 2015 • Couples
My husband and I had a great hike through the Edmund Forest reserve. Our guide, Douglas was so warm and knowledgeable. We did the waterfall trail and it was challenging but fun and the waterfall was exhilarating.
One heads up I want to give- the drive there is treacherous. Our driver was excellent and also friendly and knowledgeable. That said some of the roads were damaged by a mud slide that occurred a few years ago. So the drive up which, which is uphill is quite rocky at points. That is not a big deal to me, but might be for some.
One heads up I want to give- the drive there is treacherous. Our driver was excellent and also friendly and knowledgeable. That said some of the roads were damaged by a mud slide that occurred a few years ago. So the drive up which, which is uphill is quite rocky at points. That is not a big deal to me, but might be for some.
Written 21 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ERIC S
St. Petersburg, FL326 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
We went to the Edmund Reserve with a local taxi driver from Soufiere. He called for us the day before to verify a ranger would be available for a tour. The road to Fond St Jacques is fairly good. From there the road into the Reserve is in terrible condition. Very narrow and rocky, with many holes and steep upgrades. However, the taxi driver made it with no problems in his Toyota van. At one point there was a Forestry and Fisheries truck parked on the side of the mountain with two men, and that is where we got out to start the tour. The entrance fee was $25 EC each that included a guide, and we got an official receipt. Our guide was Smith, that other reviews raved about, but I thought he was a disappointment. There was no orientation or explanation of the area or if there were options. Just that we were going to walk for about an hour. He took off at a fairly good pace and had no map, binoculars, guides etc. It seemed from the start that he just wanted to get finished so he could get back for another tour. We walked along the road and came to the picnic shelter and work building where apparently cars use to park. There were signs there for the Enbas Saut Waterfall Trail and the EnBas Saut Forest Trail. We continued along the road where the guide identified some trees, two birds and Mount Gimie. The views were very beautiful and it was nice to see the tree ferns and other vegetation up close, but we never really left the old road trail and never had the feeling of being in an untouched forest reserve. When we came to a sign identifying the reserve for people entering from the east, the guide wanted to turn back. It was then I learned we were not on the waterfall trail and that was a different tour. The guide and I walked a bit further and he tried his best to interest me in a private tour on his time off. The trail started a steady downward grade, and there was less vegetation and some old buildings and more cleared land, so the nicest areas and views were along the ridge we had walked. When we got back to the vehicles, another car was parked on the road, so that was the official starting area for the reserve. Our driver had the best luck, as he said a St Lucia parrot had landed in a tree close to the taxi. I think the waterfall walk would have been nicer. Try to get as many details as possible before starting off on this adventure as it involves a lot of effort and expense.
Written 15 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John M
Calgary, Canada6 contributions
Feb 2016 • Couples
We were looking to see some bird species endemic to St. Lucia and were able to spot the beautiful St. Lucia Parrot, St Lucia Black Finch and others. It was a wonderful sunny morning and we were able to get some good photos. Our guide, Pamela Alfred, was highly knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the park - and witty.
Getting to the park was a look at the non-beach St. Lucia - everyone we met was warm and welcoming.
Getting to the park was a look at the non-beach St. Lucia - everyone we met was warm and welcoming.
Written 14 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jlbks
Leesburg, VA36 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
This is a great hike, not terribly hard, made even better by our guide, Lloyd , aka Mango.
If you want to meet a wonderful young man, get a great tour of the rain forest ( and see his farm!) call Mango at 17587158542
He met us in Soufriere, and was just terrific.
If you want to meet a wonderful young man, get a great tour of the rain forest ( and see his farm!) call Mango at 17587158542
He met us in Soufriere, and was just terrific.
Written 27 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marysvillian
Perth, Australia70 contributions
Dec 2014 • Family
There is a waterfall in this reserve called the Enbas Saut Waterfall. There is a separate set of reviews for it but it is way down the bottom of the list so I thought I'd repeat my review here too. It'd be a shame to go to the reserve and miss the waterfall because you didn't know about it.
My title is a bold statement but I do think this hike would be hard to beat! If you walk very early in the morning you should be able to see a wide range of birdlife although we walked in the middle of the day and still enjoyed the beauty of this rainforest area.
We caught a taxi to within a couple of km from the start of the track because the road has been rendered almost impassable by massive landslides after the 2007 hurricane. We met our Rasta guide Mango at the small village of Fond St Jacques and continued on foot with him.
He showed us the fruiting and medicinal plants, collected some wild oranges for us to enjoy at the waterfall, pointed out his grandparents' house and explained something of the recent history of the area. He was totally tuned-in to our needs, paced the hike to suit us and finished the tour by showing us his family plot of land where he and his brother grow vegetables for the local market.
On the way back we took a different path to the one we would have taken had we been by ourselves, making it more interesting. Mango also introduced us to some other locals which all added to the special nature of this tour.
Mango can be contacted on 715 8542 (local calls only).
Good footwear is essential. A swimming costume for the pool at the base of the waterfall would be a bonus.
My title is a bold statement but I do think this hike would be hard to beat! If you walk very early in the morning you should be able to see a wide range of birdlife although we walked in the middle of the day and still enjoyed the beauty of this rainforest area.
We caught a taxi to within a couple of km from the start of the track because the road has been rendered almost impassable by massive landslides after the 2007 hurricane. We met our Rasta guide Mango at the small village of Fond St Jacques and continued on foot with him.
He showed us the fruiting and medicinal plants, collected some wild oranges for us to enjoy at the waterfall, pointed out his grandparents' house and explained something of the recent history of the area. He was totally tuned-in to our needs, paced the hike to suit us and finished the tour by showing us his family plot of land where he and his brother grow vegetables for the local market.
On the way back we took a different path to the one we would have taken had we been by ourselves, making it more interesting. Mango also introduced us to some other locals which all added to the special nature of this tour.
Mango can be contacted on 715 8542 (local calls only).
Good footwear is essential. A swimming costume for the pool at the base of the waterfall would be a bonus.
Written 2 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
old-jogger
Port Coquitlam, Canada234 contributions
Feb 2017 • Couples
The Millet bird sanctuary is one of the options in this reserve. It is reasonably easy to find if you are driving and is accessible by car - just watch for potholes. Suggest you use Google maps or equivalent - the tourist maps are not detailed enough (and often inaccurate). Basically you take the road to Millet and go as far as you can! You can easily phone ahead and book a guide and time. Suggest you allow at least 1 hour travel from Castries.
You can either book the bird-watching option or the general hike. One of us is quite keen on birds and the other isn't so we chose the general hike at a cost of EC$50 for two (and remember to add a tip for your guide at the end).
Our guide (Pamela) was very knowledgeable and had sharp eyes and ears for spotting birds. Didn't see parrots (we were there at midday) but did see a host of other species, including quite a few endemics. Lots of information about forest plants and we also saw an amazingly camouflaged tree cricket and a boa constrictor.
All about 1.5 hours with generally easy hiking but some steep sections.
You can either book the bird-watching option or the general hike. One of us is quite keen on birds and the other isn't so we chose the general hike at a cost of EC$50 for two (and remember to add a tip for your guide at the end).
Our guide (Pamela) was very knowledgeable and had sharp eyes and ears for spotting birds. Didn't see parrots (we were there at midday) but did see a host of other species, including quite a few endemics. Lots of information about forest plants and we also saw an amazingly camouflaged tree cricket and a boa constrictor.
All about 1.5 hours with generally easy hiking but some steep sections.
Written 14 February 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PTTraveler101
181 contributions
May 2014 • Friends
We hiked the Millet trail in Edmund Forest Reserve. It is true what others have said, the trail does have some difficult sections but if you can do it, you will enjoy. We were able to see the St. Lucia parrot here, about 7-8 of them and they did get closer to us than when we went to the Descartier Rain Forest area to see them. The fauna is just beautiful and the sounds in the forest are beautiful.
You will need to call the forestry department to book a hike if you want to get in before 8am which is when they open but we called at the last minute and it was fine.
They give you a walking stick and though I do not like to carry anything if at all possible, this was a help. There are a couple trails to choose from so if you wish to see things but are not up to the 1.75 mile hike, you can choose a less difficult version.
My only piece of advice is to get a guide you can fully understand, our guide was great but had a very thick accent and spoke quite fast. I found myself asking him to repeat himself 50% of the time but he was informative and had a good ear for finding the birds we wanted to see.
You will need to call the forestry department to book a hike if you want to get in before 8am which is when they open but we called at the last minute and it was fine.
They give you a walking stick and though I do not like to carry anything if at all possible, this was a help. There are a couple trails to choose from so if you wish to see things but are not up to the 1.75 mile hike, you can choose a less difficult version.
My only piece of advice is to get a guide you can fully understand, our guide was great but had a very thick accent and spoke quite fast. I found myself asking him to repeat himself 50% of the time but he was informative and had a good ear for finding the birds we wanted to see.
Written 29 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am going to be in St. Lucia March 17-23 we would like to tour the Millet Bird Sanctuary, what is the best and most cost effective way to do this?!
Written 12 March 2016
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