La Gaulette & Around

Introducing La Gaulette & Around

South of Grande Rivière Noire, the mountains draw ever closer to the coast. There are pine woods and mangroves along the shore, but little in the way of habitation, beyond some extremely poor shanty towns along the road, until you reach the fishing village of La Gaulette 8km or so later. La Gaulette boasts a couple of restaurants and a well-stocked supermarket. The reason most people come to this area, however, is to visit the famous coloured earths of Chamarel, in the hills 9km east of La Gaulette. Chamarel features on almost every tour itinerary, however, you’ll find more colours and fewer people at the rival site near Souillac, although Souillac lacks the beautiful location. From Chamarel, a spectacular mountain road climbs onto the Plaine Champagne in the Black River Gorges National Park, while another, almost as scenic, heads south to Baie du Cap.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009