Ravine Fond Serpent
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| | Raps:8-10, max ↨131ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Basalt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 30 Dec 2022
"Good flow. Anchors look fine. Approach trail easy to follow, just the initial turnoff from the dirt road required about 50 meters of bushwhacking. Wen |
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| Best season: | Any
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14.7850, -61.1032
14.8054, -61.1008
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Waterflow
Introduction
Ravine Fond Serpent is a ravine - not a slot - with flowing water in the hills of northeast Martinique. The canyon has several large and pretty rappels. There is generally no swims or deep water. The canyon is pretty, but there are many other, better canyons on Martinique.
Approach
From the parking area, use the GPS track on this page. You'll have to gradually wind uphill through banana fields. There will suddenly be an unmarked turnoff into the woods, with light bushwhacking for a few minutes, before joining a decent trail in the rainforest. This trail cuts up steeply. The trail improves as you progress upwards. Be careful of razor grass!
The approach ends at a nondescript point on the trail, with a ravine, mostly invisible in the forest on the left. Suit up here, and then start bushwhacking downhill into the ravine.
Descent
It's an easy bushwhack downhill into the ravine. Head to the lowest point, and you'll quickly find the first rappel, with an anchor on the right.
The rappels and flow gradually increase in size. In generally, there is a fair amount of rock-hopping and small downclimbs between rappels. There are few or no deep pools.
Anchors are good and sturdy. Should any anchor disappear someday, there is ample material in the forest to tie anchors with webbing.
The final part of the route is a stretch of four large waterfalls in quick succession. Anchors are near the edge. On at least one, you'll have to rig a traverse line out to the anchor.
After the final falls, the canyon becomes mostly flat. Follow the slippery rocks down to the exit.
Exit
After the last rappel, follow the stream down until the forest ends and you reach a dirt track. Use the GPS track on this page to follow the dirt track mostly downhill, crossing a stream, and through banana fields and past houses, back to the parking area.
Red tape
No red tape. You will be walking through privately-owned banana farms, so please be respectful to the owners.
Beta sites
Trip reports and media
- Ravine Fond Serpent
- LukasEddy.com : Canyons of Martinique
Background
First discovered and descended by local canyon legend Thierry Monges in 2021.
