Description
Discover Martinique not only for its impressive nature and beaches but for its diversity of flavors! This excursion has a lot to offer including a guided visit to the church of Balata, the ruins of Saint-Pierre and more!
Quest for a unique adventure at a rum distillery and beach break. Your meeting point for this Martinique Excursion is just a short distance from either of the cruise ship piers. Your English speaking shore excursion guide will be waiting for you. Then after you get checked in and receive a briefing about your day and climb aboard your comfortable and air-conditioned transportation (in van or minibus for maximum 18 customers). You will be driven through the Caribbean coastal road.
The itinerary may be slightly alterned depending on the forecast weather or the rush hour.
It’s time to board your transportation again and visit an amazing sight of the tropical foliage mixed with this fantastic building, the Sacred Heart Church, also known as Balata Church. This church was built in 1924 and it’s a replica of the church you can see in Paris (Sacre Coeur de Montmartre), built on a scale of 1/5th of the original. It’s said that this church was built to congregate the Catholics at the growing Fort de France after Mont Pelee eruption in 1902 and destroyed Martinique’s capital, St. Pierre. Also, the church is dedicated in memory to those who died in World War I.
After that, the next stop will be the Alma River, you will see the abundant tropical rainforest. The next stop will be the Saut Gendarme Waterfalls, some said the waterfall took its name because of the policemen and their horses stopped here for refreshment. Gendarme is French for mounted police. You will have to do a very easy and short hike to arrive at the waterfall, once there you will be charmed not only by the tropical forest but also by the clear waters of the waterfall.
The next stop would be the DEPAZ Rum distillery located in Saint-Pierre. More than a distillery, it is also one of the oldest Martinique’s habitation, with its master’s house, hectares of sugar cane and all the production’s buildings necessary for the distillery process. Throughout this bucolic and historical walk, you will enjoy a taste and also have the opportunity to purchase a bottle of your favorite one!
Then you will discover the ruins of Saint Pierre. Once destroyed by the volcano, it was partially rebuilt on the ruins left. You will have the opportunity to take some pictures here. You will be able to admire the scenery and the majestic Mount Pelee as you pass by. You will be then at the foot of the volcano where Saint Pierre, the “Little Paris of the Antilles” is.
The next stop will be the Carbet Beach, a wide beach with calm sea, transparent waters and black sand. You can relax while looking at the sea, at the Mount Pelée or maybe refresh yourself by swimming a bit. Finally, it will be time to return you to your Martinique cruise ship terminal at 2pm.
Informations:
- Price: 65€ adult / 45€ children under the age of 10.
- Included:
- Air-conditioned, fully licensed and insured transportation
- Pickup at your Fort de France cruise ship pier (or hotels/rental places in Fort-de-France and Schoelcher for free)
- Bilingual English-French speaking shore excursion guides (other languages upon request)
- Complimentary spring water local juice, rum
- Included:
- Duration: 5 hours Departure: 9am (can be modify according to customers and ships arrival – please send us an email before).
- Capacity: 18 passengers maximum.
- Tour guide: English (other languages available upon request, especially for families or group).
- We require a minimum of 4 passengers to run a tour. If the minimum is not met your tour may be cancelled. If you are alone and you want to book please contact us by email first.
- Pick up and drop off at the cruise exit without extra cost for all the ports of Fort-de-France.
- send us an email on in order to let us know on which cruise ship you will be, or, where you are based if you are staying on the island. Pick up and drop off will be free in Fort-de-France and Schoelcher. An extra cost will be applied if you are in other towns.
Cancelation Policy:
Canceled by client prior to excursion date with a minimum of 5 Days prior notice by email. Your ship skips/misses the port. Weather conditions or equipment failure prevents the operator from running the excursion. Cancellations refund requests that do not comply with the above may not be subject to refund. Refunds may be subject to a service charge fee as determined by the payment processor (usually 5%). If you are late you are considered as a no show and you will not be refunded.
Leslie –
Kim F. – 02/15/2018
Leslie was amazing! We are so happy we took this tour. We loved it! The black sand beach and the waterfall in the rainforest were spectacular! We were given small yummy snacks throughout the tour. At the end we asked Leslie for a great local lunch recommendation and she took us to a delicious spot!
Leslie –
Donald C – 02/25/2018
We really enjoyed seeing as much as we did of Martinique, especially since a couple of my ancestors came here from France nearly 400 years ago. Mt. Pelee was especially interesting.
Leslie –
Sanyu M. – 03/10/2018
This tour was so informational. I really really enjoyed the storytelling style of the guide and she was able to answer just about any question. The snacks were great, and the stops we made were perfect. A wonderful way to see many parts of the island in one day.
Leslie –
CSW9622 – 03/15/2018
Gwladys was our wonderful guide. We had the opportunity to visit so much of the island away from the city. The tour was very well organized. We enjoyed a thorough overview of the island including a visit to a waterfall, distillery and several ruins. The bus was comfortable and roomy. While some people went to the beach, others had the opportunity to go to a local bakery and enjoy the food. I would recommend this excursion for those wanting an overview of the island.
Leslie –
Charles F. – 03/15/2018
Driver was wonderful had snacks for us at every stop. Good driver
Leslie –
Barb – 03/20/2018
This tour was fantastic! Christelle was a great tour guide, very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The sites we visited were a perfect blend of natural beauty and historic significance. The drinks and snacks she provided were delicious and had interesting background stories. If anyone has special dietary needs, she can accommodate them. My husband and I and our two adult children thoroughly enjoyed this tour and highly recommend it to all.
Leslie –
Allan P. – 03/30/2018
Excellent host for the tour. Gave us a great trip around the island
Leslie –
Derek – 04/05/2018
We did this trip on April 3, 2018. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Gladys was great (with her fiancé in training), as well as our driver (sorry I can’t remember his name). The bus was very nice and comfortable with AC. Gladys was very informative and answered all our questions. The scenery was beautiful, the roads were very curvy and winding, but was expected. My wife did take bonine for motion sickness prior to getting on the bus. Gladys did help a fellow passenger at the rhum distillery that was motion sick, by getting her ginger syrup, the lady stated she was better almost immediately, We bought the syrup, and it Is syrup, no alcohol. There was a bakery by the beach we ate at, but selection was limited due to a busy day, but the bread was very good, others liked the quiche. The only reason this is a 4 out of 5, we had to wait on other passengers for about 45 minutes of the ship, typical but frustrating. I would suggest telling people to be there 30 minutes sooner for a start time. But I would highly recommend this tour to anyone that enjoys scenic tours.
Leslie –
Kstenerson – 04/06/2018
Our guide Sebastiano was excellent! He is highly knowledgeable about all aspects of Martinique and was very enthusiastic about sharing his island with visitors. Martinique is a beautiful place. We really enjoyed learning about the volcanic eruption and visiting the rum distillery.
The bus was very comfortable and not overcrowded. I would recommend a better PA system to make it easier to hear.
Leslie –
Linda P. – 04/08/2018
his tour was awesome. Christelle was the best tour guide I have had and I’ve done hundreds of tours. The food tastings were all home-made by her – what a pleasant surprise we had at each stop. I could not believe all the goodies that she bought with her.
Foods and drinks – She even carried snacks to the waterfall where we had a long walk and had to cross over rocks to get to the waterfall! Her information was spot-on – you can tell her love of the island. We are returning in April with friends and I will book this tour again. Do not miss it.
Leslie –
Skimmer – 04/10/2018
Enjoyed our tour immensely. Our guide, Sebastian, was knowledgeable, friendly and made our day on Martinique memorable. Highly recommend!
Leslie –
Ksadlowsky – 04/12/2018
Renee, our driver, and Sebastian, our tour guide thru Beyond the Beach tours, were outstanding. This tour is truly unmissable as advertised. Sebastian was very engaged about giving us information and he really took care of us. He went above and beyond. We left the tour loving the island. This was definitely our favorite stop and tour.
Leslie –
Mike – 04/14/2018
Leslie was an AMAZING tour guide! She was accommodating regarding meeting place, gave an incredible 5 hour tour complete with descriptions of each neighborhood we passed through as well any historical significance it had, and the little snacks and drinks she provided were a wonderful personalized touch to the whole experience. Definitely take this tour! It was more than worth the money for the experience. Not to mention the opportunity to swim in the Caribbean Sea on a black sand beach and in a fresh water pool at the bottom of a rainforest waterfall
Leslie –
Nicola A. – 04/16/2018
This tour was booked as an alternative to trips organised by the cruise ship. Very good value, there were 6 of us on the tour and we were transported in a modern comfortable people mover. Drinks were offered both alcoholic and non. The guide sorry can’t remember her name was very knowledgeable and gave us lots of information on the island and how it is run, and how people live. We went to a rum distillery, very interesting tour, then the beach, and a waterfall in the rain forest which would be inaccessible to larger vehicles. We were very pleased with the tour and it’s success has given us confidence to look at other tours offered.
Leslie –
Ted E T – 04/19/2018
We enjoyed this tour! Our tour company was Beyond the Beach, and our guide was named Sebastine. Our van was immaculate and Sebastine was very informative, friendly, and spoke English well. We would definitely recommend this tour for those wanting a good overview and history of Martinique.
Leslie –
Thomas P – 04/20/2018
Sebastion was EXCELLENT. He was one of the best guides we have ever had.
Leslie –
JamessN6784LY – 06/01/2018
While planning our port day In Martinique, as well as for 4 other port calls, I turned to TripAdvisor for guidance. We ended up booking the Unmissable Martinique tour through Viator. The tour was arranged with a local company Beyond The Beach. I have nothing but great things to say about the tour and our guide Sebastian. A pretour email was answered promptly and meeting point and departure very smooth and on time. Sebastian gave a very informative and interesting tour of this beautiful island. I only wish we had another day to do their Southern Martinique tour.
Leslie –
AnneB – 01/10/2019
Great way to spend the day off the cruise ship. First time in Martinique so we wanted to see a much as we could in one day We arranged with Leslie/Go Beyond
We were met at cruise port. We were given a driver and a tour guide. Both Ladies were very nice of course we interacted more with our guide Anise (spelling?) as she spoke English (and a few other languages too). She made the day very enjoyable!
We saw the rum distillery, 30 min stay at beach, their Basilica, Short easy hike to waterfall and ruins of first capit
Leslie –
Nelly – 01/10/2019
This was a solo trip for me but it there was a group of 5 of us for the northern Martinique tour. We visited a rum factory, ruins from a volcanic eruption, stopped on a black sand beach, drove through a rain forest and saw a waterfall.
Our tour guide Leslie was very informative
Leslie –
Daniel M – 11/10/2019
When visiting Martinique, be sure to think of visiting the north of the island with its black sand beaches.
Leslie –
MarruA – 11/19/2019
A very nice half day excursion
I was lucky to attend the half day tour to the northern parts of Martinique. I had sent message to Gobeyondbeach by FB Messenger, asling for any available tours for a solo traveller, and Leslie kindly kept me on mind, and contacted me when she had a couple that was interested on the same trip too.
We had the pleasure of having lovely Maryam to drive us (very cafefully) around. She spoke fluent English and gave us loads of interesting information of the history, and she was able to answer all of our questions. Was a wonderful tour with breath taking views. She even took us to a second rhum distillery, since the first one was doing renovations and was not offering any tastings. Maryam took very good care of us, she had juice and water cooled for us, and the pace of doing things was very relaxed, and she listened to our wishes and made them true. The car was new and very comfortable, and all and all the tour was well worth the price. I can warmly recommend them, especially if you are not interested in driving yourself on the tiny, curvey roads of Martinique.
Leslie –
Leo – 03/20/2020
We organized a private tour with Beyond the Beach so that we could go at our own pace and pick our own timing of the tour. Our driver/guide Edouard was had lots of knowledge and narrated a lot of the trip with details on what we were seeing and tidbits about Martinique in general. We opted to follow the North Island Tour route so would also recommend this tour even if you book the regular small group tour. The stops were all decent with a drive through the rainforest, stops in St Pierre, a beach stop at Carbet and finally a stop at the Neisson Rum Distillery. St Pierre was really the highlight seeing what was called the “Paris of the Caribbean” until destroyed during the 1902 eruption of the Mount Pelée volcano.