Enbas Saut Falls (Edmund Forest Reserve, St Lucia, Caribbean)

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Enbas Saut Falls

Enbas Saut Falls lies deep in the Edmund Forest Reserve, which is dominated by rainforest as they're watched over by Morne Gimie (that's "Jimmy" not "gimme") and other surrounding mountains. The name of the falls means "underneath the falls" in French, and it might be appropriate because the water is said to be clean and conducive for a refreshing swim. We had this trail all to ourselves (with the help of our guide Peter Simon) so it was quite a secluded spot .

A big reason why it was so quiet on this excursion was that we had to go on quite a bit of an adventure to get here. First up was a pretty scary drive I'd say would require a high clearance vehicle (and even then it was still scary; see directions below). Then, we had to hike a 4km loop that was relentlessly downhill down many steps and thus a rather hot and sweaty hike back up more steps as we were completing the loop. I believe it took us about 1.5-2 hours to do this hike.

About to cross the stream The falls itself wasn't big (probably no more than 7 or 8m tall for its main part with a 3m or so upper falls), but getting away from the hustle-and-bustle of the resorts, crazy driving, and towns for the quiet and peace within the forest makes the overall experience worthwhile.

While it's possible to visit Enbas Saut Falls on your own (there's a fee at the trailhead), it's not well signposted. We actually asked for directions at the nearby Diamond Botannical Gardens and ended up being accompanied by one of the tour guides. It's up to you whether you hire a guide or not.

Directions: The driving involves heading east of Soufriere along the same road you'd take to get to Toraille Falls then continuing past the small town of Fond St Jacques.

Back on the road Once past the town, the road really gets bad and it's not for the faint of heart because you'll have to maneuver the car so the wheels stay on concrete rails. If you happen to not stay on those narrow concrete rails, there's a real possibility that the wheels won't touch the ground (blocked by the undercarriage) and thus the vehicle wouldn't move. Now that's scary!

And I didn't even mention some of the very deep ruts cut across the road that might also conspire to scrape the underside of your car. I wouldn't even consider trying to come up here in a passenger car! Of course, you could also walk the roughly 6km each way past Fond St Jacques along the 4wd path if you don't want to hire a high clearance car.

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Peter Simon showing Julie something during the long descent

Which way to go?

Direct view of the main Enbas Saut Falls from the picnic tables Direct view of the Enbas Saut Falls from the picnic tables

The peaceful looking upper falls

Leaving the humid forest

Almost back at the car with I think Mt Gimie in the background

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Sweep from the bottom of the main falls to its top