Île Sainte Marie

The journey from the south to the island had been long, but we were excited we’d made it. Within hours of arriving, we’d scheduled a whale watching trip for the next day. We got lucky and found a group that had already signed up so our bargaining power increased. After getting them down 25%, we agreed to come back the next morning and head out.

That night the rain started and so hard that it woke us both up. We had hoped that it would pass, but the next morning the sky was still showering everything. Even though we assumed the trip was cancelled, we needed confirmation. So we grabbed a snack at a nearby stand and then walked as fast as we could to Hotel le Baliene as it had started to pour.

Walking under the rain for the whale watching

The initial report was to wait to see if the weather would pass, but within 10 minutes the man had changed his mind. He returned to say that the trip was postponed until the following day as the rain didn’t appear to be letting up. We ordered breakfast and watched the waves before heading back to our hotel. With the rain, all of our possible plans were cancelled so we had a relaxing morning.

The rain stopped around midday and we could see a few whales jumping in the distance. We started to walk into town and realized that the 4 kms (2.5 miles) was longer than we wanted to walk so we grabbed a cyclo-pousse. It turned out to be a good decision as the rain started again. We used our ponchos to protect us and got dropped off in the town center. After grabbing lunch, we wandered around the streets and checked out the small market. Tico found a barbershop and for the first time asked to have his mustache and beard worked on. The barber pulled out his single blade razor and Tico thought he’d made a mistake, but then changed his mind. He got a close shave and his mustache trimmed and shaped.

Tuk tuks lined up by the port

Having our classic Three Horse Beer

Tico in the barber shop

We decided to walk back and passed through the various small villages as we went. Some people were selling their goods as they walked and we found a place for dinner that evening. We dropped our things at the hotel and then walked back towards the restaurant. The benefit of being on an island meant we got fresh and delicious seafood.

The following morning the sky was clear and we had high hopes for seeing the whales. We again walked to the nearby hotel and got in a truck with the rest of the group. It drove us to the spot where we climbed into the boat and we all took our seats. We headed out into the water and everyone had their eyes peeled in search of movement. We found 2 adult humpback whales accompanied by their child. The whales migrate to these waters annually around this time of year for calving so we weren’t surprised to see a couple and their young. We followed them as they gracefully swam around. The larger ones would show their back and tail while the younger one practiced breaching. We were quite close to them and at times it looked like they were going to go under our boat.

Boarding our boat for whale watching

The clouds got heavier while we were out and not long after it started raining. They said we were okay as it wasn’t a bad storm and we continued to follow the whale family. We saw others jumping in the distance and hoped that one of the large ones would decide to make a splash, but it didn’t happen. After about an hour of watching them move through the water, we started making our way to Île aux Nattes. We had the option of deboarding there, but we would stay the night there and needed to grab our backpacks first.

The windy and rainy boat ride

Maria filming the whales

The boat dropped us off close to where we’d picked it up and we climbed back into the truck. We went back to Le Mangoustan to get our things and stood along the road waiting for a tuk tuk. He dropped us off at the edge of the island and from there we’d need to get a boat. We’d heard you could walk across at low tide, but we didn’t want to attempt that with our things. We found a boatman that was willing to accept our price and were pushed across. There was a point where there were waves, but it was less than 200 meters to the other island so it was easy going.

Crossing to the next island with the boat

A man crossing between the islands

We arrived to Île aux Nattes and immediately looked for food. There was a restaurant on the beach that offered fresh seafood so we took advantage of it. Our hotel, Chez Sica, was 2 kms (1.2 miles) from the drop-off and there was no transportation on the small island. So we strapped on our packs and started walking. There was a foot path that led us there while weaving around homes and other hotels.

Walking with full packs

Men playing soccer on the island

The vegetation around the island

We arrived and were glad to put our bags down. After making the tough decision of which hut we wanted, we made it ours and walked along the beach. This was the image we’d had when we thought about coming to the island. It was long stretches of white sandy beaches and palm trees sprinkled along the edge. We watched the sunset and as we looked out across the water the splashes of whales jumping could be seen.

Chez Sica hotel

The beach on Île aux Nattes

Enjoying the sunset on the island

Our hotel didn’t offer meals as it had a shared kitchen so we walked next door to La Robinsonnade, where the rooms were tree houses, and ordered dinner. We both got their daily special and were thrilled that it included chocolate crepes for dessert. We walked back to our hut using the light of the moon and were in bed shortly thereafter.

The next morning we woke up early as we needed to be back on Île Sainte Marie to scuba dive. The clouds were there, but it didn’t look like it would rain so we were confident we’d make it out. We walked back to where we’d been dropped off the day before and stopped for tea/coffee olé and fried breads along the way. We were pushed back across the water and within minutes our ride showed up. He dropped us off at Princesse Bora and we started gearing up.

our_room_chez_sica_hotel_Sainte_Marie_island

Our room at Chez Sica hotel

Walking through the island paths

The breakfast spot for the day

We ran into a couple from the whale watching tour the day before and ended up being in the same dive group. Once we had everything we needed, we grabbed our gear bags and walked out to the boat. It took us out to our first dive spot, Treasure Island, which got its name from the hundreds of mushroom coral that look like coins on the ground. With the rain the previous days, the visibility was poor. We dropped down and moved with the current to see what we could find. There was a large school of yellow fish that followed us around and we could hear the whales communicating with each other. Besides the ‘coins,’ there was dead coral that had some small fish swimming about and we spotted a pair of moray eels in a coral bowl. Then, we saw something we’d never seen before, 2 cuttlefish with their short tentacles over their mouth.

The school of yellow fish around us

Tico and Maria doing scuba

Moray eels hiding

Two cuttlefish

We went back up for our surface interval and dropped anchor near the port as the waters were rough ad they didn’t want anyone to get sick. Then we made our way over to the second dive site, the Lighthouse. There was more dead coral and the whales in the background. There were fewer fish, but we still saw angel fish and a spotted snake eel. Once we used enough of our air, we all made our way to the surface and back to dry land.

Spotted snake eel next to a mushroom coral

We took quick showers and as they organized transport back to our hotel, we asked that they drop us in town. It was a good opportunity to get food for breakfast as well as make sure we had enough cash to pay for our hut. After having lunch, we wandered around a bit more and treated ourselves to ice cream as we hadn’t seen a shop like that in months.

Once we had the food we needed, we walked towards the tuk tuks and saw that a taxi brousse was almost full. We asked which direction they were headed and grabbed our seats. The ride took longer than it would have if we’d paid for private transport, but we still made it back with plenty of daylight. We got a canoe across and started our walk back.

There were 2 young girls selling tea next to the soccer field so we sat and enjoyed the drinks while they went back to playing jump rope. One side was tied to their tea stand while they took turns swinging and jumping. After watching them for some time, it was our turn to join in. They untied the dried vine and let me have a go. I jumped as long as I could, but then needed a break. Their brother came out to watch the fun and we all took turns jumping. The oldest girl tried to jump in with my rhythm, but it only worked for a short time and then one of us would get hit. Tico took his turn as well, but we never convinced the brother to hop in.

The afternoon tea spot

Maria jumping rope

We stopped by the cabin to drop our things and then walked back to Chez Ariana, which is owned by locals. Our assumption was that it would take some time to cook so we brought the cards and entertained ourselves while they prepared the food. It had been a long day so by the time we had eaten we were ready for bed.

Maria winning the card game…as usual

Finally, it was our day of relaxation and we got to sleep in. We had nothing planned for the day and as we cooked ourselves breakfast there was no rush. Meanwhile, two women approached us and offered us massages. With the Asian influence on the island, we’d seen several signs for massages around. We asked how much it would cost and ended up getting a deal for 2. So for $13 USD we both laid down on the grass near the beach and had a blissful hour to relieve the months of carrying heavy packs.

Playing and relaxing on the beach

The clouds came back so we laid in the hammocks and did a lot of nothing to pass the day. We had lunch at the local restaurant and walked along the beach to check things out. Time got away from us and it was suddenly late. We walked to a nearby hotel, Sambatra, in search of dinner only to find out it was preorder only. The owner was kind enough to see what extras they had and served us anyway as there probably wasn’t anything else open at that hour.

Tico and Maria looking at the storm

The island wasn’t exactly what we had in mind, but the weather didn’t cooperate with us either. The fact that it took days to arrive also made us hope for relaxing days on the beach. Yet we still got to see the whale up close and even heard them underwater.

Helpful tips:

The best time to visit is October as the whales are still there and it’s not rainy season.

You can whale watch from a dugout canoe, but be aware that they will likely get closer than is technically allowed.

The time of the ferry changes according to the tide so make sure you find out when it will leave the day before.

If you’re looking for the tropical island feel, head straight to Île aux Nattes and enjoy the slow pace of life.