Vieux-Bourg coast / Babin

The riverbank or coastal mangrove forest, with stable salt levels (at least 30 grams per litre), is home to the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), recognisable by its aerial roots. The roots allow acorn barnacles, mussels, mangrove oysters and sponges to develop. Almost a hundred species of mostly young shellfish and fish have been listed in the mangrove forest. For the juvenile red porgy, bar jack and tarpon, as well as for young shrimp and lobster, the mangrove forest is their nursery. It is vital for the equilibrium and development of marine animals.

The American yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia) is known as "Ti Jon" ("Lit'l Jon") in Creole. It is a sedentary bird found all over the West Indies. In most islands, it lives mainly in the mangrove forests, but can also sometimes be found in the coastal forests and even in the mountain forests.
Watch and listen! This site is teeming with life.

The grandleaf seagrape (Coccoloba pubescens) is a member of the Polygonaceae family. It can be found all over the West Indies.
The tree can grow up to 25m in height. Some leaves are 45 cm in diameter. They are bright green and pale on the other side with yellow veins. The flowers are a greenish white colour. The fruits are 2 cm wide.

Many burrows and crabs can be seen in the mangrove forest alongside the footpath, including Cardisoma guanhumi, generally known as the blue land crab.

Montrichardia arborescens, known as Moco-moco in the West Indies, belongs to the Araceae family. The plant can grow up to 3 or 4 metres high and has large, arrow-shaped leaves. The flowers have the unusual quality shared by all Araceae flowers of producing heat (thermogenesis).
The plant grows right next to rivers and in coastal marshes.

The mango tree (Mangifera indica L.) is a member of the Anacardiaceae family, originally from south Asia. It can grow between 10 and 25 metres high.
Mango trees are often grown in tropical countries for their fruit. They were probably one of the first fruit trees to be cultivated.

Next to the sea, the portia tree (Thespasia populnea), seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) and Indian almond (Terminalia catappa) form a bar of coastal vegetation.

Babin beach is noticeable for its sea mud. The sludge-like sediments, rich in silt, have only a small quantity of sand. It is thought to be an effective remedy for rheumatism and skin diseases. From the beach, you have a good view of the Fajou and Macou islands, the north of Basse-Terre and the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin.