TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO HIKING 3 SPROUT FALLS MORNE LA CROIX

Morne La Croix located 23km on the Arima Blanchisseuse Road and 12km south of Blanchisseuse is a dream land for nature lovers and explorers. The place enclosed by high mountains and called “Mountain of the Cross”. A tall v-shaped mountain stands majestically over the village and appears like a crucifix. At the centre, there is a large concrete plaque inscribed on the ground “Morne La Croix”. On both sides of the community, rivers flow deep down in the valley. On the eastern side, there is the Marianne River, with its mouth at the Spring Bridge in Blanchisseuse. On the western side, there is the Lemon River, which flows north-westerly and exits at Yarra Bay on the outskirts of La Fillette.

The first Englishman documented to pass this route was Charles Kingsley. During the Christmas season of 1869, he came to visit his friend Governor Sir Arthur Gordon and instead of going the conventional way which was by boat he decided to horseback. The first settlers were the Cocoa Panyols or Caureros, who came from Caura. In 1943, Governor Sir Bede Clifford made plans to build a dam there forcing the residents to leave and find others place to dwell. Most settled at Lopinot while others went further north to a more holistic surroundings in Morne La Croix.

The exploration to the Three Sprout Falls starts at the 15 and a 1/4 mile -post on the Arima, Blanchisseuse Road just about 1 km north of the village. The trail-head unnoticed from the roadway leads down into the valley of the Lemon River. Large tributaries, which originate from the nearby mountains flows into the river path and to discover, are five waterfalls. The walk through the forest down to the river will take 45 minutes. The exploration is an upstream adventure along the river bed back to the village. Along its pathway, there are rocks to scale, waterfalls to ascend, small gorges to paddle and short hills to climb.