A Guide to Colombier Beach, St. Barth

The steeper path or the path that circumnavigates the island’s perimeter? This article answers all your burning questions about how to get to the beautiful Colombier Beach.

Photography property of SVADORE

If this is your first time on the island, getting around can be a little bit difficult. There are no street names on the island, no clear directions, and the information for how to get places online is pretty scarce. If you’re looking for how to get to the hideaway beach of Colombier on St. Barth, you’ve come to the right place. This is your ultimate guide to Colombier Beach, also known as Rockefeller Beach because of David Rockefeller’s property which still overlooks the entire beach. More on that in my post Where To Stay In St. Barth: Villa Culture. Since you can only reach the beach via a 20-minute hike or by boat, I will be giving you instructions on how to hike to this secluded and coveted beach. Although if you can take a boat there, by all means hop on that opportunity!

The first thing to know about getting to Colombier is that there is more than one way to get to the beach. Our first year on the island, Pat and I thought there was only one way to Colombier, and that was down a rugged and steep “path” near a vantage point we had found. It wasn’t until our second year that we discovered there was a second easier route you could take to Colombier that led you around the contours of the island. I will outline how to get to Colombier both ways as both do have their pros, but do keep in mind that the first option is not advisable if you have kids or are limited with mobility. Before we dive right in, I want to preface that in order to get to Colombier on foot you need to come prepared! Sneakers, water, and a hat are mandatory since there is no shade on Colombier. I recommend you come early in the morning or later in the afternoon towards 3:30/4PM. The heat of the sun at 11AM will have you gasping for air before you reach the beach, so be mindful of this when you go, I don’t want anyone passing out. In my opinion the best time to go is early in the morning. Sunsets from Colombier beach are difficult to catch since the sun sets on the South side of the island, so the area gets a bit cloudier and shadier towards the end of the day than the rest of the island.

Option I. Getting to Colombier from the viewpoint 

Although this option is the most difficult, I still suggest you drive to the tip of Colombier and admire the amazing bellevue or vantage point that overlooks Flamand and Petite Anse beach and Colombier beach. As you drive toward Colombier beach you will arrive at a dead end and notice a small viewpoint (I’ve mapped it our for you as the star below). You won’t know about this bellevue or this spot unless you happen to casually stumble across this road, but it has got to have one of the most beautiful and breathtaking views in St. Barth. On the right side you have Flamand and Petit Anse beach and on the left side you have Colombier.

Park your car on the side of the road (as is typical in St. Barth) or in the small parking area if there is any availability. You’ll notice a small path to the left of the overlook that leads you down the mountain. The hike down is steep and you will encounter the occasional mountain goat or iguana, but nothing to worry about, they are harmless! Halfway through your hike down you will come to a rocky overlook with breathtaking views of the Colombier dotted with sailboats and yachts. You’ll even get a glimpse of the neighboring Île Chevreau in the distance, and on a super clear day, St. Maarten across the water. After 20 minutes of pushing through bushes and trekking down a steep hill, you will notice the road finally gets flat. You’ve finally reached the clearer and wider path that surrounds Colombier. As you walk around the contours of the beach, you will see that there is no immediate entrance. So find a slope that doesn’t look too unstable or dangerous and make your way down to the waters of this crystal clear beach!

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Option II. Getting to Colombier from Petite Anse Beach 

Welcome to the easier hike to Colombier beach. If you are afraid of heights, this hike is closer to the edge of the water and circumnavigates the perimeter of the island..so the viewpoint path might be better for you, even though it’s tougher. Start off by driving down to Flamand beach. Take a left and head towards Petite Anse beach, the small cove area between Colombier and Flamand. Keep driving down the street until you reach a dead end that turns into a dirt road in front of the yellow Auberge de la Petite Anse. Park in front of the Auberge or on the side of the dirt road a couple of feet ahead and you are off!

From here the path is pretty clear and laid out. As the previous path, you will run into a few mountain goats with their babies braving the small cliffs on the edge of the water, turtles trying to cross your path and lizards and iguanas chilling on the side. The first part of the trail loops around Petite Anse Beach offering you views of this surfer spot and it’s small pool like cove where people stop for a quick dip during the day. Unfortunately, on this late afternoon there was a bit of overcast so we were not able to capture the beauty of the turquoise water, but the island’s rugged beauty still shined.

One of the unique aspects of this hike versus the viewpoint hike is that you get to walk through coastal caves on the trip there. If you are looking for luscious landscapes, then Colombier isn’t for you. Rugged beauty reigns in this domain. Being a volcanic island, you will notice a lot of diverse nature, shallow reefs, hills and valleys, and arid agriculture.

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Once around Petite Anse Beach, you begin to loop around the northern shore of St. Barth with it’s tiny uninhabited island on the opposite side. On a sunny day the contrasting, yellow, orange and turquoise waters make for a jaw-dropping landscape. On this gray afternoon things seemed a bit gloomier, but just as beautiful. It reminded me of a landscape you would see in Scotland.

As you finally cut between the small island and beach, you arrive at Colombier beach. The sun is setting, you catch a glimpse of that orange sky, the small docked sailboats and the empty beach put you completely at ease. Utter bliss and calm. All you hear is the sound of the waves crashing and perhaps the chitter chatter of a couple or two nearby. This is the secluded jewel of Colombier beach.

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