TERRASSES DE SHABADRAN

We would like to say that this hike (2 hours and a half for the outward journey) is perfectly organized and supervised, but it is not always the case and we have to live with it. The access to the magnificent site of Shabadran (pronounced Cha-Ba-djan) remains paying and it is not a health walk. It starts with 30 minutes in the back of a pick-up truck to cross a coconut grove. We evolve then on a difficult ground to join the beach. The first section crosses a sharp coral rock, chiseled by the sea and the wind, sometimes not very stable. It ends with a small climb and offers many views on the coral plateaus and the cliffs that can reach 140 m high. The path stabilizes after a little more than an hour of walking and the beach finally appears. With its white sand lined with lush vegetation and turquoise water, the place is absolutely heavenly. Many say that it is the most beautiful place in New Caledonia. Once there, we stay about three hours before turning back. If this itinerary remains one of the most beautiful of the country and is a real enchantment, it is the object of very divided opinions of the travelers (and the locals) who sometimes deplore its organization and the fact that the various guides (sometimes children), are not always able to answer the questions. It is a customary land and the owners keep increasing the price of the entrance, year after year.