As the first colonists' main means of the locomotion, donkeys, mules and especially horses always played a very important role on the island's paths. In the late 60s, it was still common to sea riders on the main roads. Saint-Martin /Sint Maarten, was then renowned for its breeding farms and exported animals to the other Antillean islands. Today, leisure equestrian activities help us preserve the ancestral link which binds us to "Man's nobless conquest". A very broad choice of European and American horses is avalable at the riding schools, which offer quality professional staffs. Rides of various lengths and suitable for all levels facilitate the discovery of areas inaccessible to cars, on hillsides, beaches, within the nature preserve, always in the close contact with nature. Some clubs have children's classes on poneis, or teach dressage to experienced riders. In the daytime, make sure to prepare a good sun cream. In the evening, for the romantic-minds, the experience of a champagne sunset on the beach will remain an unforgettable moment.

Sources: Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten Nature N°7 2003

Over 25 miles of hiking trails make it possible to discover the island's most surprising facets. They are a legacy of multi-secular pathways used by the first settlers to move about, which early ecologists, for the past twenty years, have strived to restore in order to bring forth Saint-Martin / Sint Maarten's natural ressources. Despite relatively modest distances and altitude variations, hikers are invited to observe safety regulations made necessary by "tropical hiking", the sun... showers, high temperatures and the quirks of the vegetation may hold surprises. Any members of the association "Action Nature", such as veteran Eric Dubois, an inexhaustible resource, may be contacted for information on the state and history of the trails.

Sources: Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten Nature N°7 2003

An average temperature of 80°F, steady trade winds almost all year long, dream beaches... and an extremly pleasant life on land, it comes as no surprise that Saint-Martin / Sint Maarten an established watersports paradise became the setting for the nicest sports event in the Caribbean: the SXM-Clallenge, which draws every year the top-ranking wind- and kitesurfers. Organized on Orient Bay, on the atlantic side of the island, this competition always attracts competitors bound by the same passion, whatever their technical level and ambitions. When a flock of tightly packed sails dashes for a raid around the island or to the distand ilet of Tintamarre, not everyone of the windsurfers and kitesurfers in the melee necessarily expects to set new records, this is reserved to the cream of the crop, but every single one returns (sometimes a few hours behind the rest) from this 50 mile circuit with the satisfaction of having reached his/her limits! The election of the "King of the Bay" on Orient Bay is a quite a show which nowadays attracts international caliber contestants to face particularly well-versed jury and spectators in a very relaxed atmosphere. No wonder many greenhorns attending this watersports festival choose one of Saint-Martin / Sint Maarten nautical centers to get their initiation into these sports and "get the bug"!

Sources: Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten Nature N°7 2003

The general consensus among travelling divers who crisscross the world in search of the best spots is that the Northerm Caribbean islands are a paradise for submarine exploration. Around the coast of Saint-Martin / Sint Maarten, more than 45 sites are currently listed and visited daily by dive centers which welcome every year a growing number of passionate lovers of the submarine environment. From beginner to divemaster, all levels find here welcoming structures to start discovering the island's largest playground: its underwater environment. Numerous sites are included within the limits of the Dutch and french natural reserves and guarantee fabulous discoveries on the coral formation and in the seagrass fields. Our waters are replete with fish, and observers and photographers dreams are fulfilled; in addition to the natural sites, many wrecks also shelter marine life. Some of them were voluntarily sunk to become new sites, such as the tugboat at Tintamarre, "Fuhsheng", "Carib-Ghost" or the remnants of Simpson Bay's former bridge. "Proselyte" has become an archeological site, the anchors and artillery of this English frigate sunk in 1801 in front of Philipsburg bay make it one of the most often visited sites. Regulary, teams of local divers adventurously go in search of new subaquatic seascapes, drawing a new, denser map for divers, from the discovery of a paceful, rich coral head to more " technical" sites reserved to fanatics.

Sources: Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten Nature N°7 2003