Guadeloupe gives travelers a taste of France in the Tropics. In addition to its Gallic flair and fine Creole cuisine (among the best in the Caribbean), it offers some excellent beaches and mountainous, lush terrain full of gorgeous scenery. The resorts are not as spectacular and plush as those on, say, Anguilla or Jamaica, though there are some large beachfront properties, but you can have a real island experience at small inns where locally prepared food and tranquillity will be highlights of your stay.

Guadeloupe is part of the Lesser Antilles, about 322km (200 miles) north of Martinique. It actually comprises two different islands, separated by a narrow seawater channel known as the Rivière Salée. Grande-Terre, the eastern island, is full of rolling hills and sugar plantations. Basse-Terre, to the west, is a rugged mountainous island, dominated by the 1,440m (4,723-ft.) volcano, La Soufrière, which is still alive and dotted with banana plantations. Guadeloupe's mountains are covered with tropical forests, impenetrable in many places. Beautiful white-sand beaches ring its islands. In the unlikely event that you should grow bored on Guadeloupe, you can hop over to really remote islands offshore, including Iles des Saintes and Marie-Galante.

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The Islands

Basse-Terre
Dominated by the imposing silhouette of its old Lady (La Soufrière volcano, 4813 ft/ 1467 m), Basse-Terre is one of the wings forming the “Butterfly” of Guadeloupe.

Basse-Terre is a mountainous massif, covered by a magnificent tropical forest of almost 66 square miles (17000 ha), which has been a designated National Park since 1989. It has lots of well marked hiking trails of varying degrees of difficulty. Its lush vegetation (over 3000 species of trees) provides shelter for an exotic wildlife, free from poisonous animals. With its waterfalls, cascades, basins, parks and different plantations…it reveals all its natural charm ! Beaches of pebble and sand in shades of ochre, brown, black and pink line its coast, and it has a fantastic underwater reserve of world renown – the Jacques COUSTEAU Reserve (with a submerged bust of him). Basse-Terre provides ample evidence of the cultural diversity of the island – Catholic church and Hindu temple, archaeological remains of the first inhabitants and the 17th century military fort. The town of the same name, the administrative center of the Department, is a real history book

Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre, also known as the Little Brittany of the Antilles, forms one wing of the Butterfly of the Guadeloupean archipelago. Unlike its twin, Basse-Terre, it is flat and formed from limestone.

Grande-Terre is a limestone plateau perfectly suited to growing sugar cane, which covers most of the island. You will realize the importance of this agricultural activity if you visit the GARDEL sugar factory or the Bellevue distillery, located in the town of Le Moule, the former colonial capital. The magnificent shaded beaches of white sand along its coastline provide brilliant sunbathing places if you want to laze about. Calm lagoons of turquoise sea as well as wave sports are a joy for surfers and windsurfers. Lots of restaurants and hotels will guarantee you a taste of the best Creole cuisine, balmy Guadeloupean nights and the range of night time activities (casinos, discos, revues…). With its natural beauty spots (Pointe des Châteaux, the cliffs of la Grande Vigie, the Grands Fonds…), Pointe-à-Pitre, the economic capital with its historical monuments, museums, spice and flower markets with intoxicating smells, and the sugar cane landscapes of Port-Louis, Grande-Terre offers a wide range of choice to suit every visitor.

La Désirade
Off Pointe des Châteaux lies the island of La Désirade, desired by so many in its history ! From a distance, its shape looks like the keel of an upturned boat. Life on La Désirade is timeless. Peace and simplicity characterize this tabular rock which is quite different from all the others in the archipelago. In fact nothing can disturb the tranquil atmosphere which reigns on the island, nor affect the authentic character and kind welcome of its inhabitants, mainly descendants of people from Brittany, Normandy and Poitou. Seven miles long (11 km) and just over a mile wide (2 km), it has magnificent beaches of white sand, sheltered by long coral reefs - a delight for swimmers and divers. Only the south coast is inhabited. There is one single, straight road linking Grande-Anse, the main market town, to the different communities, Les Galets, Le Souffleur and Baie-Mahault... La Désirade, just like the wild islands of Petite-Terre which are linked to it, has an astonishing variety of plant life. You will also find some beautiful and fascinating colonies of animals on the verge of extinction - iguanas, agoutis, tropicbirds, etc. Gradually the island is beginning to modernize and is gearing up for an appropriate scale of tourist development - beaches and organized hiking trails, gîte accommodations, and pleasant restaurants… La Désirade can be reached by sea (45 min from Saint-François), or by air (15 min from Pôle Caraïbes airport).

Les Saintes
Life rolls along quietly here. Memories of the turbulent past of the archipelago, and the bloody naval battle with the English and French fleets facing each other off the coastline, remain consigned to the history books.
Terre-de-Haut is renowned for its gorgeous bay with clear, turquoise waters, its spectacular sugarloaf mountain, its charming village with quiet roads lined with cute cottages. The inhabitants of Breton and Norman descent have a long tradition of fishing which they do in small open boats called “saintoises”. You can visit the Napoleon Fort with its museum and its surprising exotic garden. The island’s restaurants are stocked with fresh produce on a daily basis and offer tasty tropical cuisine. Terre-de-Bas, with its beautiful beach at Grande-Anse, the remains of the former pottery, leisurely strolls or even the tiny village of Petite-Anse, is worth getting to know better ! Less busy than its sister island, it offers its temporary guests peace and quiet, a relaxed pace of life and the hospitality of its inhabitants.

Marie-Galante
Located 27 miles (43 km) from Pointe-à-Pitre, Marie-Galante (Aïchi en Caraïbes) covers an area of 61 sq.miles (158 km²). This round island, hence the nickname “the big pancake”, with its quiet roads and varied plant life, is the sugar cane island par excellence. Known as the island of a hundred mills, it had already gained a reputation for its rum by the 18th century. Vast sugar cane fields still cover most of the land even today. On the roads you will meet authentic ox-drawn carts, the means of transport used by farmers. They say it’s home to the best rums in the world, and Marie-Galante jealously guards the secrets of its culinary specialties on the menus of its colorful restaurants. Its beaches of white sand are some of the most beautiful in the Caribbean ! With its hospitality and the legendary warmth of its inhabitants, Marie-Galante is authenticity itself in the Guadeloupean archipelago.