Guadeloupe Travel Guide
Guadeloupe is one of the smaller Caribbean islands, and a member of the French territory. 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.
To the left, Grand-Terre – a flat land of chalky fields and perfect white beaches that resemble the island’s chief export: sugar. To the right – Basse-Terre, a mountainous forest region filled with volcanic peaks, waterfalls and hot springs. The city of Pointe-a-Pitre feels like the French Riviera, with skyscrapers standing alongside palm trees. On the other hand, at the Parc National on Basse-Terre the scenery is anything but man-made, including four-story waterfalls, thick, colorful flora and largely dormant volcanoes to be explored.
Guadeloupe offers tourists an array of water sports, water-skiing, sailing, windsurfing and parasailing, as well as being one of the top scuba diving sites in the world, in addition to hiking, bicycling and horse riding on the beach.
Read more about the island of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe Visitor Fast Facts