Guadeloupe Travel Guide

In the French Antilles between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, the Franco-Caribbean Isles de Guadeloupe are made up of five islands (strictly speaking four, and a small group of eight). The biggest two – Grande Terre and Basse Terre are almost on top of each other, separated only by the narrow Salée River to create a kind of ‘butterfly’ shape. To their south and east, a cluster of islets called Les Saintes, the circular Marie Galante and 11km long La Desirade complete the archipelago – alongside a handful of tiddly islets.

The names are where it can get confusing: of the main two islands, Basse-Terre (meaning ‘low land’) is much more mountainous, while Grande-Terre (‘big land’) is the smaller… The name Basse-Terre refers both to the island and its regional capital, not to be confused with Terre-de-Bas of the Les Saintes islands. Also meaning ‘low land’ - and also failing to match the island’s geography - Terre-de-Bas happens to be hillier than its neighbour Terre-de-Haut (which, you guessed it, means ‘high land’)... To add to the confusion, a separate set of islets, the Petite-Terre islets are also called Terre-de-Bas and Terre-de-Haut.

But while they share similar names, geographically speaking each island is different – Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre may well form the shape of butterfly wings, but they’re far from symmetrical, formed thousands of years apart. Grande-Terre is low-lying, mostly made up sugar cane plantation. The latter is dominated by volcanic peaks doused in thick, humid rainforest. The same goes for the isles of Les Saintes: Terre de Haut’s climate is dry while Terre de Bas remains fabulously fertile. Marie Galante’s an island of sugar-cane fields nicknamed the ‘big cookie’ for its flat, bumpy formation. Then there’s Desirade - a thin stretch of dry, rocky plateau that relies on the bigger islands for clean water. Between them, 270 sand and pebble beaches come in every hue of white, gold, pink, black, grey and brown… Forests are filled with waterfalls, hot springs and tropical flora and fauna, while coral reefs, sea turtles and fish thrive under the water.

Arawak Indians were the first inhabitants before the tribe of Carib Indians took over (around the 9th century). In these days, the island was known as Karukera (Island of beautiful waters). It was the Caribs who Columbus met when he visited in 1493 and renamed the island after Lady of Guadalupe of Extremadura (inspired by a Spanish monastery). The name may have stuck, but the Caribs strongly resisted colonisation from the Spanish, defending their land for over a hundred years. It wasn’t until the French arrived in 1635 that they were overthrown.

French colonists introduced the sugar and coffee industry, bringing African slaves to work on the plantations. The French revolution, slave rebellions and brief periods of British occupation dominated the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th century. In 1848, slavery was finally abolished and servants from Asia were imported to work on plantations. Expanding beyond sugar plantation, the island began producing bananas, pineapples and rice to recover from financial crisis around WWII. In the forties it became an Overseas Department of France, then in the seventies an administrative centre. Guadeloupe is part of the EU, uses the Euro and has representation in French parliament.

The Guadeloupe Islands are teaming with wildlife. With 30 species of birds, 11 species of bat and many more animals, including raccoons, manatees, monk seals, butterflies, crabs, lizards and frogs. No poisonous or dangerous animals reside in Guadeloupe. Five of the seven species of sea turtle nest here, and islanders move mountains to protect them, dedicating national days to cleaning the sea bed. Huge chunks of the region are protected by National Park, from the Soufriere Volcano to the Pigeon islets and Le Grand Cul-de-sac Marin with its lagoon, mangrove and islets. Coral reefs, sea turtles and fish thrive under the water. Divers may spot sea horses, lobster, parrotfish, queen angelfish, Creole wrasse, rays and barracuda.

We could easily spend all week snoozing on the beach in Guadeloupe, but when you see the number of activities available, sitting still isn’t so easy...