Guadeloupe : the big tour
2024
Highlights of the trip
During your stay you can enjoy the following highlights: Culture / Heritage, Faune and flora, Discovery, Adventure / Sports & Leisure, Free time, Relaxation / Well-being.
Best times to go
The best time(s) to go is/are : Printemps, Eté, Automne, Hiver.
Petit Futé
Where to stay - Deshaies ?
The map of your stay "Guadeloupe : the big tour"
Detail of the stay : Guadeloupe : the big tour
How to get there - Deshaies
Arrival in Guadeloupe, direction North Basse-Terre
Steps: Sainte-Rose
Arrival day. The fatigue of the trip, added to the jet lag, will quickly be felt. Choose an accommodation in the North of Basse-Terre(Deshaies, Sainte-Rose, Lamentin) in order to limit your journey, especially since night falls quickly and it is then less easy to find your way. Deshaies is the city where you will find the largest choice of accommodations in North Grande-Terre
Acclimatization day
You will be awake very early due to the time difference. Take time to relax by the pool or during your first swim in the sea. Locate your future itineraries thanks to a detailed map that you will find at the airport, in the rental car, in your accommodation... Take a tour of the town where you live to locate nearby businesses
Deshaies
Steps: Sainte-Rose
Explore the coastline around Deshaies. The beach of Grande-Anse is one of the largest and most beautiful beaches of Guadeloupe with kilometers of golden sand. The visit of the Botanical Garden is almost unavoidable: it constitutes a first approach of the local flora, but in a much more disciplined version than the one you will discover in the National Park of Guadeloupe. Continue the walk to Sainte-Rose, where the Art de Guadeloupe Creole Museum, the Rum Museum, the Séverin estate and beautiful old houses are reminders of a flourishing agricultural past. Beautiful walks can be made to the Bain de Sofaïa or on the path of the smugglers
Places of interest : PLAGE DE GRANDE-ANSE JARDIN BOTANIQUE DE DESHAIES MUSÉE DU RHUM - GALERIE DES INSECTES BAIN DE SOUFRE DE SOFAIA DOMAINE DE SÉVERIN ECOMUSÉE CRÉOLE ART CHEMIN DES CONTREBANDIERS
The Windward Coast
Steps: Bouillante
Head for the Côte-sous-le-vent to Bouillante, where the Cousteau Reserve promises beautiful encounters and unforgettable landscapes, between cetacean discovery, scuba diving or snorkeling, discovery of the sea floor on a glass-bottom boat, a free or guided tour on a sea kayak... It is also the starting point for excursions in immersion in nature through organized half-day, full-day or even two-day trips with overnight bivouac.
Places of interest : RÉSERVE COUSTEAU
Route de la Traversée
Steps: Route De La Traversée
If the road of the Crossing ensures the link between the east of the island and the Windward Coast without having to make a detour by the north or the south of Basse-Terre, it also serves some of the most beautiful sites of the National Park of Guadeloupe. You will be able, at your leisure, to bathe in the invigorating water of the crayfish waterfall, accessible to people with reduced mobility, to take beautiful walks at the "Col des mamelles" which culminates at 786 m, to discover the endemic fauna of the Antilles and the flora in its natural environment at the Guadeloupe zoo, to walk at the top of trees at the " Tapeur"..
Places of interest : LE TAPEUR ZOO DE GUADELOUPE AU PARC DES MAMELLES COL DES MAMELLES CASCADE AUX ÉCREVISSES
Hiking - Carbet Falls
Steps: Capesterre-Belle-Eau
Experienced hikers, here is your special moment! Direction the East coast for the discovery of the Carbet falls. At this level, it is preferable to choose an accommodation on this side of the Basse-Terre. Make sure you have all the necessary hiking equipment and ask the agents of the Guadeloupe National Park about the state of the trails and the weather forecast. Heavy rains can quickly make paths impassable or turn a small river into a violent torrent, so stay vigilant and careful.
Places of interest : CHUTES DU CARBET
Hiking - La Soufrière
Steps: Capesterre-Belle-Eau
Departure for the south with the excursion to the Soufrière with the nickname of the "Old Lady". Same precautions as for the Carbet Falls. At the top, the view is extraordinary. In one glance, you can see all the Lesser Antilles, embracing with your eyes Marie-Galante, the Saintes and the Désirade. With binoculars, it is often possible to distinguish Dominica and even Martinique.
Places of interest : CHUTES DU CARBET
South Basse-Terre
Finish your visit to Basse-Terre 's southernmost tip with a stroll through the town with a guide from the Maison du Patrimoine et de l'Architecture. Pass by the Bologne distillery and Fort Louis Delgrès.
The Saints
Steps: Terre-De-Haut
Take advantage of this geostrategic position to plan a trip to the Saintes from Trois-Rivières. The crossing takes about 20 minutes. You can arrive in Terre-de-Haut, more touristic, or in Terre-de-Bas depending on the company. In any case, both islets have accommodations. However, plan your accommodation in Terre-de-Bas beforehand, as there are far fewer offers. Spend a day on each islet. A shuttle bus makes several daily rotations between the two islands. Terre-de-Haut can be visited on foot, by bicycle, scooter or electric car. As for Terre-de-Bas, you will find quads, buggies, scooters, cars for rent or shuttles for a guided tour
Les Saintes - day 2
Pointe-à-Pitre
Steps: Pointe-À-Pitre
Head back to Grande-Terre and discover the city of Pointe-à-Pitre by walking through its shopping streets and its market on the Place de la Victoire. Stop at the Schoelcher Museum, the Saint-John Perse Museum and discover the architecture of the city's pavilion, the ACTe Memorial, dedicated to the memory of slavery. The Heritage Department organizes exciting thematic guided tours
Places of interest : MUSÉE SAINT-JOHN PERSE PAVILLON DE LA VILLE PLACE DE LA VICTOIRE MACTE - MÉMORIAL ACTE
Marie-Galante
Departure for Marie-Galante from the port of Bergevin, Pointe-à-Pitre. With its 158 km², it ranks3rd among the French Antilles islands, after Martinique and Guadeloupe. Allow at least two days to discover the "Galette", also known as the island of a hundred mills. Its hotel infrastructure is highly diversified.
Marie-Galante - Day 2
If you had a sporty day the day before, take advantage of it to do nothing this day, and vice versa
South Grande-Terre
Steps: Sainte-Anne
Pass Gosier and then Sainte-Anne, known for its superb beaches, including the Club Med beach. Then continue to Saint-François and follow the direction of the Pointe des Châteaux. You arrive on a strip of land with a wild landscape where the sea is raging. Go up to the monumental cross to enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding islands! Many small beaches on your right
Places of interest : POINTE DES CHÂTEAUX
North Grande-Terre
Steps: Le Moule
Take the direction of Saint-François then that of Le Moule. You will find the house of Zévallos, built by Gustave Eiffel. You can continue to the Damoiseau distillery, the only distillery in Grande-Terre, and then to the Edgar Clerc museum. Then, head for Anse-Bertrand to discover the Grande-Vigie point and the Porte d'Enfer, gigantic natural sites whose famous cliffs stand imposingly. The waves, in any weather, come crashing on the rock in a deafening noise. Return by the same itinerary or by the Grands Fonds road, now well indicated
Places of interest : DISTILLERIE DAMOISEAU MUSÉE EDGAR-CLERC MAISON ZÉVALLOS LA PORTE D'ENFER POINTE DE LA GRANDE-VIGIE
Port-Louis
Steps: Port-Louis
Dive in Port-Louis to appreciate the diversity of the archipelago's underwater landscapes which are nothing like those of the Cousteau Reserve and/or discover the mangrove swamps from Petit-Canal or Morne-à-l'Eau by fishing boat, electric boat, ATV, kayak..
"Day charter" in Petite-Terre
Steps: Petite-Terre
Renowned for its rich seabed, its only inhabitants are iguanas, crabs and birds. Four guards of the ONF take turns to reside on the island, near the " Bout du monde lighthouse ". This nature reserve is a sanctuary for fauna and flora, notably crabs, iguanas and sea birds. Hunting and fishing are strictly forbidden. Several catamarans offer this day trip from the marina of Saint-François. By sail, it takes about 2 hours to get there
Places of interest : PHARE DE L'ÎLET DE PETITE-TERRE
La Désirade
Steps: Baie-Mahault
The island of La Désirade, located off the Pointe des Châteaux, is reached after a 45-minute boat ride from Saint-François. Its communes (Les Galets, Beauséjour, le Soufleur and Baie-Mahault) are linked by a single road. Beautiful walks are to be expected to discover an astonishing fauna between pelicans, frigates, touloulous, anolis, iguanas, agoutis... some of which hide among the cacti. The discovery can be done alone or in small groups with a guide
Beach and sports activities
Steps: Sainte-Anne
Enjoy a lazy day on a beach or practice your favorite sport in one of the water sports bases of Gosier, Sainte-Anne or Saint-François. You can also discover the archipelago through an aerial tour to appreciate extraordinary panoramas, by plane, microlight or helicopter and why not in free fall!
