10 Best Guadeloupe Tourist Attractions
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| La Grande Soufrière dominates the distant horizon of Guadeloupe. Credit: Wikimedia Creative Commons license |
Some of the best Guadeloupe tourist attractions include La Grande Soufrière volcano, Carbet Falls and Route de la Traversee.
Natural attractions dominate things to do in Guadeloupe. This small Caribbean island chain is home to one the world’s most important biological reserves.
Cruise and resort visitors will find more than just a vast array of flora and fauna. They also will find one of the most active volcanoes and some of the highest waterfalls in the Caribbean.
The eastern Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, which lies midway between Antigua to the north and Dominica to the south, is a hiker’s paradise.
1) Guadeloupe Archipelago
The Guadeloupe Archipelago is one of only 25 UNESCO biosphere reserves in the world, according to the Guadeloupe Islands Tourist Board. Biospheres are named for their great biological diversity.
The archipelago is a protected area consisting of 43,000 acres of Guadeloupe National Park (Parc national de la Guadeloupe) and the 9,200 acres of Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserve, a marine-protected area next to the national park.
Guadeloupe National Park is the seventh largest French national park. A guided nature tour via 4x4 vehicles on a shore excursion will take up to eight hours and cost about $125. Prices depend on sailing date, amenities, tour operator and other factors.
The archipelago has some of the most popular attractions of Guadeloupe, starting with La Grande Soufrière and Carbet Falls.
2) La Grande Soufrière Volcano
La Grande Soufrière is an active volcano on Basse-Terre island in Guadeloupe.
The name translates into Grand Sulphur Volcano in English. It is 3,864 feet high and last erupted in 1979. Hikers can climb to the top in about two hours.
The Guadeloupe tourist board says the volcano is the most active in the Lesser Antilles and the highest point in the region as well.
A guided shore excursion hike to the volcano will take four to six hours and cost about $65.
3) Carbet Falls
Carbet is a series of three waterfalls on the Carbet River in Basse-Terre. They are on the lower slopes of the La Soufriere Volcano.
All three falls are reachable by trails, although steep at times. The highest falls is 410 feet, the next is 360 feet and the third is 66 feet.
Les Chutes du Carbet is the highest falls in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean, according to the Guadeloupe Islands Tourist Board. That falls and La Cascade aux Ecrevisses attract 200,000 visitors a year. They are a 55 minute drive from the Pointe-de-Pitre cruise port.
© Philippe Giraud for Guadeloupe Island Tourist Board
4) Cascade aux Écrevisses
Another popular waterfall is Cascade aux Ecrevisses (the crayfish fall), which is in the national park about half way along Route del la Traversée.
5) Route de la Traversee
Route de la Traversee is a scenic drive through Parc National on Basse-Terre. The drive includes waterfalls, lookouts, picnic areas and a staffed roadside center at Maison de la Forêt.
6) Parc des Mamelles
Parc des Mamelles is an outdoor zoo in Parc National.
7) Aquarium de la Guadeloupe
The aquarium at Pointe-a-Pitre has more than 30 ponds and 1,000 turtles, sharks and tropical fish. Address: Place Creole, Marina 97190 Le Gosier, Grande-Terre.
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| Carbet Falls. Credit: Wikimedia Creative Commons license |
8) Fort Napoleon
Fort Napoleon is located at Terre-de-Haut island in the Isle des Saintes. The fort was destroyed by the British in 1809, rebuilt and became a penitentiary. It is now a local museum that includes a botanical garden.
9) Jardin Botanique de Deshaies
Jardin Botanique de Deshaies is a botanical garden located in Deshaies. It is open every day from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and requires an admission fee. The garden has more than 1,000 species of plants along more than one mile of paths.
10) Jacques Cousteau’s Underwater Reserve
The Cousteau reserve is located near Bouillante. Visitors can view marine life by snorkeling, scuba diving or through a glass-bottom boat.
