Halfway between Antigua and Dominica lies a butterfly-shaped French paradise with “wings” comprising the two largest islands in the five-island Guadeloupe archipelago. Connected by a narrow peninsula and drawbridge, the Grande-Terre “wing” is a haven of beaches, shops, and casinos, and the Basse Terre “wing” is a nature lover’s wonderland.

The gentle hills and flat plains of Grande Terre form a serene backdrop for the lively port town of Pointe-a-Pitre, where you’ll find most of the nightlife, including casinos, clubs, and restaurants enticing you with spicy Creole and classic French cuisine. Shopping in the open-air Central Market has an aromatic panache, as locally grown vanilla wafts and seems to follow you throughout.



Basse-Terre’s stunning tropical beauty stretches from its glistening white and turquoise shores to mountains giving birth to waterfalls, rivers, and hot mineral springs. Parc National de la Guadeloupe consists of more than 74,000 acres of amazing scenery, from its orchid-adorned rainforest to its simmering volcano.

Sportfishing might yield spearfish, sailfish, or yellow fin tuna, and bird-watching opportunities are everywhere, delivering glimpses of many species from the black woodpecker of the rainforest to the moorhen of the mangrove. There’s also much to see underwater, either by diving at Chouteau Underwater Park or riding in a glass-bottom boat. The world-famous Guadeloupe Aquarium lets you walk through a glass-enclosed tunnel surrounded by sharks, and when kicking back on one of Basse-Terre’s fabulous beaches, you might spot a rare Lamentin sweetwater sea lion bobbing about.

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