Guadeloupe splits into two contrasting wings: rugged, rainforested Basse-Terre, crowned by the steaming Soufriere volcano and the Carbet waterfalls, and flatter Grande-Terre, with sugarcane fields, beach resorts and the wind-scoured cliffs of its eastern tip. Around them orbit smaller islands, from the yacht-filled bay of Les Saintes to rural Marie-Galante and wild La Desirade. Creole markets, French bakeries, rum distilleries and Caribbean reefs give this overseas…
The BBC series “Death in Paradise” has filmed in Deshaies since 2011 — fictional Saint Marie is really Guadeloupe, and fans make the pilgrimage.
Seen from the sky, Guadeloupe draws a butterfly: two wings — volcanic Basse-Terre, limestone Grande-Terre — separated by the Rivière Salée.
La Soufrière is climbed early morning, before the clouds. An eSIM helps: volcano weather, ferries to Les Saintes and Marie-Galante and sunset time at Grande-Anse.