Basse-Terre

Basse-Terre is the volcanic and jungle half of Guadeloupe — the western wing of the butterfly island, paradoxically the highest in altitude despite its name (which refers to wind orientation). This 848 km² land is dominated by La Soufrière (1,467 m), an active volcano under permanent surveillance by the Guadeloupe Volcanological and Seismological Observatory, and carpeted by 22,000 hectares of primary tropical forest classed as a National Park since 1989 — the first French overseas National Park.

The landscape diversity on this small territory is remarkable. The leeward coast (Caribbean coast to the west) unrolls beaches of black volcanic sand (Malendure, Petite Anse) and golden sand (Grande Anse in Deshaies, one of the archipelago's most beautiful beaches), facing the clear Caribbean Sea that holds the Cousteau Reserve — one of the most beautiful diving sites in the Lesser Antilles, inaugurated by Commander Cousteau himself in 1986. The windward coast (Atlantic coast to the east) is wilder and wetter, punctuated by the Carbet Falls (three cascades, the second reaching 110 metres, among the highest in the Caribbean). The interior is dominated by the Soufrière massif and the Route de la Traversée (D23) that crosses the National Park from east to west, opening the best access to the Bains Jaunes, the Cascade aux Écrevisses and the trails of the Maison de la Forêt.

The main towns — Basse-Terre (prefecture, 11,000 inhabitants, at the foot of the volcano), Saint-Claude (gateway for the Soufrière hike), Capesterre Belle-Eau (windward coast, banana plantations and access to the Carbet Falls), Sainte-Rose (north, Reimonenq distillery and rum museum), Deshaies (north-west, botanical garden and filming location of the BBC series Death in Paradise) and Bouillante (centre-west, Malendure beach and Cousteau Reserve) — make up a string of authentic Creole villages where life remains deeply linked to cane, fishing and, now, nature tourism.