Basse-Terre Guadeloupe
Frequently Asked Questions
At the quay, about ten minutes on foot from the centre and the covered market. The town climbs between La Soufrière and the Caribbean Sea.
Fort Delgrès, ten minutes from the quay, then the covered market and the Creole centre. If you would rather have nature, take the Carbet Falls instead — but not both; you have to choose.
A fortification begun in 1650 above the southern entrance to the town. It bears the name of Louis Delgrès, the officer who took refuge here in 1802 rather than accept the reinstatement of slavery, and died in the heights of Matouba. Terraces, casemates and gardens are open to wander.
Yes, starting from Bains Jaunes above Saint-Claude: allow about three hours return at a steady pace, through terrain that shifts from dense forest to sulphur fumaroles. Some trails close depending on volcanic activity.
1,467 metres, making it the highest summit in the Lesser Antilles. Guadeloupeans call it the "old lady"; a plume of cloud sits on it almost permanently.
Bains Jaunes itself: a warm masonry pool set in the vegetation where you can soak tired legs. It is the trailhead, reached by the switchback road from Saint-Claude.
The second falls, the most visited, drops 110 metres and is reached by a maintained trail of about twenty minutes under tree ferns. It is the right excursion for touching the rainforest without taking on the volcano.
Yes, especially for the Carbet Falls: children come back soaked and delighted. The town centre is easy to walk, but the Soufrière climb is for capable walkers only.
The euro, and French as the official language — Creole is heard in conversation everywhere. This is the prefecture of Guadeloupe, a French department.
It was never made over for visitors, and that is its chief virtue. Around the covered market you pass more civil servants and schoolchildren than souvenir sellers. On Saturday mornings the stalls spill into the neighbouring streets.
