 Facts at a Glance
Full name: Department of Guadeloupe
Area: 1780 sq km (690 sq mi)
Population: 412,000
Capital city: Basse-Terre (pop 14,000)
People: Mixed African, European and East Indian descent (75%), French
Language: French, some Creole patois
Religion: Roman Catholic (95%), Hindu and pantheistic African
Government: Overseas department of France
President: Jacques Chirac
 Environment
Guadeloupe proper is comprised of twin islands divided by a narrow mangrove channel, the Rivière Salée. The islands are volcanic in origin, with a total land area about half the size of Luxembourg. The two main islands join to form the shape of a butterfly, though while their outline is roughly symmetrical, the topography is anything but. The eastern wing, Grande-Terre, has gently rolling hills and level plains, much of which are cultivated in sugar cane. The western wing, Basse-Terre, is dominated by rugged hills and mountains wrapped in a dense rainforest of tall trees and lush ferns. Much of the interior of Basse-Terre has been set aside as a national park. It includes the Eastern Caribbean's highest waterfalls and Guadeloupe's highest peak, the 1470m (4810ft) smoldering volcano, La Soufrière.
Of the nearby offshore islands, Les Saintes are high and rugged, Marie-Galante is relatively flat and La Désirade has an intermediate topography with hills that rise to 270m (895ft).
The islands' diverse vegetation ranges from mangrove swamps to mountainous rainforest. Basse-Terre has an abundance of tropical hardwood trees, including lofty gommiers and large buttressed chataigniers, plus thick fern forests punctuated with flowering heliconia and ginger. Birds found on Guadeloupe include various members of the heron family, pelicans, hummingbirds and the endangered Guadeloupe wren. The bright yellow-bellied bananaquit, a small nectar-feeding bird, is frequently seen supping at unattended sugar bowls in open-air restaurants. Guadeloupe has mongooses aplenty, which were introduced long ago in a futile attempt to control rats in the sugar cane fields. Agoutis (short-haired, rabbit-like rodents that look a bit like a guinea pig) are found on La Désirade, as are iguanas, which also roam Les Saintes.
Pointe-à-Pitre's average high temperature in January is 28°C (83°F), while the low averages 20°C (68°F). In July, the average high is 30°C (88°F) while the low averages 23°C (75°F). February to April are the driest months, when measurable rain falls an average of seven days a month and the average humidity is 77%. July and November are the wettest months, when rain falls for about 14 days and the humidity averages 85%. Hurricanes come to call during this humid time. Because of its elevation, Basse-Terre is both cooler and rainier than Grande-Terre. The tradewinds, called alizés, often temper the climate.
 History
When sighted by Columbus in 1493, Guadeloupe was inhabited by Carib Indians, who called it Karukera, 'Island of Beautiful Waters.' The Spanish made two attempts to settle Guadeloupe in the early 1500s but were repelled both times by fierce Carib resistance and finally abandoned their claim to the island in 1604.
Three decades later, French colonists sponsored by the Compagnie des Îles d'Amérique, an association of French entrepreneurs, set sail to establish the first European settlement on Guadeloupe. The party landed on the southeastern shore of Basse-Terre in 1635 and claimed Guadeloupe for France. The French drove the Caribs off the island, planted crops and within a decade had built the first sugar mill. By the time France officially annexed the island in 1674, a slave-based plantation system was well established.
The English invaded Guadeloupe several times, and between 1759 and 1763 they developed Pointe-à-Pitre into a major harbor, opened profitable English and North American markets to Guadeloupean sugar and allowed planters to import cheap American lumber and food. Many French colonists actually grew wealthier under the British occupation as the economy expanded rapidly. But the party ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, under which the French traded their claims in Canada for the return of Guadeloupe.
Amid the chaos of the French Revolution, the British invaded Guadeloupe again in 1794. In response, the French sent a contingent of soldiers led by Victor Hugues, a black nationalist who freed and armed Guadeloupean slaves. On the day the British troops withdrew from Guadeloupe, Hugues went on a rampage and killed 300 Royalists, many of them plantation owners. It marked the start of a reign of terror resulting in the deaths of more than 1000 colonists. As a consequence of Hughes' attacks on American ships, the US declared war on France, prompting an anxious Napoleon Bonaparte to dispatch a general to Guadeloupe to put down the uprising, restore the pre-revolutionary government and reinstitute slavery.
Throughout the 19th century, Guadeloupe was the most prosperous island in the French West Indies, and the British continued to covet it, invading and occupying the island for most of the period between 1810 and 1816. The Treaty of Vienna restored the island to France, which has maintained sovereignty over it since 1816. Slavery was abolished in 1848, following a campaign led by French politician Victor Schoelcher. In the years that followed, planters brought laborers from Pondicherry, a French colony in India, to work in the cane fields.
Since 1871, Guadeloupe has had representation in the French parliament and since 1946 has been an overseas department of France. Both Guadeloupe and Martinique use French currency and stamps and fly the French flag. Guadeloupe's political status hasn't satisfied everyone, however, and a local secessionist movement has occasionally resorted to acts of terrorism. The peace has also been disrupted by the local volcano, La Soufrière, which erupted in the 1970s and still belches sulfurous fumes today. Though agriculture remains the mainstay of the economy, the importance of tourism has grown in recent years.
 Economic Profile
GDP: US$3.7 billion
GDP per head: US$9200
Inflation: 4%
Major industries: Agriculture, light manufacturing, tourism
Major trading partners: France, Martinique, US
 Culture
Guadeloupean culture draws on French, African, East Indian and West Indian influences. The mix is visible in the architecture, which ranges from French colonial to Hindu temples; in the food, which merges influences from all the cultures into a unique Creole cuisine; and in the local Creole patois that predominates in the home.
At festivals and cultural events on Guadeloupe, you're likely to see women wearing traditional Creole dress, which is typically a full, brightly colored skirt, commonly a madras-type plaid of oranges and yellows, with a matching headdress, a white lace-trimmed blouse and petticoat and a scarf draped over the shoulder.
In the arts, the most renowned native son is the poet Saint-John Perse, the pseudonym of Alexis Léger, who was born in Guadeloupe in 1887 and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1960 for the evocative imagery of his poems. One of his many noted works is Anabase (1925), which was translated into English by TS Eliot.
The islands have a thriving music scene, including zouk, calypso, reggae and beguine, which Guadeloupeans claim they, not Martinicans, invented.
 Events
Carnival celebrations, held during the traditional week-long Mardi Gras period that ends on Ash Wednesday, feature costume parades, dancing, music and other festivities. The Fête des Cuisinières (Festival of Women Cooks) is held in Pointe-à-Pitre in early August. Women in Creole dress, carrying baskets of traditional foods, parade through the streets to the cathedral where they are blessed by the bishop. The parade is followed by a banquet and dancing. Also in early August is the Tour Cycliste de la Guadeloupe, a 10-day international cycling race.
Public Holidays:
January 1 - New Year's Day
Easter Holidays - Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday
May 1 - Labor Day
May 8 - Victory Day
40th day after Easter - Ascension Thursday
8th Monday after Easter - Pentecost Monday
May 27 - Slavery Abolition Day
July 14 - Bastille Day
July 21 - Schoelcher Day
August 15 - Assumption Day
November 1 - All Saints' Day
November 11 - Armistice Day
December 25 - Christmas Day
 Facts for the Traveler
Visas: Visas are not required of citizens of the US, Canada or the European Union. Citizens of the EU need an official identity card, passport or valid French carte de séjour. Citizens of most other foreign countries, including Australia, need a valid passport and visa for France. All visitors officially require a return or onward ticket.
Health risks: Sunburn, diarrhea and intestinal parasites; bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is found in fresh water throughout Grande-Terre and in much of Basse-Terre.
Time: Atlantic Time (GMT/UTC minus 4 hours)
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & Measures: Metric (see the conversion table)
Tourism: 350,000 visitors per year
 Money & Costs
Currency: French franc (FF)
Relative costs:
- Budget meal: US$5-10
- Moderate restaurant meal: US$10-20
- Top-end restaurant meal: US$20 and upwards
- Budget room: US$35-70
- Moderate hotel: US$70-140
- Top-end hotel: US$140 and upwards
You can travel in style on Guadeloupe for about US$200 a day, though that figure rises with the number of islands you choose to visit. Travelers on a moderate budget should be able to get by on about half that, depending on whether they rent a car or not; budget travelers can expect to spend around US$50 a day.
Hotels, larger restaurants and car rental agencies accept Visa (Carte Bleue), American Express and MasterCard (Eurocard). For most other situations, you'll need to use francs. Avoid changing money at hotel lobbies, where the rates are worse than at exchange offices or banks. You can exchange major foreign currency notes using the 24-hour currency-exchange ATM next to the Crédit Agricole bank in the arrival lounge at the airport; other franc-dispensing ATMs take credit and bank cards and are located throughout the island. Taxes and service charges are included in the quoted rates at hotels and automatically added to your restaurant bill.
 When to Go
Guadeloupe is warm year-round, but the evenings are coolest in winter (December to February), when temperatures linger in the mid-balmies. February to April are the driest months, with rain falling an average of seven days a month and the humidity keeping in the realm of the tolerable. This is the best time to go, and as such it's also the peak tourist season. The wettest months are July to November, which is also hurricane season, so keep an eye on the weather reports. Most cultural events take place in the spring and summer.
 Attractions
Pointe-à-Pitre
Guadeloupe's largest municipality, Pointe-à-Pitre, is a mix of old and new: largely commercial in appearance, it's peppered with colonial architecture and West Indian flavor. The city began as a fish market at the edge of the harbor in 1654, and there's still a lively, colorful open-air public market running along La Darse, the inner harbor. Women wearing madras cloth turbans sell island fruit, vegetables, flowers, pungent spices, handicrafts and clothing while boats along the dock sell fresh fish. The hub of town is the Place de la Victoire, an open space punctuated with tall royal palms and sidewalk cafés.
The city has a couple of good museums, including the Musée Schoelcher, dedicated to abolitionist Victor Schoelcher and featuring artifacts relating to slavery, and the Musée Saint-John Perse, which occupies an attractive 19th-century Creole home with ornate wrought-iron balconies. The museum is dedicated to the renowned poet and Nobel laureate Alexis Léger (1887-1975), better known as Saint-John Perse.
Parc National de la Guadeloupe
At the heart of Basse-Terre, this national park makes for a great drive and/or hike through orchid-filled rainforests and fern-covered hillsides. The 17,300ha (42,750 acre) forest reserve is bisected by the Route de la Traversée, a lovely mountain drive that passes thick bamboo stands, enormous mahogany and gum trees, heliconia and ginger. Maison de la Forêt, in the middle of the park at the very center of Basse-Terre, has an exhibit center with (French-only) displays on the forest. A short trail starts at the center, crosses a swing bridge over the Bas-David River, and proceeds through a verdant jungle of gommier trees, tall ferns and squawking tropical birds. Cascade aux Ecrevisses, a jungle waterfall in the center of the park, is worth a visit, as is the modest zoo at the western edge of the park.
Saint-François
This former fishing village has boomed into the country's second-largest resort area, not always with a high degree of sensitivity. While the western side of town is still largely provincial in character, the eastern side has been given over to tourism development. The deep U-shaped, yacht-filled marina is lined with restaurants, luxury hotels, car rental agencies and boutiques. If a round of golf and sunbathing by the pool are the highlight of your overseas trips, then Saint-François is probably the place for you. Either way, it's the major jumping-off point for trips to the smaller islands of Terre-de-Haut, Marie-Galante and La Désirade.
 Off the Beaten Track
Terre-de-Haut
Small, unhurried Terre-de-Haut is French in nature, Mediterranean in appearance and, all in all, one of the most appealing islands in the Caribbean. It's a tiny package with a lot to offer, including a beautiful landscape of volcanic hills and deep bays. Though it can get overrun with tourists on weekends and in the height of the season, many islanders still rely on fishing as a mainstay. You can often find them mending nets along the waterfront and see their colorful locally made boats, called saintoises, lining the shore.
Terre-de-Haut's history stands apart from other places in Guadeloupe; since the island was too hilly and dry for sugar plantations, slavery never took hold. Consequently, the population is largely comprised of 'blue eyes' who still trace their roots to the early seafaring Norman and Breton colonists. Home to most of the island's residents, Bourg des Saintes is a picturesque village with a decidedly Norman accent. Its narrow streets are lined with whitewashed red-roofed houses with shuttered windows and yards of flowering hibiscus. It's a bustling place at ferry times, quiet at others, and always fun to kick around. There are small restaurants, ice-cream shops, scooter rentals, art galleries and gift shops clustered along the main road, which is pedestrian-only during the day. The well-preserved mid-19th-century Fort Napoléon, on the northern side of the harbor, is surrounded by cacti gardens.
Marie-Galante
Marie-Galante is a rural island untouched by mass tourism. It offers visitors lovely uncrowded beaches and some great country scenery. Very few English-speaking tourists come this way, which is just as well, as few of the island's 13,000 residents speak any English at all. Twenty-five kilometers (16mi) southeast of Guadeloupe proper, Marie-Galante is the largest of Guadeloupe's outer islands, much of it is planted in sugar cane. The undistinguished commercial and administrative center of Grand-Bourg, on the southwestern coast, has about half the population; most of the rest are evenly divided between its two smaller towns, Capesterre and Saint-Louis. The latter is a fishing village that's the island's main anchorage for yachts and a secondary port for ferries from Guadeloupe.
In the early 1800s, Marie-Galante boasted nearly 100 sugar mills, and the countryside is still dotted with the scattered ruins of most of them. Today sugar production is concentrated at a single mill, while cane is turned into rum at three distilleries, which are among the island's main attractions. The Distillerie Poisson, midway between Saint-Louis and Grand-Bourg, bottles the island's best-known rum under the Père Labat label. Distillerie Bielle, between Grand-Bourg and Capesterre, offers tours of its age-old operation.
La Désirade
La Désirade, about 10km (6mi) off the eastern tip of Grande-Terre, is the archipelago's least developed and least visited island. It has a long history of isolation, having been a leper colony for over 200 years (the leprosarium closed in the 1950s). These days, islanders engage mainly in fishing, boatbuilding, agriculture and raising sheep, though there are some rustic tourist facilities available.
Looking somewhat like an overturned boat when viewed from Guadeloupe, La Désirade is 11km (7mi) long and 2km (1mi) wide, with desert-like terrain, coconut and sea grape trees along the coast and a large cactus garden at the eastern end. The uninhabited northern side of the island has a rocky coastline with rough open seas, while the southern side has sandy beaches and reef-protected waters. La Désirade's harbor and airport are on the southwestern side of the island in Grande Anse (also called Le Bourg), the main village. There are smaller settlements at Le Souffleur and Baie Mahault. All three villages have good beaches.
 Activities
Guadeloupe has many fine beaches, some of which are of the clothing-optional variety. There are white-sand beaches in the resort towns of Gosier, Sainte-Anne and Saint-François. On the northern side of the peninsula leading to Pointe des Châteaux are a couple of remote beaches: Anse à la Gourde, a gorgeous sweep of white coral sands, and Anse Tarare, an adjacent nudist beach. While most of Grande-Terre's eastern coast has rough surf, there's a swimmable beach at Le Moule and a little protected cove at Porte d'Enfer. On the western side of Grande-Terre, Port-Louis is the most popular swimming spot, with a broad sandy beach that attracts weekend crowds. On Basse-Terre, the best beaches are along the northern side of the island just north of Deshaies: Grande Anse beach, with its expansive golden sands, and Plage de Tillet, a secluded clothing-optional cove.
The country has many first-rate snorkeling and diving sites. Guadeloupe's top diving site is the Réserve Cousteau at Pigeon Island off the western coast of Basse-Terre. Ilet du Gosier, which can be reached by boat from Gosier on Grande-Terre, is a snorkeler's dream. Spearfishing has long been banned and consequently the island's waters are teeming with fish, sponges, sea fans and corals.
Guadeloupe has good surfing from October to May at Le Moule, Port-Louis and Anse Bertrand, and from June through August at Sainte-Anne, Saint-François and Petit-Havre. Windsurfing is centered near the resorts on the southern side of Grande-Terre and on the island of Terre-de-Haut.
You can hike many short trails on Guadeloupe that take in waterfalls, primordial rainforest and botanical gardens. Serious hikers head for longer, more rigorous trails in the Parc National de la Guadeloupe, including one to the volcanic summit of La Soufrière and another to the base of Chutes du Carbet, the Eastern Caribbean's highest waterfalls.
 Getting There & Away
France has the best air connection with Guadeloupe, with several local and international carriers flying directly between Paris and Point-à-Pitre. Canadian and American travelers can fly directly on Air France or Air Canada; those taking other carriers must connect at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Several carriers fly between Guadeloupe and other Caribbean islands: Air Martinique and Air Guadeloupe fly between Pointe-à-Pitre and Fort-de-France on Martinique, while Antigua-based LIAT connects Guadeloupe with the English-speaking Caribbean. There's no departure tax.
There are several ways of getting to and from Guadeloupe by boat. Compagnie Générale Maritime operates weekly 'banana boats' that carry passengers between the French West Indies and mainland France. Other boats ply between Guadeloupe and Martinique (4 hours), Dominica (2 hours) and St Lucia (6 hours). Cruise ships dock at Pointe-à-Pitre.
 Getting Around
Guadeloupe Pole Caraïbes Airport is 6km (4mi) north of Pointe-à-Pitre. There are car rental agencies and a taxi stand at the airport. An airport bus runs about twice an hour to Pointe-à-Pitre on weekdays.
Guadeloupe has a good public bus system that operates from early morning to early evening, with fairly frequent service on main routes. On Sunday, service is much lighter and there are no buses on most secondary routes. Taxis are plentiful but expensive. There are taxi stands at the airport, in Pointe-à-Pitre and in Basse-Terre. Larger hotels commonly have taxis assigned to them and the drivers wait in the lobby.
Renting a car is a good way to get around Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre. Several agencies have offices at the airport and in major resort areas. Drive on the right; your home driver's license is valid. Renting a motorcycle can be fun on Terre-de-Haut and Marie-Galante, since there are few autos on the road. If you want to travel at a slower pace on Marie-Galante or La Désirade, try renting a scooter or a bicycle. There are buses on Marie-Galante every day but Sunday.
Getting between Guadeloupe and its associated islands is easiest by ferry. There's service between Pointe-à-Pitre and Les Saintes, Saint-François, Trois-Rivières and Marie-Galante. There are also ferry routes between Saint-François and Marie-Galante and La Désirade. Flying between the islands is faster but not necessarily more convenient. Air Guadeloupe has daily flights between Pointe-à-Pitre and Marie-Galante, La Désirade and Terre-de-Haut.
 Recommended Reading
- Saint-John Perse, the pseudonym of poet Alexis Léger, was born in Guadeloupe in 1887 and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1960. One of his many noted works is Anabase, which was translated into English by TS Eliot.
- The leading contemporary novelist in the French West Indies is Guadeloupe native Maryse Condé. Two of her best selling novels have been translated into English. The epic The Tree of Life centers around the life of a Guadeloupean family. Crossing the Mangrove is an enjoyable story about Guadeloupean relationships in the countryside.
- The bilingual French/English Cruising Guide to Guadeloupe is a comprehensive sailing manual for cruising Guadeloupe and the offshore islands.
 Lonely Planet Guides
 Travelers' Reports
 On-line Info
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