Exploring guadeloupe by sea and land

Guadeloupe has given us some of our favorite moments of this whole journey — and we’ve barely scratched the surface.We started on the leeward coast in Deshaies, wandering black sand beaches and the Jardin Botanique de Deshaies. The garden sprawls across a hillside overlooking the coast, with paths winding through tropical plantings, koi ponds, and a small lake with black and white swans. It’s the kind of place where color hits you at every turn — hibiscus, heliconia, ginger lilies, and orchids tucked in alongside towering palms and bamboo groves. A French-speaking ara named Roger stole the show from every visitor who walked past his enclosure, but he wasn’t the only bird,the aviary and free-roaming parrots throughout the grounds kept Sophia entertained for a good chunk of the visit. There’s even a butterfly house and a lookout point with sweeping views back down over Deshaies and the water where we’d anchored.

From Deshaies we moved south to Pigeon Island and the Réserve Cousteau — one of the best snorkeling spots we’ve found in the Caribbean so far. The reserve sits just offshore around Îlets Pigeon, protected waters that Jacques Cousteau himself once called one of the world’s top diving spots. We anchored nearby and dinghied in, and the moment we were in the water it was obvious why: visibility stretched on and on, with healthy coral formations, sea fans, and fish life in numbers we hadn’t seen in a while. Schools of sergeant majors and parrotfish moved through the reef, and the water stayed clear enough to see the bottom drop away into

deeper blue past the rocks. It’s an easy spot too shallow enough for a relaxed swim, but with enough depth and structure nearby to keep things interesting if you want to free dive down for a closer look.

A family day trip took us to Parc des Mamelles, Guadeloupe’s zoo and botanical park, tucked into the rainforest along the Route de la Traversée. Elevated walkways wind through the forest canopy, so you’re exploring the same lush greenery we’d been sailing past for weeks — just from a completely different vantage point. It was a fun, low-key day for Sophia, and a good reminder that Guadeloupe’s wildlife isn’t limited to what you find underwater.

We anchored for a stretch at Bouillante and Malendure along the leeward coast, and along the way we’ve also been spoiled by the provisioning. As a French territory, the shops here are stocked like mainland France, proper boulangeries, real cheese counters, and grocery stores that put a lot of Caribbean provisioning to shame. The cheese counter is definitely Tony and Sophia’s favorite stop on any shopping trip, and we’ve been spoiled with fresh baguettes, croissants, and pastries nearly every morning. For a family that loves fresh bread and baking, Guadeloupe has been a small slice of France in the middle of the Caribbean.

Then we decided to see the island from a completely different angle: we traded the boat for four wheels and made a full loop around Guadeloupe by car.

One of the biggest surprises of the whole trip was the infrastructure. We’ve island-hopped through a lot of the Caribbean, and Guadeloupe’s roads caught us off guard — smooth, well-marked, even proper highways in places, and noticeably clean. It felt more developed than almost anywhere else we’ve driven on this journey.

Chutes du Carbet, getting there was an experience in itself. The drive climbed steadily into Basse-Terre’s rainforest, all hairpin turns and dense green closing in around the road, until we reached the trailhead deep in Guadeloupe National Park. Chutes du Carbet is fed by the Grand Carbet River as it winds down from the slopes of La Soufrière, Guadeloupe’s still-active volcano, and there are three falls in total — though on our visit only the second was open, with the first and third closed off. We followed the well-maintained path through the forest, boardwalks and stairs cutting through thick canopy, the sound of rushing water building well before the falls came into view. Standing at the viewing area, watching the water crash down through the mist, it was easy to see why this is one of the most visited spots on the island.

We closed the loop at Cascade aux Écrevisses, one of the easiest and most rewarding stops on the whole drive. Right off the Route de la Traversée, a short walk through dense

rainforest — barely ten minutes — opens up to a wide waterfall tumbling into a crystal-clear pool. Unlike Chutes du Carbet, this one invites you right in: no long hike, no closed sections, just a swim beneath the falls after a long, hot day of exploring. Lots of locals were out cooling off too, which gave the spot a relaxed, neighborhood-swimming-hole feel rather than a tourist stop. The water was cool and clear enough to see straight to the bottom, and the whole area was shaded by thick canopy, which made it feel like its own private oasis tucked just off the main road. It was the perfect low-key finish to a day that had already given us so much proof that some of the best spots don’t require much effort to reach at all.

By sea and by land, Guadeloupe has surprised us at every turn. Some of the best cruising destinations aren’t just about what’s along the coast sometimes the real magic, and the best roads, are inland.

Have you been to Guadeloupe, by boat or otherwise? we'd love to hear which spot coastal or inland stole your heart.