Guadeloupe is the center of the Caribbean's Creole culture, boasting a spirited blend of French and African influences. As renown for its rum as it is for resorts, this provincial island archipelago offers travelers an interesting mix of modern cities, rural hamlets, rainforests and secluded beaches.
Mainland Guadeloupe comprises two islands, Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre. Their principal city is bustling Pointe-à-Pitre at the center of the land mass; the islands' sleepy capital, also called Basse-Terre, is on the remote southwestern side. Nearly all of the resort hotels and larger marinas are along the southern shore of Grande-Terre.
Guadeloupe's offshore islands to the south and west make worthwhile side excursions. The most visited, Terre-de-Haut, is a delightful place with a quaint central village and harbor, good beaches and restaurants and some reasonably priced places to stay. The other populated islands - Terre-de-Bas, Marie-Galante and La Désirade - have very little tourism development and offer visitors a glimpse of a rural French West Indies that has changed little over time. |
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| Guadeloupe Details |
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| Caribbean |
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| Eastern Caribbean |
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