A Butterfly of Rainforest, Reef and Rum
Guadeloupe is a French overseas department and archipelago in the Lesser Antilles, known for its butterfly shape, rainforest national park and Creole cooking. It covers 1,628 square kilometres across six inhabited islands and had 378,561 residents in January 2024. From above, the two main islands form the wings: Basse-Terre to the west, mountainous and green, and Grande-Terre to the east, flatter and ringed with beaches and sugar-cane fields. Pointe-a-Pitre, the largest city, is the economic hub, and French is the official language, alongside Guadeloupean Creole.
Nature is the great draw. La Grande Soufriere, at 1,467 metres, is the highest summit in the archipelago, and the surrounding Guadeloupe National Park, established in 1989 and recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1992, protects forests, rivers and waterfalls. Carbet Falls is among the most visited cascades on Basse-Terre, reached by forest paths, while the Jacques Cousteau Reserve safeguards the marine life off the west coast. For walkers, divers and anyone who loves green landscapes, it is an unusually rich destination.
Creole Tables and Distillery Trails
Food and rum are central to the Guadeloupean identity. Creole cuisine blends French technique with African, Indian and Caribbean influence, and local seafood and tropical fruit feature on nearly every menu, from market stalls to destination restaurants. The islands have ten distilleries, and tasting trails through rum country are a pleasure in themselves. Carnival, with its costumed parades and brass-led rhythms, fills the weeks before Lent with colour, and the quadrennial Route du Rhum, a transatlantic sailing race held every four years, links the islands to the world of ocean racing.
Beyond the main butterfly, small satellite islands add variety. Les Saintes are a pastel-coloured archipelago for gentle exploring, Marie-Galante is known for its sugar-cane landscapes and rum, and La Desirade is a quiet, rugged outpost. Our wider destination guides show how the mix of French style and Caribbean character offers a story unlike that of any English-speaking neighbour, and Guadeloupe pairs naturally with Martinique to the south.
Read the full Guadeloupe guide on Visit Travel Group, or see Guadeloupe.uk on Visit Travel Group.