Te doen in Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is made of Basse-Terre, a mountainous volcanic island covered in rainforest, and Grande-Terre, a low limestone plain, separated by a narrow channel. Pointe-à-Pitre, the main city, has the Saint-Antoine spice market, a cathedral and a memorial museum to the history of slavery.

On Basse-Terre, La Grande Soufrière, an active volcano, rises above the national park, with trails to waterfalls such as the Carbet Falls and the offshore reef of Pigeon Island, famed for diving. Grande-Terre has the white beaches of Saint-François and Le Gosier and the cliffs of the Pointe des Châteaux at its eastern tip. Marie-Galante and Les Saintes lie a short boat ride away.

Creole cooking mixes French, African and Indian influences: accras of salt cod, spicy colombo curry, grilled lobster and boudin créole. Ti-punch, rum with cane syrup and a squeeze of lime, is the local aperitif, and the island makes sugar-cane rum. Carnival runs from January to Ash Wednesday, and the driest months are February to April.