Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The island of Saint-Martin is divided with the Netherlands (whose southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles).

The island of Grande Terre is flat and devoted mostly to growing sugar cane. This panorama was taken in the middle of the fields after our lunch. Grande Terre is almost always sunny.

Although mostly flat, Grande Terre rises up steeply from the Atlantic, its coral history evident here at Pointe de la Grande Vigie.

The crater at La Soufriere is often shrouded in mist, both from the steam issuing from the caldera and from the clouds blowing over. Basse Terre, home to La Soufriere, shows its volcanic origins in its mountainous terrain and the rain forests on the slopes of the volcano.

Pointe des Châteaux is one of the wildest areas of Guadeloupe, at the very tip of Grande Terre. The wind is always blowing, and the surf crashes viciously onto the beach there. This view is from the high point at the tip of Grande Terre.

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