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Villa Nature Caraibe Lodge
Vacation rentals in Guadeloupe
What to do in Guadeloupe?
Interactive map of places & sites to visit
Use the interactive map below to find all the sites to visit.
In yellow: museums
In blue: distilleries, viewpoints, zoo, parks, tourist sites, historical sites.
GUADELOUPE: a bit of history
Guadeloupe in Guadeloupean Creole : Gwadloupe is a Caribbean archipelago made up of seven islands, forming a French overseas region and department . The main part (Karukera in Amerindian languages ) shaped like a butterfly is composed of two islands: Grande-Terre to the east and Basse-Terre to the west, separated by a strait, called "the Rivière Salée ".
Administratively, Guadeloupe is a French department , a single-department region of the French Overseas Territories and an outermost region of the European Union, in the French Antilles ; its official departmental code is " 971 ". It is a member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
Guadeloupe, bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, is located 575 km north of the coast of Venezuela in South America , 205 km east of Aves Island , 739 km east-southeast of the Dominican Republic , 2,176 km east-southeast of Miami ( USA ) and 6,732 km from Paris .
The region consists of several islands and islets : mainland Guadeloupe ( Grande-Terre and Basse-Terre ) and its dependencies: the island of Marie-Galante , the Saintes archipelago composed mainly of Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas , La Désirade and uninhabited islets.
Basse-Terre, also known as Karukera
Historically, Basse-Terre was first named "Karukera" ("island of beautiful waters," in the Carib language) by the Amerindians who inhabited it, and Grande-Terre, "Cibuqueira" ("island of gum trees," in the Carib language). The Rivière Salée , the arm of the sea that separates them, cutting Guadeloupe in two, was called "Aboukétoutou," meaning "strait." Christopher Columbus landed there on November 4, 1493, and named it Guadeloupe in homage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of navigators. In Spain , in Guadalupe , the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe is dedicated to the Virgin of Navigators. The name Guadalupe is said to come from the name of the river that flows through this city, in Arabic wadi-al-lub, which means the "river of black pebbles" or, according to a distortion noted by Ana Castillo , "river of love".
We owe to travel agencies the circumlocution "the butterfly island" inspired by the shape of the two main islands.
Why choose Deshaies for your stay in Guadeloupe?
Staying in Deshaies means choosing an authentic and unspoiled Guadeloupe. By choosing Nature Caraïbe Lodge, you'll enjoy a strategic location in Basse-Terre: just steps from the most beautiful ochre sand beaches, the renowned Botanical Garden, and the hiking trails of the National Park. It's the ideal starting point for exploring the butterfly-shaped island while returning each evening to the peace and comfort of a villa with a private pool.
The island of Basse-Terre is home to the Soufrière volcano , also known as the Old Lady, the highest peak in the Lesser Antilles . It boasts numerous waterfalls, rivers, golden and black sand beaches, and a lush rainforest covers its mountain range. The island of Grande-Terre consists of a plain bordered by mangroves in the west, stretching from Le Gosier to Port Louis ; the Grands Fonds region in the center; and an arid plateau with rugged, rocky coastlines running from north to east. The southern coast of Grande-Terre, dotted with white sand beaches sheltered by coral reefs , is home to the major seaside resorts of Le Gosier , Sainte-Anne , and Saint-François . The island of Marie-Galante is characterized in the north by a limestone cliff, then, in the east and south, by a plateau that becomes hilly before sloping steeply down to a coastal plain. To the west of the island, facing Basse-Terre, beaches and mangroves stretch along the Caribbean Sea, and a natural wetland environment extends into the Folle-Anse bay.
Guadeloupe and the Antilles constitute a biodiversity hotspot . Like the other Lesser Antilles , Guadeloupe emerged from the ocean less than five million years ago, and its isolation has fostered a high rate of endemism . The archipelago was entirely covered in forest before the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century, and this arrival was accompanied by biological invasions and deforestation that severely impacted biodiversity . Many species disappeared from the island, such as the Guadeloupe Amazon , the mondoungue rat , the West Indian manatee , the West Indian monk seal , and the Guadeloupe ameive . According to a report by the DEAL (Regional Directorate for the Environment, Planning and Housing) of Guadeloupe and Martinique: 1,260 vascular plants , eight mammals, 14 birds, 11 reptiles , four amphibians , and four species of freshwater fish have been introduced into the French West Indies . Among these, Miconia calvescens , the rat , the mongoose, the lionfish , and the cassava ant are considered invasive species.
(Source: Wikipedia)
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadeloupe