Spotlight: Caribbean - Guadeloupe

Spotlight: Guadeloupe is a small group of islands among the Lesser Antilles, located in the eastern Caribbean. It covers a land area of 1,628 km² with a population of 403,750. It is considered an insular region of France, and is governed by an overseas department. The two main islands, Basse-Terre and Grande-Terre, are separated by a narrow strait which is crossed by many bridges. The official language is French, but most inhabitants also speak Antillean Creole. The island was called Karukera ("The Island of Beautiful Waters") by the native Arawaks. They were later wiped out by the Caribs. Christopher Colombus was the first European to arrive at the island in 1493, and named it Santa Maria de Guadalupe de Extremadura. Columbus didn't leave behind any settlers, but he brought back to Europe the first samples of pineapple he found there. The Spanish attempted to settle the island in the 17th century, but were repelled by the Caribs. In 1635, a French expedition from St. Kitts established the first European settlement on the island after wiping out many Caribs, and France officially annexed the island in 1674. The British captured the island in several times, but returned possession to France in various treaties. The island has also gone through a few periods of revolution, particularly regarding the issue of slavery, which was formally abolished in 1848.

Pointe-a-Pitre

Saltwater channel between two main islands

Location: Guadeloupe are located in the eastern Caribbean, south of Antigua and Barbuda, and north of Dominica. We went snorkeling on Ilet Caret, a tiny island north of the main islands.

Cost: It appears that this excursion is no longer offered, but I found a similar excursion for $139.00.

Time: The entire excursion was about 4 hours, but we only got to snorkel for 90 minutes - which in my opinion wasn't long enough. We spent another hour on the island.

Description: For our shore excursion in Guadeloupe, we went snorkeling around the tiny island of Ilet Caret. Our cruise boat docked at Pointe-a-Pitre, and from there we rode in a zodiac through the saltwater channel that divides the two large islands, flanked by mangrove swamps on either side. Once we crossed through the channel, we motored out near Caret Isle where we snorkeled among the coral reefs. Unfortunately, we didn't have an underwater camera. Still, we saw lots of beautiful fish, including a school of blue and black ones.

Mangrove swamp

     After about an hour and a half, we boarded the boats again and docked on the little islet for a refreshment, and to enjoy the beautiful white sand beach. Caret Island is uninhabited, and used by turtles to lay their eggs. It took us only about 5 minutes to walk around the entire circumference of the islet.

Tiny Caret Islet

Beautiful white sand of the Caribbean

     Although I would have liked to spend more time snorkeling, we spent the time in the zodiac asking our guides about the history and geography of the islands. They were very friendly and informative.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - If you feel comfortable running a motorboat, it would probably be cheaper to rent a motor boat and snorkeling equipment, and do your own little excursion.
- As with most cruise ship stops, you will likely be greeted by locals playing beautiful Caribbean music.

- Although there are a few trees on Caret Islet, they don't provide much shade from the midday sun.

- A small walk around Pointe-a-Pitre can provide you with a view of some of the colorful murals that have been painted on the sides of some buildings.

Nearby: Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, Dominica, Martinique