It was 2 days with a pinch of adventure.
But let's proceed in order.

The exploration of the north-west of Basse-Terre had as its first objective the visit of the Grand Cul de Sac (dead end) of Guadeloupe. This area, part of the national park, is a marine reserve bordered by coral reefs to the north, and mangrove forest on almost the entire coast to the south. The coral reef that protects this area from the waves has allowed the creation of a lagoon environment where birds, crustaceans, fish and starfish live.

To visit a small part of this wonderful place there are two alternatives: rent a kayak and be partially independent, or be carried by a motorboat to the points of interest.

We preferred the kayak that we rented a few days before, at one of the piers in the port of Saint Rose, for 4 hours.

Our vehicle fueled by sweat and effort allowed us to make a very interesting journey, following the directions given by the renter: first of all, we reached the mangrove islands in 40 minutes and we entered them by making an adventurous and narrow passage, after which we went near Cormorant Island; finally we moored on a wonderful sand bank to rest and dive into the crystal clear water.

All around, in the shallow water, there are many sea urchins (be careful) and starfish, while in the bushes of the island you will happen to observe a myriad of small hermit crabs.

NB: If you have ham as a snack you will find yourself surrounded by these little creatures, who will not hesitate to use their claw to take it away from you.

After this happy mishap we returned to the beach, and in the absence of showers to get rid of some salt (and sweat from paddling for 2 hours), we went to the Bains Souffrés de Sofaia; these thermal showers are located about ten minutes by car from Sainte-Rose, and are not even very busy.

In the afternoon we went to one of the most beautiful attractions of the whole island, the Deshaies botanical garden.

Allow at least 2-3 hours for your visit.

In this lovely green space you will stroll among a plethora of plants and colorful tropical flowers, watching many hummingbirds flitting at full speed from flower to flower!

At the entrance, we recommend that you purchase, in addition to the entrance ticket, the feed package that you will use to feed the Koi carp, parrots and goats.

Entering the aviary and feeding the greedy parrots that landed on our hands was exciting and fun at the same time!

E non è finita qui: passeggiando sul percorso lastricato vi troverete a tu per tu con dei fenicotteri rosa e dei grandi pappagalli ara blu.

We dedicated the last part of the afternoon to visiting the distillery of the prestigious Rum Reimonenq brand, where with a ticket you can visit the museum dedicated to the distillation and production of Rum. The distillery is also located in the vicinity of Sainte-Rose.