04/02/2023 - Guadeloupe

Today, Guadeloupe greeted us once again with a French overseas department in the southern Caribbean Sea. The two largest islands of the archipelago resemble a butterfly in shape and are separated only by the narrow Riviere Salee strait. We traveled from the port of Pointe-a-Pitre on Grande-Terre to the island of Basse-Terre, crossing the only bridge that connects these two islands across the strait. Today, on Saturday, the Montebello rum distillery is actually closed. Nevertheless, we were given a tour of the premises, some insights into rum production, and a small tasting. This rum has a special flavor because the sugarcane grows here close to the mangroves. Our tour continued to the Valombreuse Botanical Garden. It is amazing to see everything that grows and blooms on this island. The visit was also very relaxed, as we were driven around the grounds on a small train. Our next stop was the Cascade aux Ecrevisses waterfall, and then we headed back to Grande-Terre for great views and a bit of history at Fort Fleur d'epée. On this half of the butterfly, there are long beaches. The most famous one is probably in Sainte-Anne. It is a beautiful beach, but there are too many people. We ate some freshly baked Chichis, better known as Churros, and ended our tour by strolling through the market.