North America
Two linked islands: volcanic rainforest on one side, white beaches on the other.
Guadeloupe is a French overseas region shaped like a butterfly. Mountainous Basse-Terre holds the national park, the La Soufrière volcano, the Carbet Falls and the Cousteau Reserve's reefs off the Pigeon Islands. Flatter Grande-Terre has the beaches around Sainte-Anne and Saint-François and the headland of Pointe des Châteaux, and the smaller islands of Les Saintes and Marie-Galante are easy by ferry.
It blends French and Creole culture: accras, colombo curries and bokit sandwiches, rhum agricole in a ti-punch, and markets full of spices. The Mémorial ACTe in Pointe-à-Pitre tells the history of slavery. A hire car is the practical way to explore. January to April is driest; September and October bring the heaviest rain and highest hurricane risk.
January, February, March, April, December.