05. April 2024 8 min read

Guadeloupe - a trip to safe jungle

When you want to explore the jungle, all its lush vegetation and beautiful waterfalls in the middle of the rainforest, you never envision that you will have to be careful of poisonous spiders, snakes, and even dangerous animals that could attack and eat you. But, there is a small island (not so small) in the Caribbean Sea, which is a province of France, Guadeloupe. It's more mountainous, Basse-Terre island, is covered with jungle and mangroves, and high on top of the volcano grass. And what makes it so special? It has no poisonous animals whatsoever. That means you get to see wild orchids and other beautiful flowers and enjoy the Colibri flying around without having to worry about getting eaten or bitten. With some mosquito repellent, you do not have to worry even about those.
Guadeloupe has a lot of trekking paths and they are mostly in very good condition. The more touristy parts have paved walkways and wooden bridges to facilitate walking around the jungle, but then other paths are still well-cut-out paths through tree roots and muddy forest floors. That is why you need to choose your hiking days if you go to less touristy path - not on a rainy day, not a day after a rainy day. And keep in mind the weather in Basse-Terre is more wet, than on the other parts, so do not be fooled by the dry weather at the beaches on the Grande-Terre.

Carbet Waterfalls

There are 3 waterfalls along the short Carbet river and while 3rd one being slightly closer to the sea, the 2nd and 1st were our main focus for the day. We drove on D4 road for as far as we could, and after the parking lot, we paid the entrance fee to the Guadeloupe National Park. From there, we followed a paved pathway that led past restrooms and a picnic area towards what is marked as 2nd waterfall. It was a straightforward downhill walk that took about 20 minutes, and we even crossed a bridge over the river to reach the base of the waterfall.

Then we decided that we had enough time before the sunset to visit the 1st waterfall. In reality, we thought we could make a round trip to the top of the mountain, but that proved to be a bit too far-fetched. The path to the 1st waterfall began with a well-trodden trail, which eventually transformed into wooden stairs. This posed no problem for our family, including our younger children. However, after that, the path became more challenging, as we encountered some higher boulders that required minor climbing, as well as a progressively muddier terrain. Along the middle part of the ascent, you are again greeted with wooden bridges and stairs that help us maintain a faster pace, but that again turns into a more difficult path for the kids, which also includes crossing one of the rivers by stepping on various boulders.

Although the weather was overcast, when I heard few raindrops fell, I was still afraid that the river's flow might suddenly increase. The final part of the path was particularly demanding. Ascending the boulders with the assistance of ropes was easier, but then declines with ropes were quite a bit of a challenge for my 5-year-old. I do not think the non-sportive parent could support the 5-year-old kid, or they would have to carry them on their back, as you will need your arms to ascend and descend this part. Overall the view is magnificent, but it reminded us that the top of the mountain peak was still far above us, and with the time until the sunset running out, we decided to turn and hike back. The clouds also started to form a bit thicker above which to me seemed like it would rain, but within the jungle, the clouds have difficulty penetrating, so it was still very clear. I was looking at the small creeks we were crossing on our way back and they showed no sign of increased flow. After the easy middle section again the decline on the boulders delayed us a bit, but the stairs afterward proved quite easy overall. Soon we came to a paved path at the base of the second waterfall and from there it was again a bit of an uphill hike on the tired legs to reach the entrance of the Guadeloupe National Park. We still had time to spare before the predicted sunset as our return pace was actually a bit faster. Overall if you want a good jungle experience with a bit of adventure, then the path to the 1st waterfall is something to experience.

Grand Etang

This is a lake in between the mountain peaks which you can visit on a paved path through the jungle from a parking lot. Around kilometer hike downhill from the parking helps you maintain a bit of distance from the jungle, while still observing the magical plants and flowers blooming by the side.

If you will want to experience a bit more, you can decide to go around the lake. The path is over the roots and muddy in some places, but it also has wooden bridges over some areas which enable you to progress with a faster pace. There are plenty of birds around the lake and with a good camera you can take some stunning photos. Keep in mind that the lake is part of the Guadeloupe National Park and because of that, things like Drones and fishing are forbidden.