A Colorful Afternoon at the Garden and Beach

by hopesfrenzy

Our final full day in Guadeloupe we spent in and around Deshaies. We woke up and stopped by the bakery that was very near our Airbnb, getting a coffee each and pastries. We didn’t drive far to reach the Jardin Botanique de Deshaies, one of the most popular attractions on this side of Basse-Terre. The garden welcomed us with a coy pond. It was very well laid out, with different areas to explore and a winding path through them all. In the center was a huge (fake?) waterfall and a restaurant.

My favorite parts weren’t the plants (although the diversity of plants was stunning!), but instead the animals we found. The lorikeet aviary was big and full of the friendly, colorful birds. I took a lot of pictures. Outside the aviary, we found bugs like ants and caterpillars. So many ants! It was very hard to get a good photo though.

The large blue macaw exhibit was a bit sadder. The birds had their wings clipped and lived in somewhat spacious little houses, sometimes alone and sometimes with a pair. The macaw pictured just sat on this rope stretched not far from our head. I could have touched the bird if I wanted.

I’m glad that we went early because by the time we were leaving, the parking lot was packed!

For the rest of the day we reclined out on Plage de Grande-Anse in the sun. I swam out a lot in the warm shallows, until we got hungry and ate at a nearby restaurant. A cold rosé made for the afternoon simply perfect! We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool, drinking more wine, reading, sunning … until it was time for dinner at one more tasty restaurant in town.

Peaceful end to a wonderful adventure!

Exploring with Stéphane
Location: Deshaies, Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe

Keep exploring