Basse-Terre Island

Guadeloupe

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Snorkeler surveys coral reef, Guadeloupe, French West Indies, Caribbean Sea

Getty Images/WaterFrame RM

Overview

Basse-Terre is Guadeloupe’s trump card. Despite its name meaning 'low land,' it rather confusingly boasts soaring peaks, including the active La Soufrière volcano, and is by far the more dramatic of Guadeloupe's two main islands. Indeed the entire center of Basse-Terre is covered in thick rainforest and makes up the impressive Parc National de la Guadeloupe.

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