Active volcano La Soufrière (1467m) looms above Basse-Terre's southern half. For an adventurous 1¾-hour hike to the sulfurous, moonscape-like summit, a well-beaten trail starts where the road to the volcano ends at a parking lot. The trail travels along a gravel bed and continues steeply up the mountain through a cover of low shrubs and thick ferns. You'll have a close-up view of steaming La Soufrière as well as some fine vistas of the island. Start early in the morning.
There are a couple of ways to get to La Soufrière. The most direct route is to follow the N3 from Basse-Terre town in the direction of St-Claude. From St-Claude, signs point to La Soufrière, 6km northeast on the D11.
Note that at the time of writing the trails around La Soufrière were officially out of bounds due to the volcano's renewed activity in early 2019.
