La Désirade

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La Désirade is the least known of Guadeloupe's dependencies. A long limestone plateau of 22 km², it has a wild, authentic character that is rare in the Caribbean. Its near-deserted beaches, unspoilt seabed and protected lagoon make it a paradise for lovers of untouched nature.

The oldest rock in the Antilles

La Désirade is a long limestone table eleven kilometres by two, lying off the eastern tip of Grande-Terre, with fewer than 1,500 inhabitants. Columbus is said to have named it in 1493 — the desired island, the first land sighted after the Atlantic crossing. It is the least visited of the Guadeloupe islands and by some distance the most austere.

Its plateau holds the oldest rock in the Lesser Antilles, around 145 million years old, and the island is a protected geological nature reserve — the only one of its kind in the archipelago. The landscape is arid, scrubby and full of iguanas, closer to a dry Mediterranean island than to the tropical Caribbean of the postcards.

The island's harder history is still visible at Baie-Mahault, where the ruins of the leper colony stand: from 1728 to 1958 La Désirade was where Guadeloupe sent the people it wanted out of sight, first as a quarantine island, later as a leprosarium. The chapel and the cemetery remain.

January to May

The dry season is the moment: from January to May the trade wind blows steadily, the sky stays clear and the sea is at its calmest — which matters, because the crossing can be rough. The island is drier than the rest of Guadeloupe year-round. From September to November the hurricane risk and the swell both rise, and the ferry is more often cancelled.

A short crossing and very little else

The ferry leaves Saint-François on Grande-Terre and takes about 45 minutes. Check the timetable carefully: there are only a handful of sailings a day and they thin out at weekends. La Désirade is French and European territory — a French or EU identity card, euros, no formality.

There is one road, running the length of the south coast through Beauséjour, Le Souffleur and Baie-Mahault. Scooters and bikes are the sensible way to cover it; a few hire cars exist. Accommodation is a handful of guesthouses and rentals, and there is no bank and no supermarket in the usual sense — bring cash. Come for the empty beaches of Fifi and Le Souffleur, the goat colombo, and the fact that nothing much happens.

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