Visit the islands of Petite-Terre

Hi everybody, It’s me, Mélanie!

It’s rare for me to do this, but I’ve borrowed Sylvain’s keyboard because I was lucky enough to visit the Petite-Terre islands with my mum and some of her friends. As you will have noticed, I’m always up to something, and the last time was to tell you about my microlight flight in Guadeloupe, particularly over the islands of Petite-Terre and La Désirade!

In August 2024, we’ll have lived here for 3 years. We’d already flown around the islands of Guadeloupe (Désirade, Terre-de-Haut, Terre-de-Bas, Marie-Galante). All that remained was to discover the islands of Petite-Terre.

Consisting of 2 islands, they have been listed as a marine and terrestrial nature reserve since 1998: Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas. The latter are surrounded by a coral reef and are uninhabited. Only Terre-de-Bas is open to the public.

As usual, here’s the story of our trip, followed by practical information on how to get around Petite-Terre.

Although at first glance you might think that Petite-Terre is just a “white sand and coconut palm” destination, I think it’s important to give you a bit of history. The Arawaks and Kalinagos were the first inhabitants of the island, between 600 and 1500 AD, as evidenced by the remains of pottery and stone tools found on the island. At that time they lived from fishing, cattle breeding and cotton growing.

Christopher Columbus encountered these tribes when he arrived in 1493. At the end of the 18th century, Europeans from the island of Désirade introduced agriculture, starting with cotton. Remains of stone walls bear witness to the organization of agriculture. The first families ate mainly yams, sweet potatoes, Turban squash and peas, while trying to collect and store rainwater, essential for survival in this environment without springs. From 1972, the island was abandoned due to the lack of drinking water.

With the development of fishing and maritime trade, the construction of Guadeloupe’s first lighthouse became necessary in 1840 to mark out the land. Known as the “Phare du bout du Monde”, it is 23 meters high and rises 35 metres above the sea.

In 1998, Petite Terre became a marine and terrestrial nature reserve managed by the Office National des Forêts (ONF) in order to protect its fragile ecosystem. In order to respect the fragile ecosystem, access to the islands of Petite Terre is strictly regulated. I’ll tell you more about this in a moment.

The day starts early, as we leave at 7.30am from Saint-François (on the opposite side of the island from us), near the ferry terminal, next to the petrol station (for the boats). We chose Pouldo because the trip is for small groups of 12 people. There are two options: a full day on Petite Terre or a half day on Petite Terre with lunch at La Désirade. I was going with my mother and some of her friends, so I opted for the second option, knowing that Désirade is one of my favorite islands in Guadeloupe.

After about 40 minutes of sailing in calm seas (phew, we were lucky as we had been on yellow alert the day before), the sky cleared. We could see Marie-Galatante to the east, easily recognisable by its flat relief, and Désirade to the west.

Just before arriving at the islands of Petite-Terre, our guide Neymar, alias Pouldo, gave us a briefing on the day’s activities and the strict rules to be followed. We arrived at the island of Terre-de-Bas, anchored 20m from the beach and went straight into the water, backpacks on our heads! Remember, as I said before, the island of Terre-de-Haut is closed to the public. White sandy beaches, coconut palms and crystal clear water – it’s all there! My mother and I were reminded of the heavenly beaches of French Polynesia.

A cloud of yens-yens (nasty little vampire mosquitoes that love tourist skin) greeted us warmly. In French Polynesia we call them nonos! Pouldo gives us another briefing on the island’s flora and fauna at the educational panels. Before leaving, we’re offered a ti-punch/planter/local juice… and yes, there’s no time for ti-punching! The drink comes with fruit and local bread!

About 20 minutes later we are on the path to the lighthouse for an encounter with the West Indian iguanas. It’s easy to do this in flip-flops, or barefoot for the more experienced. As we walk along the beach, Pouldo tells us about the no swim zones. These are marked with buoys to protect certain seagrass beds. On the way, still along the lagoon, we meet a baby lemon shark. He comes to say hello and plays with us for a while!

At the start of the walk, the guide gives us an update on the island’s endemic iguanas, but as soon as he’s finished, Mum shouts “There’s one!” and yes, she’s been trying to see it for three years! Nevertheless, it’s impossible to miss them on the island! It had rained a lot the day before, so they were all in drying/tanning mode. They’re not the same species as in Guadeloupe (I’ll tell you about that later). They’re browner and bigger, but most importantly they don’t have striped tails!

We continue on our way to the lighthouse, stopping every two seconds to admire these little reptiles! At the lighthouse there’s a whole colony, all ages, green for the little ones and females and brown for the older males! Pouldo gives us a short history of the place. There’s a sign pointing to the remains, but the clock is ticking, so we head back to the beach to have a good swim and increase our chances of seeing turtles.

I go in first to have a look around, just long enough for mum and her friends to get kitted out (with age everything takes time ah ah ah!!!). We head for the authorised weed beds and in a few minutes, surprise, a small turtle is eating quietly! So I discreetly call the elders (to make sure there aren’t 10,000 tourists).

For those of you who don’t feel comfortable in the water, you don’t have to go far to see them (they are usually seen 15 and 150 metres from the shore). We had easy access. If I remember correctly, the water level was between 40 cm and 1.2 m! At the same time we saw two other turtles passing by. As far as turtles go, this isn’t Mayotte Island either: there aren’t many left (36 counted before Covid and 42 after) and they’re small, but still very cute!

As for the corals, oops, big disappointment: everything is dead, at least in the areas where you can swim. Perhaps on the other side of the rope, not far from the barrier, the sea bed is more beautiful, but we’re not allowed to go there… so the fish are scarce too!

After these wonderful discoveries, one last planteur drink before heading back to the island of Désirade! Twenty minutes sailing later we arrived at the harbour. We unloaded our gear and went down to Fifi’s beach in a carbet for lunch! We’re a bit sorry we didn’t get to go as far as the reserve at the end of the island, because it’s really beautiful! We stayed on the island for 2-3 hours, enjoying a siesta, a swim and an introduction to zouk!

Back in Saint-François at around 5pm, we had a good, quiet sail and were able to view the Pointe des Châteaux from the sea, with wonderful memories in store for our eyes!

A brief overview of what you can find here.

• Lesser Antillean iguanas / Iguanas delicatissima

There are about 10,000 West Indian iguanas on the island, representing a third of the world’s population of Lesser Antillean iguanas. They are vegetarians and particularly fond of foliage. Their life expectancy is about 15 years. They lay about 30 eggs in a burrow, and 2 months later there’s a new little iguana, which stays green for its first few years! They can grow up to 1m60 and weigh up to 3kg! Their main predator, apart from us humans, is of course the rat! (Hence the importance of not leaving our rubbish lying around!)

• The hermit crab, or Bernado-Bel-Modan (Souda in Creole), is the island’s mascot!

They have no shells and squat in those of the burgos (a kind of black shell). There are many of them on the island!

• The two species of lizard: Anoles or Scinques (Mabouyas)

The latter are rarer and brownish in colour. They are arboreal and feed on insects. Apparently they don’t like yens-yens – a myth?

• Tropical fish

Various species such as trunkfish and parrotfish, but also leopard sharks and stingrays, although we weren’t lucky enough to see any (sniff…).

Lemon sharks are harmless unless you’re having too much fun with them or want to cuddle them! Crabs, black sea urchins, king lobsters and lobsters can also be seen! If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of dolphins during the crossing.

• Birds

These include yellow-bellied sugarbirds, yellow warblers and oystercatchers, which use their large beaks to pick up mollusks and open shellfish! Migrants are present from September to November and April to May! They lay their eggs on the ground and between bad weather, rats and humans, only a few make it to hatch. They nest from April to August. There is also the Yellow-billed Hornbill.

Seaweed and seagrass beds are an important food source, especially for sea turtles!

As well as coconut palms (important for stabilizing the coastline) and the numerous Coccoloba uvifera trees, there are also Gaiac trees, which are threatened with extinction because they are sought after for their hard wood, used to make billiard balls and pulleys. They are also renowned for their medicinal and perfumed properties.

The island is also home to many agaves, which flower once in a lifetime and can reach a height of 11 meters. You can also find sea purslane and black grapes!

The islands of Petite-Terre can be visited all year round. However, they are very popular, so it’s a good idea to book in advance if you’re coming at peak season! This is the subject of our article on the best time of year for a visit to Guadeloupe!

The sea is generally rougher from December to June. But there’s often less rain! In case of bad weather, don’t forget to ask about cancellation or postponement policies.

Of course you’ll have to get there, and we’ve written a comprehensive article explaining everything you need to know about getting to Guadeloupe. Once you’re there, we recommend you look at hiring a car and compare prices using Discover cars.

All departures are from the Saint-François ferry terminal! There are several ways to get there:

• Speed boat : this option has the advantage of having fewer people on board, but the boat is less spacious and often forbids children under 6 and pregnant women. Don’t hesitate to check out these operators, who have an excellent reputation!
• Catamarans and sailboats are more spacious, shaded and can accommodate around forty people. They are more suitable for families or people who are sensitive to the sea.
• Boat hire, with or without a skipper: in this case, it’s important to check the regulations, in particular the need to obtain a nautical license. You’ll also need to hire a buoy from the Tité Association, as anchoring is prohibited.

Good to know

There are currently 22 boats authorized to carry passengers for commercial purposes. The number of tourists must not exceed 200 per day and each company must inform its clients of the regulations, the conservation of the site and the behavior to be observed on the island, in particular not to collect shellfish and not to touch the turtles.

All service providers must provide a pre-cooked meal to avoid organizing a barbecue and potentially damaging the natural habitat on site.

Essential items for the day:

• Water
• Hat/Cap
• Anti-UV t-shirt (lycra) rather than sun cream
• A pair of sunglasses
• A change of clothes
• K-Way

Friendly tip: if you’re staying during the day, bring long clothes for lunch to protect yourself from the yen-yens!

As you’ll be leaving early, it’s best to spend the night before and the night of your departure on Grande-Terre, close to where you’ll be leaving, because after a day like this, the 2-hour drive back to Vieux-Fort can seem interminable.

In Saint-François, you’ll find something to suit every budget. Here are some recommendations according to your budget:

Low budget (< 50€)

• Studio West Indies Manganao: a nice, bright apartment close to the beach with a very good reputation. Good value for a small budget.
• Bungalow La Papaye Bleue: a nice, inexpensive place with wooden bungalows and a fully equipped kitchen for self-catering!

Medium budget (50-100€)

• Duplex à la marina: a lovely 60m² apartment in a prime location on the town’s marina, perfect for getting away from it all!
• Quenetier: in a quiet corner, you’ll enjoy a beautiful bungalow overlooking the garden and a lovely private pool!

Larger budget (>100€)

• Hôtel & Villa Le Cocotel: Beautifully decorated rooms, good breakfast in a green setting! Excellent value for money.
• Villa Zagadi: Beautiful villa on the Pointe des Châteaux with stunning sea views, a lovely pool and terrace! A perfect place for the whole family!
• Hôtel Guadeloupe Palm Suites: a very nice, well-respected place offering studios in a quiet environment with a lovely outdoor pool, all with a good breakfast.

Meanwhile, if you’re in the Saint-François area, I really invite you to discover the Pointe des Châteaux, a beautiful place to hike and enjoy the beach!

And if you’re looking for another magical spot, why not explore Les Saintes?

See you soon.

Written by Sylvain PONS

Since 2021, I've been living in the Guadeloupe archipelago with Mélanie and our two children. We are exploring these beautiful islands and discovering the treasures that we are happy to share with you!

Despite our care, a mistake may have slipped into this article. If you find any, please don't hesitate to let us know so we can correct it as soon as possible and keep our information up-to-date!