Visit Desirade island - our full guide

Ah, Désirade Island, doesn’t the name make you dream? I’d heard of it in the past when looking at maps. And as a geographer, I knew it was a dependency of Guadeloupe before I came here last year. Since arriving here in August 2021, we’ve had the opportunity to discover the islands of Guadeloupe, and in particular Terre de Bas island, located in the Saintes Archipelago, just across the road from where we live.

Among Guadeloupe’s dependencies, the island of Désirade had caught our eye and we’d heard nothing but good things from people who’d visited the island. Naturally, we wanted to discover this small limestone island. We used a four day long weekend to get to this beautiful island and just spend some quality time with the family. That’s what we’re looking for more and more: to enjoy our family, the four of us, in small places that we consider (rightly, I think) to be little tropical paradises.

We also used this long weekend to establish two partnerships: one with our accommodation (Hotel Oasis) and the other with the island’s only diving club. I’m going to tell you more about them later on in this article. In this article, which is likely to be long, I’ll do my best to inspire you to discover this beautiful little island. There is so much to see and do, and it’s clear that our four days there were not boring!

In this article, I’ll tell you all about our arrival on the island and all the discoveries we had the chance to make, as well as giving you a complete guide to exploring the island. As usual, I’ll give you all the practical details at the end of the article. Let’s continue discovering this Lesser Antilles island.

In the meantime, I’d also like to invite you to read our full article about the week we spent on Marie-Galante, or la galette as it’s known here.

I thought I would give you some interesting information that I found useful to know if you are going to Désirade before we get into our weekend there:

• Désirade is a small limestone island (like Marie Galante), an elevated atoll. It is apparently 11 km long and 2 km wide (22 km²). Seen from the air (and even on the spot), it’s a large plateau rising to 275m. The easternmost part of the island is volcanic (the black colour of the rocks is clearly visible on site),
• Since 2011, a nature reserve has been established at the eastern end of the island, particularly for its geological, floral and faunal features. It covers 62 hectares,
• There are no perennial rivers on the island. In 1991, a pipeline was laid to supply drinking water to Désirade. This was destroyed in 1999 during the passage of cyclone Lenny,
• The island has a tropical climate. It is relatively dry compared to the rest of Guadeloupe and Basse-Terre in particular.

As we live on the opposite side of the island from where the boat departs (Saint-François), we decided to stay the night before in an Airbnb not far from the departure point, so as not to have to get up too early. We left Saint-François with Comadile, the only boat company currently serving the island as far as I know, in the early hours of the morning (8am). We settled down on deck in full sunshine. The crossing is fine as long as we’re in the shelter of Pointe des Châteaux. But as soon as we pass the Pointe, the sea becomes much rougher. It gets pretty rough! It’s a good thing the crossing isn’t too long. Otherwise Melanie would have gotten sick.

You can of course see Désirade from a distance, but when you get to its outskirts, it is a dream come true. It looks like a “big mountain”. It is flat at the top and has a beautiful lagoon at the bottom. The vegetation is different here, much drier than what we are used to in the lush tropical forest that surrounds us. The sun is out in full force and, frankly, it’s great to be here. We unloaded our luggage and while Mélanie took the kids to the Hotel Oasis, I picked up our rental car for our 4-day stay. I’ll tell you more about the latter in the Practical Corner below, but we’re going to be fine here while we’re staying in Désirade.

In this article, I’ve decided to mention everything we were able to do during our stay, not necessarily in any particular order. For those of you who are wondering whether you should just come for a day or spend a couple of days there, I’ll leave you to read the next few pages and make up your own mind.

Below is a map of all the places I’ve mentioned. This will help you find your way around.

Heading towards the east of the island, just before you reach the lighthouse and the old weather station, you’ll find the ruins of an old cotton mill on your right. Take the time to stop for a moment. It’s a very pleasant setting. I would advise you to come early in the morning as it can get very hot very quickly and there’s no shade. From the cotton mill you have a wonderful view over the lagoon. The cotton mill was only in operation for 4 years, between 1918 and 1922. Take advantage of the explanations on the panels below, on the sea side, to learn more about Désirade and its geological formation. On the way to the suite and the eastern tip of the island, it’s a nice little stop. Also worth seeing: the naval cemetery and the beautiful beach that lies next to it. Don’t miss: the photo of the road sign that says “Slow down Iguana”.

Once you’ve visited the cotton mill, you can continue towards the eastern tip of the island. The road leading to the lighthouse and the end of the island (on this side) is really beautiful, characteristic of a very dry area. There are few, if any, trees, just a few cacti left and right, and pebbles and sand as far as the eye can see.

The lighthouse in the Désirade National Nature Reserve (created in 2011) is well worth a stop. Although I’m not a fan of lighthouses or architecture as such, I find it quite remarkable and Mélanie and I enjoy photographing it from different angles. Its red hexagonal lantern at the top stands out perfectly against the white of the base. It was probably built in 1935-1945. It was automated in 1972. It’s a nice, dry spot, but offers great views of the sea and the surrounding area.

We continue our walk towards the end of the road and the famous old weather station. Like the lighthouse at Pointe Doublé, this station has been listed as a historical monument since 2008. The disused white building is truly impressive. It was built between 1935 and 1945. It has been abandoned since 1987. You can actually enter the building at certain points. Taking pictures is a must for fans of architecture. The station overlooks the whole of Pointe Doublé and the surrounding area. It offers a magnificent view of the surroundings. It was from here that we set off on the Montana hike. I’ll tell you all about it below.

The island of Désirade doesn’t really have a lot of walks to offer, but there are plenty to keep you busy all the same. To prove this, we went on a couple of short walks, including the famous ‘Sentier Montana’ walk, named after the ship ‘Montana’ that ran aground off the coast of the lighthouse. The trail is shown on the map at the top of this article to help you find your way around.

It’s a path (in a loop) that stretches across the whole of the south-eastern tip of the island. It actually starts in the ‘town centre’ of the village of Baie Mahault, goes past the lighthouse, then the weather station, crosses the geological reserve and returns via the ‘Grande Savane’. I’m not sure there’s much point in starting the walk from the centre of Baie Mahault, even though you can do it by car all the way to the weather station. That’s what we did. There’s no shade at all, and with the heat we couldn’t imagine walking with the kids (and carrying Teo).

So we tried to follow in the footsteps of those who had gone before us, starting from the station. Nothing is really well signposted, but you get the idea. We are walking through a rather lunar, basaltic landscape that has clearly been washed by the spray of the Atlantic Ocean, in contrast to the rest of the island, which is of limestone origin. All the family will have a great time in these landscapes, meeting sheep, iguanas, goats and passerines. There are few, if any, trees. However, we have come across some agaves, grey maples that are exposed to the wind, and some magnificent cacti (Tête à l’Anglais) that are typical of the island. Our next stop is Carbet, where there is plenty of shade for a rest. Allow 1? hours for the walk if you take your time and enjoy the scenery. In my opinion, this is a must when you discover Désirade. You’ll see. Make up your own mind!

On the map given to me by the tourist office (in the centre of Beauséjour), this is one of the only walks that is signposted to take you to the other side of the island (on foot). It seems there are other, lesser-known paths from the plateau down to the other side, but you’ll have to find out about them.

I started this walk before the hairpin bends that lead to the Chapelle Notre Dame de Calvaire, taking advantage of Téo’s nap (and admittedly Mélanie’s laziness, haha). Beyond the chapel, with a small hired car, it gets exciting. If you want to reach it, you’ll have to park just before the entrance to the path on the left at the intersection with the Chemin du Latanier (the unpaved path leading to Pointe des Colibris, on the west side of the island). The sign at the entrance indicates a walk of 3 km, which takes 3 hours to complete. The walk is entirely in the shade, in the woods, in fairly dry vegetation. This is very pleasant, especially if, like me, you have the idea of going for a walk at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. After 5 minutes of walking along a fairly flat path, the slope ahead of me began to drop off sharply and I could already feel that it was going to be difficult to climb back to the start. I even had to brake to avoid going down too fast (which is saying something). Nothing too complicated, and if you’re wondering, you can walk with children/babies. It takes just over half an hour to reach the first viewpoint over the sea, on the other side of the island.

I walked down to the pebbled beach, watching the sea break over the cliffs. I’m alone here, not a shadow of a person or even an animal. The coast is really beautiful and so is the colour of the water. This part of the coast has no coral reef protection and I have an idea that it can’t be much fun to be on this beach in bad weather. This trail follows a westerly coastline. It’s an easy walk along the seafront. But looking at the cliffs behind me, I don’t really feel like hanging around. I quietly make my way up the side of the hill, but there’s no real point to it. For now, I think you can go down to the start of the track, do the coastal walk and turn around. Then you don’t have to walk the Latanier path on the way back. A matter of taste.

In any case, it’s a beautiful walk, very pleasant, shady on the slope. On the other hand, the descent and ascent are very hard on the legs. This is something you have to be aware of. I checked the IGN plan: 150m climbing, 1km descending at the most. That’s tough.

Heading to the west. I have to say we loved this part of the island, battered by wind and sea spray. It’s easy getting there, just drive until the end of the road on the west side and take the dirt track that leads up the (rocky) Pointe des Galets.

We’ll be coming back here a few times in the evening to admire the coastline rugged by erosion and the elements, but also to spend some quality time with the family, have an aperitif (which we’ve brought with us) and above all to enjoy the sunsets. I suggest you come around 5pm. You can enjoy the beautiful light and let your mind wander as you watch the waves crash against the shore.

Apart from admiring the scenery, there’s nothing special to do here. There’s even a large cross, which is very nice and well placed for taking great photos in the golden evening light. Anyway, this is the place I recommend for sunsets, and we’d often come for a walk to take photos and pose for long (you know me by now, haha). A little extra: to admire the colours of the island’s mountains, get a spot on the east side of the point, above Anse d’Échelle.

Everyone has to see what they can do here. You’ll need to hire a 4×4 to get to this route. Is it worth it? Considering the small difference in price I paid with a small standard car, I’d say yes. This will allow you to discover some beautiful spots overlooking the lagoon below and to admire the two windmill sectors up close.

There are three options for access to this trail, either from the west (4×4 required), or via the road to the chapelle Notre Dame de Calvaire (from the centre of the village of Beauséjour), or via the centre of the other village to the east, Baie Mahault. With a normal car you can do the last two options. So you can do it one way or the other. We did it twice, in both directions.

There’s nothing really special about the route itself. There are very few viewpoints on either side of the island, but I thought it was a fun drive. Starting from the west, the road is quite rough on this side and the 4×4 is clearly not to be beaten. The road passes the chapel (mentioned below) and continues along the plateau. Don’t miss the path that turns right at the old windmills on your right. Park at the building and walk down to the viewpoint, which offers an exceptional panorama of the southern lagoon of the island, as far as the weather station in the east. We spent a quarter of an hour here, admiring the beauty of the view.
We continue along the path to the other wind turbines to the east, without much of a view. That’s the way it is.

When you’re on the plateau, you get the impression that it’s relatively dry, but recently Mélanie had the opportunity to fly over the island of La Désirade from Saint-François in a microlight. There will be a full article on this great activity soon. Mélanie told me (and I believe her, looking at the photos) that it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. She said: “Indeed, the island looks very green from the air!

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the highlights of your holiday on Désirade Island is going to visit the chapel. You’ll notice (if you’ve got eagle eyes) that the chapel (painted blue and white) is visible when you arrive by boat. It’s also visible from many places on the island. It can be reached by a small car from the centre of Beauséjour. You can park next to it.

The chapel is 200m high and was built in 1905 by a priest, Abbé Ruillier. It offers an exceptional view of the west of the island and its lagoon. It’s best to come early in the morning to get the sun at your back if you want to take pictures. In the late afternoon, the sun is in your face and depending on the situation, the light is not as good.

Take a moment to admire the scenery and, most of all, to enjoy the beautiful orientation table that shows the location of the site! A must see.

A visit to the desert botanical garden is a must. It is located just outside the village of Beauséjour, on the side of a hill, and we found this place to be a great experience. Even though we’re not cactus fans (haha), it’s definitely worth a visit. We spent almost 2 hours with the owner, Aline. She is a real enthusiast and explains a lot about the place, its history and, of course, the cactus.

The walk is uphill, in a landscaped area, past hundreds, if not thousands, of cacti and succulents, each crazier than the last: very big, small, flowering or not, more or less prickly, etc.

It was a real exchange and a great time. A cherry on top? At the very top, at the level of the last shelves, you have access to a magnificent terrace for a drink or a bite to eat (by reservation only). The setting is stunning and the sunset views on our visit were magnificent. We can’t recommend it highly enough. Don’t hesitate to call to arrange a tour. Here’s the Facebook page for the place.

I hesitated to include visiting the botanical gardens in the list of things to do on the island (because that’s what it is, after all), but I decided to just talk about the two sporting activities on the island.

First, scuba diving. As part of a partnership with Manawa, an activity booking website, and the only diving club (L’îlot plongée Désirade), I was lucky enough to dive on the island, off Pointe des Colibris. I’ll tell you all about it in our dedicated article, but I have some excellent memories of the dive, with some really interesting, rich and original seabed features (mini canyon, caves) and the 3 anchors from that era still visible underwater. If you have time, it’s a great activity and Olivier is really cool!

Another activity that seems like a good idea for sporty types is mountain biking around the island. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to do it. But I think if you spend a few days on the island, it’s a very nice and environmentally friendly way to discover the island. It allows you to visit at a slower pace, in peace and quiet. You can choose between a simple mountain bike or a bike with electric assistance (VAE). I think it’s worth trying!

We didn’t take the time to do a bit of snorkelling and explore the seabed and coral reefs with fins and snorkels. But given what I saw underwater, it might well be worth it.

As well as my personal opinion, I wanted to add some interesting information about the island’s beautiful beaches. When we were there, there was no sargasso, but I know that the island can be affected by it… My only hope is that when you are there it will be as beautiful as it was for us! The island has some beautiful beaches, and although I haven’t seen all the white beaches on Grande Terre, Plage du Souffleur is the best I’ve seen since arriving in Guadeloupe. From west to east, here’s some information about the beaches of Désirade.

It is not far from Pointe des Colibris. We only came close to it when we were having a drink in the area. The beach is deserted but very nice. The only drawback is that it’s less swimmable than other beaches on the island, as it’s less sheltered. But it’s heavenly at sunset. You can get there directly from the Pointe. Or you can take a path that bends to the left before the end of the road. It is signposted.

It is very close to the village of Beauséjour. It is a large beach with facilities, including cabins for shade when the sun is strong. Set in a beautiful coconut grove, the setting is also very nice!

This is the village beach, less than 5 minutes walk from the Oasis Hotel, where we stayed for 4 days. The beach is also very nice with great views of the mountains. We came several times, if not every evening, to admire the beautiful lights and to play with the children. A big advantage is that you have access to several snack bars on the beach where you can eat in or take away and eat in the carbet on the beach. A perfect little spot for the evening.

This is the most beautiful sandy beach on the island, stretching for about 1 km. The beach is lined with coconut palms and is truly sublime. As is often the case, you’ll find several caravans to choose from, especially right next to the restaurant la Roulotte. The blues are crazy and swimming in the turquoise water is a real treat. Another bonus is that you have access to several restaurants in the area. We tried 2 of them and we’ll tell you more about them later.

After Plage du Souffleur you’ll find this little beach. We spent 2 hours here as a family, enjoying the sea and the beach. It’s also a very nice place, far away from the “world” (in comparison to La Désirade, I must admit). Note the evidence of dead coral on the rocks at the back of the beach (on the left as you arrive). A great place for children to explore and not bad for swimming either.

Finally, you should know that there are also some local handicrafts. Although we didn’t have the time or opportunity to visit the shops, I know that there are a few little corners where you can find them.

• At the Indigo Shop you can discover how plants create colour. I hear it’s very interesting,
  Desijaspe is a small shop where you can find and buy beautiful cut and engraved stones from the island of Désirade,
• There are also a number of shops on the island where you can buy honey made on the island,
• Finally, there is also a soap factory that uses traditional methods to make local soap.

That’s the end of this little story. If you’re interested in the Guadeloupe islands, I invite you to discover the sublime Terre-de-Haut island, in the Saintes archipelago. We spent a long weekend there and really enjoyed it.

Below I give you everything you need to know about your stay at La Désirade, as is now my custom in travel articles.

To get to the island of Désirade, you’ll need to travel to Guadeloupe first. I’ve been using the Skyscanner travel comparator for about ten years now. It allows you to compare flights very intelligently. If you’re planning your trip, I suggest you look at the dates in detail and compare them, ideally being a little more flexible.

Depending on the season and the airline, you can find flights from Paris for as little as €350 or €400. There are even direct flights from the provinces. In fact, we’ve written a whole article on how to get to Guadeloupe for less.

Once you’re there, you’ll have no choice but to hire a car. In my opinion, visiting Guadeloupe without a means of transport is too complicated, as the island is far too big to get around on foot and public transport is not really reliable. It also gives you more independence.

A long time ago I got into the habit of checking prices on a car hire comparison site, DiscoverCars. If you look carefully and are flexible with your dates, you can find some great bargains.

As for the island of Désirade, you should know that it’s impossible to get there by plane. Although there is an airport on the island, there are no airlines offering this service. Like us, you’ll have no choice but to take a boat from Saint-François on Grande Terre. As far as I know, there is only one company that flies to Désirade: Comadile. I strongly advise you to check the exact timetable in case things change, but when we left there were two departures a day from Saint-François: the first at 8am in the morning and the second at 5pm in the evening. To make the most of the day, we left at 8am in the morning. It takes less than an hour to cross to reach Désirade. Depending on the time of year, the sea can be quite rough, especially once you pass the Pointe des Châteaux (which was our case). If, like Mélanie, you get seasick, a little Mer Calme won’t hurt. However, as we skirt the Pointe des Châteaux for a long time, the crossing is still very pleasant. The link above will tell you what there is to see and do in the area.

You can also take a service provider from Saint François and make a day trip to the island of Désirade at the same time as the islands of Petite-Terre. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not worth it and you’re bound to end up messing it up. My father-in-law, who came here on holiday, spent only 2 hours on Désirade on such a trip. As a result, apart from saying that he had set foot on the island, he hadn’t really seen anything at all… A matter of taste, that’s just my opinion.

As far as fares are concerned, it will cost you €35 return per adult and €20 for children.

There are a number of places to stay on the island of Désirade, although I’d like to make it clear from the outset that there are no luxury hotels. As part of a partnership, we stayed at the Hotel Oasis for 4 nights. We found the value for money very good and the hotel is perfectly located for the town centre and the beach, which is less than a 5 minute walk away. We opted for half board with dinner and breakfast and frankly we were not disappointed. The Lagranlag restaurant is really good and we enjoyed it every night.

If you’d like to read more about how we felt and our stay at the hotel in detail, please read our full hotel review. There are other places to stay on the island, including a number of gîtes and guesthouses.

When you’re on holiday it’s important to eat well, isn’t it? During our 4 days on the island, we ate every evening at the restaurant that runs the Oasis Hotel’s half board service: Lagranlag. It is located in the centre of the village of Beauséjour. We were never disappointed and everything was very good. I recommend it 100% if you want a safe place to eat well.

We also ate at La Roulotte restaurant. The location is exceptional and the view over the lagoon is breathtaking, right on the sandy beach of Le Souffleur. However, I didn’t find the food particularly exceptional and thought the prices were rather high for something so simple. But its setting and swimming was first class.

A little further on, we also went to eat at the Rose-Ita restaurant. All in all, I liked eating there much more than I liked eating at Restaurant de la Roulotte. The view over the lagoon is also exceptional and the food was quite decent for an acceptable price.

There are other restaurants with a good reputation that we didn’t try, such as Les Pieds dans le Sable and Restaurant la Payotte. A special mention goes to Pilipili, the little truck in front of Fifi’s beach in Beauséjour, which serves good grilled meats with rice in the evening. Big portions and very good rice, much better than the two restaurants we tried.

If you want to cook for yourself, there are a few small shops around the island that sell all the essentials, so don’t worry.

Here, it all depends on you. We are now a family of 4. It was essential for us to rent a car, especially as Téo is still very young. We hired a Duster from Ideal Location (05.90.20.08.45) for 40 euros a day. The cars aren’t new, but I was told it was, and I quote, one of the least bad on the island, haha. I’m sure there are other car hire companies in town like Villeneuve Location and Carib Location.

You can hire baby seats on site (don’t look at the condition, eh!) as well as small cars (€30) and scooters (€15 per day). You can also hire quads for around €20 a day, although I don’t have all the details. Please note that there is only one petrol station on the island, at the jetty (closed on Sunday mornings when we were there).

I know that Dési-rando offers local excursions for those who prefer to hire a guide. I haven’t tried it myself, but I’ve heard good things.

I’m coming to the end of this very long article and I hope you’ve enjoyed it. How long to stay is a very personal question, you might say. And it’s true. We all travel differently, at our own pace, with or without children. Some people like to take their time, others prefer to visit one place at a time, while others spend their days on the beach. It’s a matter of taste, it’s not a matter of judgement.

Personally, as far as we’re concerned, there are four of us and a baby who is almost two at the time of writing. He still needs a nap and anyway we’re travelling slowly, at our own pace. If we’d listened to people before we left, we’d only have gone for 1 or 2 days, which would have been more than enough. In the end, we went our own way and stayed on the island for 4 full days. The verdict? It was perfect, not too long and not too short.

As you can see, there’s still a lot to see and do, and if you want to take your time, you can spend 4 days without worrying. Personally, I’d have stayed a week without a care in the world.

I’ll stop here! I sincerely hope I’ve inspired you to visit this beautiful island of Désirade. It’s really a little haven of peace, just the way you like it, and in some ways I found it reminiscent of the remote islands of French Polynesia. There aren’t many people around (although there are tourists) and quite a few locals come to spend the weekend on the island. It’s quiet, relaxing and I think as beautiful as you could wish for. If you’re planning a trip to Guadeloupe in the near future, this is definitely a place to visit.

I invite you to discover the Sentier de la Grande Pointe if you like quiet places and you’re in the Trois-Rivières area.

In a different style, the archipelago of Les Saintes, in the south of Guadeloupe, is a marvel to be discovered!

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!

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