The hot water springs in Guadeloupe

Even if you may not know it yet, the Guadeloupe archipelago is full of superb natural spots, such as the (very famous) La Soufrière volcano, but also several hot water springs! And yes, Guadeloupe is not only white‑sand beaches and the beautiful hotels of Grande‑Terre.

We thus took advantage of our partnership with Le Jardin des Îlets in Bouillante to tour the hot water springs in the area again, and honestly, it was still fun to do!

In this short article, we give you a brief overview of the hot water springs in Guadeloupe. Feel free to leave us a comment to tell us if you know of any others!

Meanwhile, you can check out our page dedicated to hikes in Guadeloupe—both the ones we’ve already done and the ones planned!

To summarize things for you, I’ve put together a small recap table with the name, itinerary, whether it is natural or not, and the locations.

This is a spot we particularly love. Located in the Gros-Morne Dolé area, in the commune of Gourbeyre, you will have access here to a landscaped pool in a verdant setting, surrounded by lush vegetation. Access to the Lovers’ Bath can be gained from several places, but the easiest is from the But roundabout.

We have written a full article on the Lovers’ Bath. We recommend coming early in the morning, ideally on a weekday, and you can very often enjoy the pool all to yourself. A magical moment, in warm water (well, lukewarm/warm depending on the season), perfect for lounging and relaxing ! You are going to love it.

This might be the bath we visit the least, in this case. Maybe it’s because it sits along the roadside, although, granted, it’s far from a highway! It’s actually on the same road as the Lovers’ Bath, a little farther downhill when coming from Gourbeyre. You’ll find a warm pool there, delightfully deep and very pleasant. Granted, the road is nearby, but you forget about it pretty quickly!

Okay, I agree, this sounds a lot less dreamy than the Lovers’ Bath! And for good reason: it’s actually just the outlet from the geothermal plant located on the other side of the road. The plant pumps steam from deep underground on the site, and some of it is discharged into the sea in downtown Bouillante.

You’ll thus have the chance to lounge at the edge of the developed area, by the “river”. We go there from time to time, although the setting is less appealing to me. It can get quite crowded depending on the season and time of day. The advantage is that the spot is large and, depending on your preference, you can move closer or farther from the hot‑water outlet. Very close, it’s really more than hot, almost scalding (so be careful), but if you shift to the right, it’s pleasant. Note, there’s not really sand here per se, mostly a mix of pebbles…

Another advantage is that you’re right in the village center, so you have access to the local shops, bakeries and restaurants.

This is another spot we love and where we recently returned during our visit to the Jardin des Îlets. We had been there several times some time ago, and depending on the season, it was really hot (literally) to take a dip! During our first visit, the spot was free to access, but recently paid parking spaces have been added… It’s a bit of a shame, although we do understand that for the municipality it’s a way to recoup a bit of money from tourists/locals who park.

As for access, nothing could be simpler: there’s a sign a few kilometers after entering Bouillante, on the left, and you just have to turn left towards “Bains Thomas”. Once there, a short 5‑minute walk brings you to the site. You’ll find a beautiful, fairly wide pool by the sea, with water flowing out of the nearest cliff. Only drawback: the water is quite often really scorching. I do love really hot water, yet I couldn’t keep my feet in for more than 3 seconds last time. So be careful. But you can move a few meters toward the sea, into a sort of basin, to enjoy pleasantly hot water !

This is also a place we visited several times when we first arrived in Guadeloupe, though less recently. The Priest’s Bath is located a few kilometers past downtown Bouillante, near Anse à Sable. You can’t miss it either; the spot is signposted.

The beach spot is quite nice for swimming, and a few cars can park down below, although it fills up very quickly. Once there, you’ll need to walk along the beach on your left, go up against the cliffs to reach these famous baths. Admittedly, the site itself isn’t that “great” and was completely developed in the 1950s. You’ll find a small trickle of hot water (41°), but you can take a dip in this other‑worldly spa, haha!

This is very certainly the best‑known hot‑spring spot in Guadeloupe, and for good reason: it is located at the start of the Soufrière volcano hike, on Basse‑Terre. The Yellow Baths are located right at the parking lot you will pass anyway if you decide to do this awesome hike or others in the area.

You can’t miss it, and you will inevitably pass by, since it consists of two landscaped pools that collect warmer water (well, lukewarm, right?) that flows naturally from the volcanic rock. Personally, it’s a spot we love, but we prefer to come late in the evening or early in the morning to avoid the crowd in the middle of the day, because clearly, it can be packed with people! A must‑do during your trip to Guadeloupe.

Even though we’ve lived here in Guadeloupe for four years, we only discovered the Matouba hot baths very late. You can go there from Papaye (the best‑known way, I think) or from the Matouba forest house. So, to be frank right from the start: if you’re looking for hot springs in Guadeloupe, this isn’t really where we’d recommend you go. At a push, the hike is nice if you want to stretch your legs and explore the Guadeloupean forest. Here is our dedicated article about the place.

But the site, as I write this article, has been almost half abandoned. All that’s left are showers with a meager trickle of water. All in all, it doesn’t really seem like a very good spot, in this case. However, there’s a small shelter (carbet) to protect you from the rain and to sit and eat. In our opinion, there are better options !

Here’s another hot‑spring spot extremely well‑known in northern Basse‑Terre. We already knew the place via…. the 3‑Horn trail , a hike we need to do again because it’s been a while and I hadn’t written the article back then , it’s a shame!

As with the Matouba baths, the place is really very disappointing in my opinion, since it’s just showers set up at the end of a road. Nothing visually impressive, just hot water coming out of pipes. Granted, some locals go there often for the benefits of the hot waters, but there are definitely better settings !

I’ll stop here with this short article on hot springs in Guadeloupe. There’ll be something for everyone, without a doubt.

Personally, I’d recommend the Yellow Baths in the early morning, the Thomas Hot Bath in Bouillante for its natural setting (careful not to burn yourself, eh), and the hot spring at the geothermal plant outlet if you want to bathe in hot water, without any fuss !

So yes, there are other hot springs, including one we don’t know on Petite Anse beach that we need to go and see. Back when it was still possible to access Gully, we had a fantastic time at Ravine Grosse Roche (on the road to the Carbet Falls) ! Do you know any other hot‑spring spots in Guadeloupe ?

If you’re in the middle of planning your trip, we’ve put together our perfect itinerary for a week in Guadeloupe !

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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