Guadeloupe's butterfly shape splits the work neatly: Grande-Terre does the beaches while mountainous Basse-Terre handles the jungle, with the smoking Soufrière volcano, the triple-tiered Carbet Falls and a national park laced with swimmable pools. Offshore, the Cousteau Reserve at Pigeon Island offers the French Caribbean's best snorkelling. It's a département of France, so euros work and the cheese is serious. December to May is driest; hire a car, since buses respect nobody's itinerary.
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