Our final full day in Guadeloupe we spent in and around Deshaies. We woke up and stopped by the bakery that was very near our Airbnb, getting a coffee each and pastries. We didn’t drive far to reach the Jardin Botanique de Deshaies, one of the most popular attractions on this side of Basse-Terre. The garden welcomed us with a coy pond. It was very well laid out, with different areas to explore and a winding path through them all. In the center was a huge (fake?) waterfall and a restaurant.
My favorite parts weren’t the plants (although the diversity of plants was stunning!), but instead the animals we found. The lorikeet aviary was big and full of the friendly, colorful birds. I took a lot of pictures. Outside the aviary, we found bugs like ants and caterpillars. So many ants! It was very hard to get a good photo though.
The large blue macaw exhibit was a bit sadder. The birds had their wings clipped and lived in somewhat spacious little houses, sometimes alone and sometimes with a pair. The macaw pictured just sat on this rope stretched not far from our head. I could have touched the bird if I wanted.
I’m glad that we went early because by the time we were leaving, the parking lot was packed!
For the rest of the day we reclined out on Plage de Grande-Anse in the sun. I swam out a lot in the warm shallows, until we got hungry and ate at a nearby restaurant. A cold rosé made for the afternoon simply perfect! We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool, drinking more wine, reading, sunning … until it was time for dinner at one more tasty restaurant in town.
Peaceful end to a wonderful adventure!
