The place that we will visit today is one of the locations that enchanted me the most on the whole island. The Botanical Garden in Deshaies on Guadeloupe is a beautiful universe full of amazing forms of life. We will find some peace in the shadow of exotic trees and rest over streams flowing among botany.
Imagine yourself warm sun rays on your skin and the sweet scent of nectar and dive into my colorful story.
Read more: The Ultimate Travel Guide to Guadeloupe.
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Deshaies in Guadeloupe – must visit place for slow traveling
The Botanical Garden in Deshaies in Guadeloupe is a perfect place to try travel really slow. This kind of places have something in common – they are not many active attractions. To enjoy the garden you need to focus on a proverbial journey, not the goal.
Any of botanical gardens on the world requires a lot of concentration on details to fully benefit from its features. Simply take your time and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Sophisticated forms of vegetation in Guadeloupe
The main purpose of botanical gardens is showing people the beauty of nature. Garden in Deshaies, in Guadeloupe, was designed by Michel Gaillard, the landscape architect, and now it is considered as one of the most beautiful gardens on the island.
It consists of 15 different garden themes such as Water-lily pond, Fern alley, Palm Grove or Parrot village. All of them combine in one clear and logical trail of 1,5 kilometer. An area of 5 hectares was planted by more than 1000 different species such as hibiscus, bougainvillea, bread trees or sausage trees.
This garden is a real feast for the senses. During a walk, you are surrounded by amazing and beautiful flowers, trees and shrubs. Colors around you make you stop by each new plant and contemplate its beauty.
During the path, you can observe strange shapes of trees which comes from warm countries all around the world. Their form is attractive and perfectly show nature’s creativity.
The animal inhabitants of Deshaies garden
The garden, to our joy, is not only a place planted by flora. Few places are inhabited by some guests-friendly animals. The garden authorities implemented a brilliant idea to locate animal food distributors near some cages. Thanks to this visitors are excited to feed the garden’s residents, animals are happy to receive some delicacies the whole day long and employees are sure that animals’ alimentation is under control.
Beautiful Koi carps
Just behind the main entrance, we had a possibility to admire and feed marvelous Koi carps. There were plenty of them, dashing to the food like piranhas. They were so greedy that we could even place fish food granules directly in their snouts.
The world of birds
The second animal stop was a huge aviary of lorikeets – colorful parrots coming from Australia. They were almost as greedy as Koi carps. Probably this place is the biggest attraction in the garden.
A cup of sweet nectar bought for 0,5 EUR makes you
Flamingos pen is another big attraction in the Botanical Garden in Deshaies, Guadeloupe. Around 14 beautiful birds coming from Cuba lives near a small lake. They walk proudly behind a wooden fence only in one meter of distance from you.
Parrot Village is located in another area of the garden. There you can observe and even interact with another kind of birds – with aras. Those colorful animals create a whole family. Each of them has its name and own history described on individual tables.
The village is cage-free which means there are no grates. Aras’ colorful houses are built in small pens so you can come really close to them. Some of the houses are connected with thick ropes so birds can walk above visitors’ heads.
Adorable tetrapod stars – goats
The last kind of animals lives just next to the exit. Maybe they are not strictly Caribbean species, but for sure they grab a lot of visitors’ attention. Goats are very popular on the island, so it’s quite obvious that they have found their place in the Garden as well.
When they notice a guest approaching their pen they immediately run to a food distributor to indicate where food is stored. So they are really polite and want to make our life easier.
In this place, we discovered the information that there is a kind of special entertainment on the islands. Local people used to organize… races of goat carts (fr. compétition de cabri tirant). We haven’t seen it but you can take a look on Youtube, for example HERE.
How to plan your visit to Deshaies Botanical Garden?
The Botanical Garden in Deshaies in Guadeloupe is one of the most popular places to visit, but it’s surely worth it. Below you can find some tips for your visit.
- The garden is located in the northern part of Basse-Terre region, near the city called Deshaies. You can get there by car, by bus or even by the boat. Clear access information is available on the official website of the place.
- The Botanical Garden is open seven days per week, but remember, that most buses do not run on Sundays.
- The single adult entrance costs 15,90 EUR, but the visit is worth this price. There is also a big discount for students, so enjoy! Also, remember to download my free cheatsheet with costs of traveling to the Caribbean!
- In the garden area, there is a restaurant and some snack bars, so you will not be starving if you forget your lunch.
Liked this trip? Get to know the island better:
- 9 most fabulous things to do in Guadeloupe
- The list of food, sweets, and drink you must try in the Caribbean!
- How to get around with public transport in the French Antilles?
- The fascinating trip to the Coffee Museum in Guadeloupe
- The ultimate packing list for a memorable Caribbean vacation
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Dominika is a founder of Sunday In Wonderland and she recently switched her life to be local independent. She aims to travel the world and admire all of its wonders. She is much focused on sustainable life, self-development and making this world a better place.
