Today I am gonna show you one of the most popular natural attraction in Guadeloupe which is the National Park with the Carbet Falls (fr. Les Chutes du Carbet). They consist of the series of three jungle waterfalls on the Carbet River.
This natural wonder was one of the reasons why the first people living on the island called it Karukera – the Land of Beautiful Waters.
You can find out more Guadeloupe wonders in my ultimate travel guide to this island. But now let’s focus on our adventure.
Life-saving water of the Caribbean waterfalls
Three Carbet Falls can be found on the Western Side of Guadeloupe, in the Basse-Terre area. The first two falls make a huge impression, exceeding 110 meters of height each, while the third one is only 20
Impressive is not only the height of the first two falls but also a fact that they are seen from the sea among the jungle brush. In 1493 they were noted by Christopher Columbus in his shipboard log thereby encouraging him to land on Guadeloupe in search of water.
This incredible view of two Guadeloupe waterfalls, one above the other can be seen from the very first viewpoint after entering the National Park in which you will find the Carbet Falls.
The second of Carbet Falls Guadeloupe- trail for everyone
To get to the starting point of waterfalls’ trails you should keep the road to the seaside town of Capesterre-Belle-Eau. There you will easily find the signs leading you on the mountainside to the National Park’s entrance.
On-site you can choose among a
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Just behind the entrance, you can enjoy a great point-view from where you can see both: first and second waterfall at a far distance if the weather is good. The trail leading to the second waterfall is really comfortable and leads on a well-preserved path.
The 20 minutes walk among the jungle was an amazing experience. The trail leading to the second fall is also available for children and seniors, but you need to be careful anyway: after rain, the path could be a little bit slippery.
The calm walk to the second fall was adorable and at the end, it rewarded us with a wonderful view of a waterfall. There were not many places to sit and contemplate this wonder, and other tourists were coming, but anyway, this place was worthy of a walk.
This simple trail was a great adventure and an opportunity to experience the wildness of the jungle. On this short
But to be honest, those 20 minutes were not enough for us. We were prepared to take some effort and head into the first chute, which was an hour away from this place. Unfortunately, the trail was closed because of a downpour which has the
Trace the trail – La Citerne
The closed path to the second fall did not discourage us. Near the main park entrance, we found a sign indicating a trail to one of mountains’ peak – La Citerne. We didn’t think long about it and simply took this trail.
The walk to the mountain shelter should take around 45 minutes. Perfect for a nice walk into the jungle. The path was signed with letter “M” which meant moyen – medium. Great, a little bit of effort and some challenges. Perfect! I really didn’t think that it would be harder than climbing the volcano with the letter “D” –
At the beginning the path was really nice – no built infrastructure, just the wild path. We were happy like children playing in the forest. But after 20 minutes it gets much harder.
The terrain started to rise and the ground became more muddy and slippery. Still, we did have some fun with it, but it was more and more exhausting. But our morale has increased when we saw a beautiful second of Carbet Waterfalls from the other side.
Fortunately, we were following other people. We didn’t meet them for a long time, but their footprints were everywhere on the path. This trail was not well labeled like others on Guadeloupe, so we were happy about finding those signs on our way.
The way to our destination took us almost twice the time described on the main entrance sign. Probably that’s because of our poor condition. This trail was really challenging. But the reward was great.
From this point, you can also reach the peak of La Soufrière – the highest volcano of Lesser Antilles. But it was not our goal for that day. After a few whiles at the heights and short relief, we started our return. The way down was even harder than climbing up. Looking back to the obstacles that we needed to defeat we were thinking “really? How could I even climb here?”
Relief after effort – Le Bassin Paradise
We were truly happy after reaching the main entrance and our rented car. The way to La Citerne was really exhausting, but we still had another point to reach that day.
Near the main entrance to the National Park, you can find another trail leading few minutes down to another wonderful example of the Caribbean waterfalls – Le Bassin Paradise. As a name indicates this place is great to relax a little bit after hiking. It is one of the favorite places of local people to spend a weekend.
The path starts with narrow stairs leading down the hill. But in the end, you can see a beautiful place where the river meets huge stones creating a small, yet deep basin and a small waterfall. This crowdy yet the charming place is perfect for chilling, water jumping and chatting with friends in the natural environment.
The nature trip
For a trip to Carbet Falls Guadeloupe, it is good to assign the whole day if you want to hike also to the first fall or to the La Citerne. But the basic trail leading to the second fall is good enough for a quick trip if you’re really on a schedule.
Le Bassin Paradise is a marvelous place where you can spend some time relaxing and chilling. The water in the basin is much colder than in the Caribbean Sea so this place is perfect to take relief from the surrounding heat.
While coming back from the mountains to Capesterre-Belle-Eau I recommend to stray from the main road and take a ride on the Allée Dumanoir. It’s a wonderful alley with amazing high palm trees alongside it. Perfect place for the last photo on this active day.
Loved this Caribbean adventure? Read more:
- 9 awesome things to do in beautiful Guadeloupe
- All the wonders of stunning Botanical Garden in Deshaies in Guadeloupe
- Transport in the French Antilles: everything you need to know before traveling to the paradise
- The ultimate packing list for the Caribbean + free printable checklist!
- How the Internet in Guadeloupe works? Check out my Caribbean electronic fails!
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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.
