Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin

Between Guadeloupe's two wings, the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin spreads a shallow inland sea sealed by one of the Lesser Antilles' longest coral barriers - and its shores are the mangrove kingdom: forests of red-rooted trees threading brackish channels where herons stalk, upside-down jellyfish pulse over the mud and young reef fish shelter among the roots. Trips from Sainte-Rose and Vieux-Bourg run the repertoire - kayak silences through the tunnels, flat-boat rides to the barrier's islets (Caret's sandbar the fragile favourite), snorkel stops on seagrass where turtles commute - inside a reserve that treats the nursery as the treasure it is.

What you actually see

• The mangrove tunnels - kayak channels through the root cathedrals.
• The barrier islets - Caret and company on the reef line.
• The seagrass turtles - grazing commuters of the shallow sea.
• The bird margins - herons, kingfishers and frigates working the edges.

When to go

December to May for glassy mornings - the bay chops by afternoon breeze; kayaks favour the earliest departures. Caret islet erodes and rests by regulation at times - operators know the current rules.

Honest expectations

Choose operators by their reserve manners: small groups, no islet trampling, no jellyfish handling - the nursery's health is the product. Mosquitoes rule the mangrove edges at dusk; mornings are kinder. The 'sea' is shallow and warm rather than swimming-dramatic - snorkelling here is about small wonders.

Nearby

Sainte-Rose, the Route de la Traversee's rainforest and Deshaies' beaches.