La Desirade

La Désirade lies east of Grande-Terre, a narrow island around eleven kilometres long with a limestone plateau running its length and a single road along the southern shore where the villages are. Its rocks include some of the oldest in the Lesser Antilles, dating back well over a hundred million years, and a geological reserve protects them. The island is dry, quiet and little visited, with iguanas common and a former leper colony among the sites.

History

Archaeological evidence suggests an Amerindian population lived on the island from the 3rd to the 16th centuries. It was the first island Christopher Columbus sighted on his second voyage in 1493, said to be named La Deseada, "the desired one", for the relief of his crew at the first land since the Canaries; it became a dependency of Guadeloupe in 1648, when cotton plantations were set up, served as a place of exile for criminals, and in the 18th century a leper hospital was founded at Baie-Mahault at its eastern end (Wikipedia, La Désirade).

Highlights

• The old rocks - among the oldest in the Lesser Antilles, protected as a reserve.
• The plateau - the limestone tableland running the length of the island.
• The southern villages - the settlements strung along the single road.
• The iguanas - common across the dry scrub of the island.

When to go

December to April is the driest and calmest for the ferry. Crossings are cancelled in swell. The island is very quiet in any season.

Things to know

The ferry is exposed and often rough; crossings are cancelled with little notice. Facilities are limited to a few guesthouses and restaurants. There is very little shade anywhere.

Nearby

Saint-Francois is west, and Petite Terre is south.

Key facts