Postcard from Guadeloupe: La Soufrière

La Soufrière is an extinct volcano. This doesn't mean extinct like the dinosaurs, it just means that the volcano is not exploding *at the moment*. I think the last eruption was in the seventies so we are about due for another by my calculations.

The good part is that the volcano provides natural heating for mineral springs which flow into pools along the mountainside. The best spot to soak is Dolé, south of the volcano. You will most likely share with a few bathers and they are usually very generous with the soap.

A photo of la Soufrière unshrouded by fog seems as elusive as a photo of the Loch Ness monster, but one day we caught sight of the volcano wearing only a cap of clouds.

Posted by Ree in Guadeloupe on 18/Oct/2005