Postcard From The Cloud

I've always wondered what it would be like to walk around inside a cloud. I thought it would be fluffier, and somehow softer. More like a cartoon, really. I didn't think it would be so...damp. Anyhoo, if you want to find out for yourself, the best way is to go to a cloud forest, not stick your head out an airplane window.

As luck would have it, Guadeloupe boasts a cloud forest as part of its National Park-- and la Route de la Traversee, a four-lane shortcut from Basse-Terre to Grande-Terre (or vice versa) goes right through it.

There are many other things to do along la Route de la Traversee. There is the Zoological Park, inspired by the humble raccoon, les Saut de la Lezarde, a waterfall where you can swim (but watch out for submerged rocks) and many hiking trails. There is one where you can trek for 2 days through the forest, stopping to sleep in a platform cabin and another that follows the footsteps of the smugglers. I'm still not sure exactly what they were smuggling but they sure went to a lot of trouble to do so. Or, of course, you can do what we did and walk around in the clouds. The park is deserted, we didn't even see another car along the roadway so if you're looking for some seclusion this is a good place to go.

Watch out though, because the road is sometimes closed due to dangerous conditions, like mud and rock slides, volcanic eruption and that sort of thing, so it's best to do a reality check with a knowledgeable truck driver before starting your journey across. When we crossed the island it was right after a thunderstorms there was a truck cleaning up rocks and tree limbs so I can imagine the damage gets pretty bad after a major hurricane.

Posted by Ree in Guadeloupe » Attractions on 19/Jul/2006

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