French Guadeloupe, an archipelago of five islets is focussed on the enticing duo of Grande Terre and Basse Terre. These lands ooze tropical Carib beauty from each of their mangroves and sultry rainforest jungles, with undulating stretches of sand dunes and picture-perfect, brochure-worthy beaches. Basse Terre bulges at the middle with the spectacular La Soufrière volcano encircled by the exclave’s only national park. Here, hikers slash through dense thickets of waxy palms to discover crashing cataracts, swim in plunge pools with iguanas, and witness a bubbling, sulphur-spewing caldera to boot. Grande Terre is much more civilised, with the artsy town of St Anne offering cool coffee shops straight out of Paris and crafts markets aplenty. Guadeloupe tour guides also recommend hitting the beaches (this is the Caribbean after all!). The best string along the coast from Gosier: Creole Beach, with its rum bars; Arawak Beach, secluded and shaded; Le Bas du Fort, peppered with yachts and fishing boats. A detour to the geological reserves and white sand beaches in the sister islands promise nature and tranquillity at a different level altogether.