Shuttle bus, tour and meal at La Désirade

Enjoy exceptional value for money with this tailor-made package to La Désirade. You’ll enjoy a perfectly organised day out and a comfortable, safe crossing aboard a 287-passenger vessel. On arrival, head to La Payotte restaurant, just a few dozen metres from the landing stage, to meet your local guide, who will introduce you to the island’s biodiversity and the geological heritage of the oldest island in the Caribbean region. You’ll spot the iguanas that abound there, as well as unique flora including the famous guaiac tree and the remarkable cactus nicknamed ‘Tèt à l’anglè’. You’ll travel from one end of the island to the other, as far as the weather station, at the foot of the national nature reserve established in 2011 (62 hectares of protected coastline). On the morning of your excursion, meet at 7.30 am at the Saint-François ferry terminal, near the fishing harbour (not the marina), to board the Archipel 1 at 7.45 am for an 8 am departure. From the boat, you’ll be able to admire the untamed beauty of the Pointe des Châteaux. It takes barely 45 minutes to reach the island so long sought after by Christopher Columbus’s crews. Two options are available upon your arrival on the island, depending on your choice of beach, guide and meal: the first, at €63 (children €38), includes the tour and a meal at the beachside restaurant in Fifi, near the port of arrival at Beauséjour, with access to the seawater swimming pool; the second, at €75 (children €49), includes a tour and a meal on Souffleur Beach. The tour, lasting between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes, will take you to the weather station at the very tip of the island, passing through a picture-postcard Caribbean landscape before opening up to a surprising panorama of Irish countryside. La Désirade is teeming with unique endemic species, both in terms of flora (guaiac, Tèt à l’anglé) and fauna (Lesser Antilles iguana, tern, skink, etc.). The Désirade plateau, accessible only by 4x4, is available as an optional extra (an additional €10 per adult, €5 per child; allow 2 hours 15 minutes in total). On the lunch menu: an aperitif (ti-punch, planteur or fruit juice), a starter of your choice (fish gratin or Creole platter), a main course of your choice (grilled fish, court-bouillon or chicken colombo), and a dessert (vanilla ice cream with cashew nuts or coconut flan), with a glass of wine or a soft drink included. You’ll spend the afternoon on the beach opposite the restaurant, before heading to the jetty at around 3.30 pm for a leisurely return to Saint-François, with arrival scheduled for around 4.30 pm.