Parc National de la Guadeloupe

Virtually the entire central part of the island of Basse-Terre is a natural park and was declared a Biosphere Nature Reserve by UNESCO in 1992. It is the first French National Park to be declared in a tropical environment (created in 1989), and at 17,400 acres it is the largest of the Lesser Antilles. The central area consists of a bamboo and mahogany rainforest, in which there are 811 species of flowers and 274 ferns, and 100 species of orchids (5 of which are endemic). Also 33 species of birds, 11 species of bats, 17 species of mammals (including manatees) and frogs and bats live here. Among the leafy and lush vegetation you can find multiple waterfalls.