Schedules

The Botanical garden of Deshaies, a floral and animal park of leisure activities in Guadeloupe, is opened all year, welcomes you every day of the week, from Monday till Sunday, from 9:00 am till 4:30 pm. The Park closes at 5 :30pm.   panoramique-jardin-botanique-deshaies

Tickets & Prices

Adults : 15,90 euros

Children (5 to 12 year old) : 10,90 euros

Children under 5 year old : Free

Students : 8,40 euros

Groups Tickets (more than 20 people)

Adults : 13 euros
Children : 9 euros

Annual Entry (for residents only)

15,90 euros / year (Nominative entry for one year including all aeras of the garden, on presentation of the i-d card and garden pass)

Ticket prices are subject to change depending on season and current exhibition.

Access

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  • By car

From Pointe-à-Pitre, take the exit and follow the “Deshaies” signs. After crossing Sainte Rose village, you will discover the beautiful beaches of Cluny and Pearl plus the must-visit Grande-Anse beach. Continue your tour to Deshaies to visit its authentic village and beautiful bay, 1.5 km from the Deshaies Botanical Garden.

 

  • By bus

From Basse-Terre:

Take the line I * 8 – Basse-Terre / Deshaies / Basse-terre

Get off at Jardin Botanique stop.

From Pointe-A-Pitre:

Take line S1 – Point-A-Pitre / Lamentin / Sainte-rose

Get off at the terminus Sainte-Rose then take the line DS1 – Point-A-Pitre / Sainte-Rose (via Riflet) / Deshaies

Get off at the terminus Deshaies, then call the Botanical Garden at 0590 28 43 02 for a shuttle to pick you up and take you to the Botanical Garden.

  • By Boat

Deshaies embankment + shuttle, on reservation

Tel: 0590 28 43 02 – Fax: 0590 28 51 37 – E-mail: info@jardin-botanique.com

For any questions about access to the Garden, contact our hotline: 0590 28 43 02

Garden and collections

After years of preparation, research and creation, Deshaies Jardin Botanique opened on April 1, 2001. Designers, landscape professionals and nature lovers have created a 5-hectare, high-quality floral and animal park. Along a 1.5 km trail, the Botanical Garden presents an impressive array of tropical flowers and plants including over 1000 species such as bougainvillea, hibiscus and porcelain roses but also a rich selection of trees including a Cheese tree, Baobab, Mapou, sausage tree, bread tree, Banian, Kapok Cheese and Araucaria without forgetting the Talipot, the only palm tree of its kind in Guadeloupe.

The park was designed to allow visitors to discover the richness of Caribbean flora and the art of enhancing it. The park offers 15 different themes and there is a clear harmony and logic in the circuit layout.

 

Park Themes:

Water-lily pond:

An over 50-meter long artificial pond located at the entrance to the park has a magnificent collection of water lilies, papyrus and aquatic plants and is also inhabited by Koi Carps.

Aviary:

After the security gate is locked behind you, about thirty lorikeets – small, brightly-colored Australian parrots – welcome visitors and may even sit on their heads for a photo.

Orchids:

In a half shaded, half sunny passage, blooming orchids climb and intermingle among the trees. Different species offer a graceful, rich, colorful spectacle. Fans of these flowers are aware of their fragility and appreciate the beauty of the varieties presented.

Hibiscus and bougainvillea:

A colorful alley opens to offer visitors a remarkable palette of colors. The collection of varieties present will not fail to impress you.

Arboretum:

A wide, airy space overlooking the Caribbean has a multitude of trees in its landscape: Royal Palm, Bombax, Baobab, Jacaranda, Breadframe, Lawyers, Calliandra and Araucaria.

Banian:

This tree near the panoramic restaurant with its impressive shape and hundreds of aerial roots that form its trunk was one of Coluche’s favorite places.

Waterfall:

The 10-meter waterfall just below the restaurant, that mixes natural and artificial rocks, enchants visitors who can cross the water below on a small wooden bridge. The tradition is to throw a coin in the water to have one’s wish come true.

Flamingos:

A few meters from the waterfall is an enclosure reserved for 14 Caribbean red flamingos imported from Cuba. These are “pioneers” for a reintroduction of the species onto the island. Before the 1940s, the flamingos lived in the Saint François region.

Bamboo:

A bamboo forest inside the landscape isolates visitors from the rest of the park. They provide a charming, fresh setting and are several meters high. Different bamboo species are represented including Bambusa Vulgaris, Multiplex, Aztecs, …

Stream:

A 60-meter long stream accompanies visitors along their circuit to provide a serene atmosphere amplified by the sound of water that flows at 150 cubic meters per hour.

Water wall:

A 25-meter long water-vegetation wall surprises the visitor and encourages the growth of aquatic plants such as blue-flowered water hyacinths and numerous epiphytes (bromeliads, orchids and papyrus).

Parrot village:

In this “village” composed of 6 small houses in local colors, the inhabitants are none other than ARAS parrots. These flamboyantly-feathered birds, who live here in open pens, are one of the symbols of the equatorial rainforest.

Palm grove:

An alley with different varieties of palm trees is an idyllic reminder of the islands’ traditional landscape. The Royal Double Palm impresses with its originality. Visitors pass under a vine-covered arbor that has a refreshing misting system.

Talipot:

This palm tree, the only one of its kind in Guadeloupe, is a native of Sri Lanka. With a lifespan of 80 to 100 years, it dies after producing its only flower. The one in the park, about thirty years old, has provided an undeniable magnificence for a few decades and its “offspring” on the ground below it will follow it after it dies.

Cacti:

From the lush island vegetation, the circuit takes us to an arid desert zone. Dozens of cacti species with fairly long spines stand in a Mexican setting where Pachypodium (Madagascar palm) and Nolina beaucarnéa (Elephant’s foot) coexist.

Fern alley: 

The Botanical Garden designers could not forget to present the incredible beauty of tree ferns to the public. Since these ferns only bloom at 500 meters or higher and since the park is only 110 meters above sea level, it was necessary to reconstruct a wet, cool mountain climate by installing a computer-programmed misting and irrigation system. At the foot of these ferns many bromeliads and epiphytic plants have been planted such as the philodendron giganteum.

A high-tech irrigation system: 

Technologically, irrigation is a real innovation in the garden. To overcome the excessive heat and maintain the optimum humidity needed for tropical vegetation, an aerial misting system has been programmed by computer. This American process has been used since the late 1980s in the south of France and became world-famous during the 1992 Seville World’s Fair.

History

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The Deshaies Botanical Garden is located on a 7-hectare property that belonged to the French comedian Coluche. He bought the property in 1979.

Some of the rare plant species present in the botanical park are there thanks to the initiative of the previous owner Guy Blandin. Unfortunately, a large part of these plants were lost after Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

Michel Gaillard, a nursery gardener, friend of Coluche, creator of the “interior landscaper” profession and founder of an interior landscaper union opened a palm tree nursery in Guadeloupe to supply his Paris-based company.

On June 19, 1985 Coluche asked Michel Gaillard to look after and maintain his property in exchange for land to create his nursery. Unfortunately Coluche died a year later.

Thanks to his knowledge of the property, Michel Gaillard bought it on October 1, 1991 and undertook the enormous challenge of turning it into a botanical garden.

After years of study and economic uncertainty, the decision was made in 1998 to create the park. Enormous financial and administrative obstacles had to be overcome to obtain the required authorizations.histoire-jardin-botanique-deshaies

The creation of the 5-hectare leisure and floral park took 14 months and required 40 employees, all from the Deshaies village and area, who were trained “on the job” as the site progressed. The work was done under the direction of Michel GAILLARD, designer, Didier Rousselle, landscape architect, Richard ROUTHIER and Daniel PUGET.

Today, the park has over 30 permanent employees, mostly inhabitants of Deshaies. The initial goal appears to have been reached. A large number of tourists and Guadeloupe residents visit the gardens (over 120,000 visitors each year) and appreciate the diverse plants and their development, the quality of entertainment and how the site is maintained. Our “Guest Book” is an indication of their satisfaction.