ZOCO KITESURFING ADVENTURES

KITESURFING HOLIDAYS IN THE CARIBBEAN (NORTH AMERICA)

GETTING THERE: SAINT FRANÇOIS, GUADELOUPE

The islands of Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean offer great kitesurfing, Creole culture, golden sandy beaches. year round wind and beautiful blue waters. Luckily there are a number of ways to reach this tropical paradise.

BY AIR

Air travel is the most popular and one of the most convenient ways to reach Guadeloupe. Guadeloupe's airport, Aéroport International Pôle Caraïbes, receives daily flights from several countries, as well as connecting flights from other neighbouring Caribbean Islands. Flying remains one of the quickest and most convenient ways to reach sunny destinations throughout the Caribbean. Fly to Guadeloupe from destinations in North America, Europe, and the Caribbean to reach the principal islands of the Guadeloupe archipelago: Grand-Terre and Basse-Terre.

FRENCH CARIBBEAN FLIGHTS

Travelers from Montreal and Paris will be able to fly directly to the island. Travellers from the United States, Canada, and Europe and other destinations will need to get a connecting flight from a neighbouring Caribbean island.

If you're flying from Europe check out the options flying via Paris, this can often work out to be a cheap option if you can get a RyanAir or Easy Jet flight to Paris.

As mentioned above, the airport serving Guadeloupe is the Aéroport International Pôle Caraïbes.

Location: close to Point-à-Pitre
Phone: 05-90-21-14-72 and 05-90-21-14-00
Website: www.guadeloupe.aeroport.fr
Services: The airport has an exchange bureau a pharmacy, post office, Internet connections, bars, a restaurant, several boutiques and duty-free shops.

Example Flight times to Aéroport International Pôle Caraïbes
3 hours from Miami
4.5 hours from New York
8.5 hours from Paris.

Several other airports provide charter and small plane service in Guadeloupe, including St. François airport, located on Grand-Terre. The Aérodrome de Marie-Galante and airports on Iles des Saintes and La Désirade can only accommodate small planes. The short flight from Guadeloupe to Iles des Saintes or Marie-Galante takes about 15 minutes.

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AIRLINES SERVING GUADELOUPE

The table below shows the airline companies operating flights to Guadeloupe. Click on the symbol to go their websites for further information and bookings.

AIRLINE	CONTACT	WEB	DETAILS
Air Antilles	5-90-21-14-47 (Guad.)		Flights within the Caribbean to Guadeloupe
Air Canada	888-247-2262 5-90-21-12-77 (Guad.)		Direct flights from Montreal on Saturdays
Air Caraïbes	5-90-82-47-47		Connects from Caribbean islands including Martinique, St. Martin, and St. Barthelemy
Air France	800-237-2747 (U.S.) 0-820-820-820 (Paris) 5-90-82-61-61 (Guad.)		Nonstop flights from Paris; Flights in North America from Miami and San Juan
American Airlines (American Eagle)	800-433-7300		Flights on board American Eagle from American Airlines hub in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Corsair	0-820-042-042 (Paris) 00-33-1-49-79-46-40		Direct flights from Paris
LIAT	888-844-5428 (Caribbean) 868-624-4727 011-590-590-21-13-93 (Guadeloupe)		Connects to Guadeloupe from a number of neighboring Caribbean islands including Antigua, St. Maarten, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados, and Trinidad

SAVING MONEY ON FLIGHTS

There are a number of ways to save money on flights to Guadeloupe. Return tickets can be less expensive than two one-way flights, and joining frequent flier or air miles clubs and rewards programs can also help travelers accumulate free flights and benefits. Charter and inter-island flights may be expensive throughout the year for travel to Guadeloupe, but airfare from destinations in Europe and North America may drop up to 50 percent during the slow Caribbean travel season from May to November. Advance booking can save you money and ensure that seats are available. On the other hand, airlines sometimes make last minute deals available to fill empty seats. Also If you're flying from Europe or the UK check out the options flying via Paris, this can often work out to be a cheap option if you can get a RyanAir or Easy Jet flight to Paris.

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GETTING TO GUADELOUPE BY SEA

Travelers can also get to Guadeloupe and its dependent offshore islands by sea. Several cruise lines have services to the islands of Guadeloupe, where cruise ship passengers will dock at the Centre Saint-John Perse terminal located near the downtown area of Point-à-Pitre. Inter-island ferries are another means of transportation, and run between Guadeloupe and its offshore islands. Ferries provide a fast and convenient way to get back and forth between Guadeloupe and its nearby islands, and most boats are comfortable and relatively inexpensive.