The Hot Springs at Sofaia
Just outside of Sainte-Rose, Basse-Terre, northern coast
After a wonderful experience at the hotsprings at Dole, we were ready to try all the natural sources in Guadeloupe. When we asked around in Sainte-Rose, someone told us about the springs at Sofaia, a half-hour drive outside the city. So away we went, along a steep road that got progressively narrower, and eventually wasn't even paved.The road ended at a muddy parking lot in what looked like an illegally clear-cut forest area where the tree chopping equipment had just been abandoned.
There was also a man in his underpants taking a shower. That was the hot spring. Someone had recently had the brilliant idea of adding pipes and making a communal shower for the people who couldn't afford their own at home. This plan happens to overlook the fact that the shower is in the middle of nowhere.The dude in his skivvies invited us to bathe with him but it wasn't what we had in mind so we declined and went back down the hill.
Perk: there are some really nice views of Basse-Terre from the hillside as you are leaving Sofaia.
