Sources de Bouillante

The Sources de Bouillante on the west coast of Guadeloupe in the French Caribbean are powered by the geothermal system of La Soufrière, the active volcano that crowns Basse-Terre, one of the two main islands of this French overseas territory. Bouillante is home to France's only commercial geothermal power station, which harnesses the same volcanic energy that heats the coastal springs to generate renewable electricity for the island. The chloride thermal springs emerge at temperatures of 40–60°C along the coastline and into the shallow sea floor, creating warm bathing zones in the turquoise Caribbean waters. The adjacent Jacques Cousteau Marine Reserve at Malendure — one of the Caribbean's finest protected reef ecosystems, first made internationally famous by Cousteau's underwater films — provides spectacular diving and snorkelling in close combination with geothermal coastal bathing. The volcanic landscape of Basse-Terre, with its tropical rainforest, waterfalls and La Soufrière summit hike, completes one of the Caribbean's most diverse natural destinations.