French Guiana is a territory of France located in South America between Brazil and Venezuela. France has a number of territories within the Caribbean area of the world but the territory in the Guyana area of South America has a special purpose: it has the only space shuttle base for Europe in the entire world. While there is so much to explore within this lesser explored area, a 5 day French Guiana itinerary is a great introduction to this territory.
The population is mostly located along the ocean coastline, flanked on either side by rivers that create the borders between the territory and Brazil and Suriname. The interior of the country bleeds into the Amazon rainforest, making it a unique part of France. You can get to the territory by flying from France or through land/river crossings from Brazil and Suriname.
Historically, French Guiana was initially used as a penal colony for the French where the worst of criminals and political prisoners were placed in terrible conditions here. The French were hoping that this colony would grow into something akin to Australia for the British but unfortunately, the conditions here were much harsher than Australia and the weather and diseases were much more detrimental and the colony was never able to fully flourish.
A 5 Day French Guiana Itinerary
This guide is a starting point to exploring the French Guiana territory. This area is culturally and ecologically unique. Being a territory of France, it is obviously influenced by France. However, being in a tropical environment near the equator, it is ecologically completely different, which has a huge impact on the culture. Follow this itinerary to explore the various historical, cultural, and ecological aspects of French Guiana that make it such a unique destination. There are many tours that can take you deeper into the interior of the country to explore the Amazon rainforest in various ways. If these adventurous activities interest you, consider adding more time to your itinerary.
Activity
Where to Stay
Day 1
Optional: Do a half-day tour of Monkey Island (Ilet la Mere)
Visit the town of Cayenne and some of the museums that highlight the local culture and history
Pick up your rental car in Cayenne
Stay in town in Cayenne
Day 2
Wake up early and visit the Plages de Montjoly and Plage de Montabo to see the turtle nesting
Drive to the Zoo de Guyane and walk around to see the different animals of this part of the rainforest
Stay in Kourou
Day 3
Visit the Guiana Space Museum at the space center
Take the Guiana Space Center tour
Stay in Kourou
Day 4
Take a tour of the Iles du Salut
Drop off your rental car in Kourou
Stay in Kourou
Day 5
Take a transport to Saint-Laurent du Maroni
Explore the Transportation Camp
Option 1: Return to Cayenne
Option 2: Continue on to Suriname
Stay in Saint-Laurent du Maroni, stay in Cayenne (option 1), stay in Paramaribo, Suriname (option 2)
Day 1: Exploring Cayenne
For this first day of your French Guiana itinerary, you will explore the town of Cayenne. It is important to note that all museums and panels will be written in French only but you will understand the gist of every destination if you understand the historical context of Cayenne, you will be able to appreciate the various museums you visit.
For your adventure in the town of Cayenne, start by visiting the Phare de Fort Cépérou. You will have views of the entire town and the river on which Cayenne was constructed from this former fort. Then, if it’s Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday, make your way to the Cayenne Market for some food, especially a bowl of Vietnamese pho soup. Make your way to the Musée Alexandre-Franconie to discover some of the history and ecology of the region.
Across the street from the museum is Hotel des Palmistes, a hotel and restaurant that has been around since the late 1890s and early 1900s. It is a great place to grab a tropical drink and eat some French cuisine. (The juxtaposition between the tropics and French is a theme that you will find throughout your time in this territory.)
After grabbing some food and drinks from the hotel, make your way to the Museum of Guyanese Cultures 54 and 78, each of which highlight the history of French Guiana. Museum 54 shows the architecture of the colonization time period here in Cayenne. Museum 78 displays artifacts from different important groups that have populated the French Guiana area.
Some of the People of French Guiana
Indigenous populations: inhabited the coastal and inland areas of the French Guiana region. There continue to be communities who live independently within French Guiana and some restaurants still share their cuisine
French colonizers and penal colony prisoners: in the 1800s, France attempted to make this land a penal colony, similar to that of Australia for England. The conditions of French Guiana were far too harsh and a colony was never able to fully establish itself. However, it culturally had a significant impact on the region and the land continues to be part of France today.
Slave descendants and Maroons (escaped slaves): with European colonization came slavery. Some of these slaves (maroons) were able to escape and establish their own communities, maintaining their language and culture.
Vietnamese refugees: after the French occupied Vietnam, a group of Vietnamese people who had helped the French during the war were looking for safety. They were brought to French Guiana as refugees and were able to establish a prolific farming community within the territory.
Optional: Add A Day the French Guiana Itinerary for the Ilet la Mere Tour
In addition to exploring the city, you can also go on an excursion to Ilet la Mere, an island off the coast full of monkeys. You will need to coordinate with the company linked here with regards to their availability for the tour. If you choose to go on this island excursion, we recommend adding a day to your time in Cayenne. It is also a tour that you can absolutely skip. You will get the chance to see monkeys on the tour to Iles du Salut in Kourou, which we deem as a must-do activity, or on any tour to the Amazon rainforest.
Renting a Car
Consider renting a car within French Guiana to easily travel between different towns in the territory. You can even pick it up in Cayenne (either from the airport or from the town center), and drop it off in Kourou or Saint Laurent if you are continuing onto Suriname after your exploration of French Guiana. Renting a car will give you the most flexibility but you can also hire a car service if you do not want to drive.
Dont forget to rent a car to explore French Guiana.
Day 2: Discovering the Animals of French Guiana
For this second day of your French Guiana itinerary, you will be discovering the various wildlife that French Guiana has to offer. This is just a starting sampling of the animals here. If you are interested in the Amazon rainforest and the amazing animals within, look into doing a multi-day tour that goes into the jungle to be able to see these animals in the wild. Most of the land within French Guiana is untouched and undeveloped, making it an amazing and rugged place to explore. You will need to visit the rainforest with a guide to make sure you stay safe.
If you are interested in seeing and experiencing the raw Amazon rainforest, then finding a tour within French Guiana or Suriname is something to consider. The interior of the country is untouched and undeveloped, and while that might mean that you will be sleeping in hammocks on raised platforms, you will also have amazing access to the raw and lesser-affected wildlife of the rainforest. This is especially great for those interested in sustainable eco-tourism within this jungle.
This French Guiana itinerary does not dive into these tours and we recommend adding a few days to your itinerary if you want to enjoy the Amazon rainforest over multiple days. However, this day 2 itinerary shows how you can interact with the wildlife of French Guiana without diving into the Amazon.
Exploring the Beach and the Rainforest
Do not swim in the ocean of French Guiana, unless a tour guide tells you that you can
The waters here are incredibly dangerous, even if they do not seem menacing, due to the rip current.
If you are visiting between the months of March and August, start your morning at sunrise to see the leatherback turtles and some other species come to the beaches along the coast to lay their eggs. Head to the Plage de Montjoly and Plage de Montabo near Cayenne near sunrise. You may want to visit these with a local guide who knows more about their behaviors and habitats. During peak breeding season, you have the best chance of seeing them independently without a guide.
On your way to Kourou for the next part of your French Guiana itinerary, spend the afternoon at the Zoo de Guyane. This zoo and rehabilitation site for local animals found in French Guiana. Many of these animals were injured in the wild by poachers and were brought to this zoo to be rehabilitated and protected. However, because they were cared for by humans or have permanent injuries, the animals cannot be released into the wild.
The zoo is organized in a large loop that takes up to 3 hours to complete. You will see capybaras, large cats, birds, sloths, monkeys, snakes, and more. It is an incredible way to see the elusive animals in the forest that you most likely will not get to see in the wild.
Day 3: Visiting the Guiana Space Center
Kourou is the main place that most international visitors come to because it is where the Space Center is located. It also has the most popular tourist attraction of the territory, Iles du Salut.
Start the Day at the Guiana Space Center
Start your day 2 French Guiana itinerary with a guided tour of the Guiana Space Center at 8 AM. This tour takes 3 hours and will guide you to a variety of the facilities at the center, including command centers and launch areas. (The tour does not occur on the day before and day of a launch but you have the opportunity to see a rocket launch instead). You need to reserve this tour in advance.
After the tour, spend a few hours at the Guiana Space Center Museum that displays the history and development of the center. The panels are in both French and Spanish along with interactive displays. These explain how rockets are designed and constructed, the way a space center is organized, the different jobs that occur at the space center, and more.
Read more about the Guiana Space Center and reserving the tour here.
An Afternoon Relaxing in Kourou
Spend the afternoon relaxing on the coastline of the town of Kourou. Head to the Plage de la Cocoteraie. You can stop at Copacabana, a local beach bar, for a drink while taking in the beautiful ocean views. It’s also a great place to take in the sunset. For dinner, make your way to Ti Soley for a delicious meal on the coast.
Day 4: Spending the Day at the Iles du Salut
The other popular tourist destination in French Guiana is the Iles du Salut, the most notorious penal colony in French Guiana. Located on three tropical islands 1.5 hours away from Kourou, this prison held the worst criminals of France from 1852 to 1953 when there were no prisoners left on the islands. Today, you can visit some of the different structures on the islands.
A Tour to the Islands
The easiest way to visit the islands is with a tour group. Starting in the morning, you make your way from a dock in Kourou to the islands where you will get a tour of the three islands by boat. Then you will get the chance to explore two of the islands, swim in the water (the only time you can swim in the ocean in French Guiana). There are panels around the islands that describe the history and purpose of different structures in both French and English. You can reserve a tour of the islands here.
If you want to spend more than one day taking in the beautiful island, consider reserving a stay at the hotel located on the island. To get to the island for your stay, you can communicate with the tour agency above. You can do the tour over two days, breaking it up with a stay on the island.
Read more about the Iles du Salut tour here.
Day 5: The Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Part of Your French Guiana Itinerary
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is the town on the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Not only is this where the border crossing is into Suriname, it was formerly a transportation prison that supported the penal system of this colony.
Start this morning of the French Guiana itinerary by making your way from Kourou to Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. You can either drive the car you rented or hire transportation to make the drive.
Visiting the Transportation Camp
The main site to visit in Saint Laurent is the former transportation camp, which can be visited with a guided tour throughout the day in French. Without a guided tour, you can see some of the different buildings that held prisoners as they waited to be transported to other penal colonies. They have a variety of museum exhibits that discuss the conditions of the transportation camp throughout history and the current culture of the territory today.
Through a guided tour, you will visit the prison part of the transportation camp, including the different solitary confinement cells, the punishment cells, the areas where they had the guillotine, and more. The admissions ticket includes the guided tour, which happens daily at particular times. You can learn more about visiting this site here.
And Now What...
From here, you have the option to spend the evening in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni or drive back to Cayenne for your flight out of French Guiana. If you want to continue the adventure, head to Suriname by crossing the river border between French Guiana and Suriname from here. Then, you can continue exploring Suriname for a few days.
Things To Consider As Part of Your French Guiana Itinerary
The itinerary above details out some of the cultural activities to do in French Guiana, keeping you along the coastline. To dive into more adventure, look for tours that take you into the rainforest. Here are some things to consider doing when building out your French Guiana itinerary.
- Turtle spotting
- Kayaking
- Hiking through the Amazon rainforest
- Sleeping in hammocks in the rainforest
- Wildlife observation in the rainforest
- Bike treks
- Sport fishing
- Horseback riding
- And more…
