French Guiana Travel...
One of the most exotic
destinations in South America
If you would like to experience beautiful, untapped wilderness, experience French Guiana travel.
Together with Guyana and Suriname, French Guiana shares a privileged location between the Caribbean and the Amazon rainforest.
In fact, the region known as the Guianas shield preserves the most intact rainforest on the planet.
French Guiana has plenty of it. Beyond the coast is still virgin jungle, covering around 95% of the country's territory.
Your French Guiana travel experience will bring you at the very core of this "ocean green" South America.
In 2007, the Guiana Amazonian Park (Parc Amazonien de Guyane) was created.
The 2 million ha national park links to protected areas in neighbouring Brazil (including Tumucumaque National Park, Maricuru Reserve and Grao-Para Station).
As a result, this gigantic expanse of tropical forest covers a combined surface of 12,000,000 ha, making it the world's largest rainforest park.
French Guiana Forest
French Guiana travel may not be affortable to every traveler.
The country boasts the highest standard of living in the continent and provably is the most expensive destination in South America.
Since 2002, Euro is the local currency, so expect prices to be similar to metropolitan France.
However, there is a world of outdoor living opportunities awaiting you.
Canoeing, jungle trekking, river trips, horseback riding and birdwatching are some of the options that French Guiana travel provides to the adventure and eco oriented traveler.
Dry season (August to December) is the best time to visit. There are two rainy seasons: December to January and April to July.
With a tropical climate, the average temperature is close to 30 degrees Celsius year round.
Capital: Cayenne Language: French (official), although Creole Patois, AmerIndian languages, and English are also widely spoken Population: 167,982 (July 1999 est.) Area: 91,000 sq km (56,500 sq mi) . Currency: Euro (EUR), which was introduced in January 2002 Exchange Rate: 1.00 EUR = 1.34235 USD (April 2010) Religion: Roman Catholic Time Zone: GMT-3 Literacy: 83% |
French Guiana borders with the Atlantic to the North, Brazil to the South and West and Suriname to the East.
Cayenne - capital and main port - it's located in the island of the same name, at the mouth of Cayenne river.
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The Spanish created the first settlements early in the 1500s followed by the French, who established themselves at Cayenne, in 1667.
For the next two centuries there were several changes in control by the British, Dutch and Portuguese, but France finally took over in 1817.
Later, in 1946, French Guiana was given the status of French Overseas Department and officially became part of France.
French Guiana © Clement Pascale
French Guiana Attractions:
Your French Guiana travel experience shall include...
- Cayenne: Apart from the hot pepper that bears its name, Cayenne has a lovely French-colonial architecture and an athmosphere attached to it resembling a French Quarter in New Orleans.
Places to visit include Museé des Cultures Guayandises and Museé Departamental, Botanical Gardens, Place de Grenoble and Place des Palmistes, Canal Laussat (1777) and for beach lovers, Montjoly, not far from town. - Salvation Islands (Iles du Salut): Colectively known as Devil's Islands, the 3 Isles du Salut were home to one of the most infamous penal colonies in history, from 1852 to 1946.
Remember Heni Charriere"s "Papillon"?..or the true story of Alfred Dreyfus?..it has to be part of your Guyana travel experience.
Boats depart from nearby Kourou, some 60 km away from Cayenne. - Kourou: Located at the mouth of Kourou river, it used to be the administration of the penal colonies. Since 1968 is the seat of the Guiana Space Center.
- Saint Laurent du Maroni: A border town with Suriname on the Maroni river (known as Marowijne river by the Dutch). It was founded in 1858 to receive convicts later to be transfered to Devil's Island.
Notable sights of cultural and historical value include Le Camp de la Transportation, Le Tribunal maritime, Le Trésor public, L'Hôtel La Tentiaire and the hospital. - Cacao: Together with Javouhey, Cacao became home to Hmong refugees from Laos during the 1970s. It has a colourful Sunday market, and you can also organize some canoeing, kayaking and jungle trips with local guides.
- Awala-Yalimpa: An indigenous community located in the border with Suriname, mainly inhabited by the Kaliña (also known as Galibi or Carib).
Besides, it hosts the world's largest nesting site for the leatherback turtle, at Plage des Hattes. The leatherback turtle can reach up to 2 meters (6feet) long and weight up to 700 kg.
Guyane. French Guiana
Retrospectively, it could be said that French Guiana was to France what Australia was to England, both, a place to dump convicts and a way to populate their overseas territory.
Today, however, French Guiana travel represents one of the most exotic and unique travel destinations in South America...
How to Get There:
French Guiana's main international airport - Cayenne-Rochambeau Airport (CAY) - is located at Matoury, southern suburb of Cayenne.
There is a daily flight connection between Paris (Orly) and Cayenne, a journey that takes about nine hours to complete. Air France also connects Cayenne with neighbouring Caribbean islands such as Guadaloupe and Martinique, and also with Miami (USA).
Air Caraibes cover some of these destinations as well, while TAF Linhas Aereas reach some Brazilian cities such as Recife and Fortaleza.
By boat, crossing to/from Suriname is done at St Laurent du Moroni, over the Maroni (Marowijne) river. To Brazil instead, the crossing takes place at Saint Georges, on the Oyapock (Oiapoque) river.
Where to Stay:
Here are some accommodation options in Cayenne...
Hostels:
Book cheap accommodation in Cayenne.
Hotels:
Find and compare hotel rates in Cayenne and Kourou.
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