Our French Guiana holidays & tours
French Guiana, a region of France found on the coast of South America, is nothing short of fascinating to visit. There’s a chain of infamous penal colony islands, one containing a space centre used by the European Space Agency, there are beaches, and there’s a culture that has Creole, French and many other influences from its diverse population. The territory is all rainforest and rivers, with little infrastructure, and many of our holidays are adventurous affairs that take in Guyana and Suriname, too. Visitors on our French Guiana holidays will find themselves travelling intrepidly, turtle-spotting, and visiting Indigenous and Maroon communities, where your tourism money helps historically marginalised groups.
Hidden Guianas guided tour
Discover the mysteries of Guyana, Suriname & French Guiana
From
£7750
15 days
ex flights
Guianas tour, small group
A unique tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana
From
£7495
15 days
ex flights
Trans South America, Colombia to Brazil and Guianas
Epic overland camping journey exploring 10 South countries
From
£10995
201 days
ex flights
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French Guiana map & highlights
Consisting mostly of dense, humid jungle, French Guiana is largely untamed and not a country you can explore widely, with travel often frustratingly difficult. Places to visit are concentrated along the coast, and even newly paved roads are potholed and ferns sprout from between kerbs, as the jungle refuses to be pushed back. Tours here always take in neighbouring countries, typically Suriname and Guyana. Canoe shuttles will ferry you over the Maroni River from Suriname and into French Guiana at Saint Laurent, and a paved road takes you the 190km to Kourou. From here, drive along the coast for another 60km and you’re in the capital Cayenne.
Cayenne
1. Cayenne
French Guiana’s capital boasts a patchwork of architectural styles, from beautiful belle époque to modern buildings that look decidedly shabby. Relax in a bar on the palm fringed Place des Palmistes where there’s a monument to the city’s own Félix Éboué, an eminent black colonial administrator. Check out the market, too, and follow the footpath up to the old fort remains overlooking Cayenne.
Centre Spatial Guyanais
2. Centre Spatial Guyanais
The Guiana Space Centre, operational since 1968, lies just outside Kourou. Chosen as an ideal spaceport location because it’s near the equator (from where it takes less energy to get a spacecraft into orbit) and the sea (where debris can fall harmlessly), it’s now used by France, the European Space Agency and various commercial companies. There’s a fascinating museum and you can tour the centre, too.
Iles du Salut
3. Iles du Salut
This notorious former penal colony, where many of France’s worst criminals were incarcerated, is on an archipelago an hour off Kourou. It’s consists of three islands: Ile Royale, Ile St Joseph and Ile du Diable. There’s an excellent museum explaining the islands’ history and the privations that convicts and guards endured, plus a small church, the remains of a hospital and a cemetery with memorials to prison staff.
Kourou
4. Kourou
This modern town lies 60km up the coast from the capital, Cayenne. It sits at the mouth of the Kourou River, ringed by hills, with a sandy ocean beach and three lakes. Its proximity to the Guiana Space Centre – the Centre Spatial – means it’s home to many of France’s top scientists and astrophysicists and today, Kourou generates 15 percent of the country’s economic activity.
Maroni River
5. Maroni River
The Maroni River forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname and shuttle canoes transport you over its waters and between countries. As well as crossing it, you can also spend time exploring its beaches where Leatherback turtles nest and learning about the Amerindian and Maroon people that inhabit its shores, including how they make traditional pirogue canoes.
St Laurent
6. St Laurent
Lying opposite Albina in Suriname, on the west bank of the Maroni River, St Laurent was once the receiving station for new inmates bound for the brutal Iles du Salut penal colony. Visit the eerie Camp de la Transportation, where prisoners arrived by boat after a 20-day journey across the Atlantic. One cell has Henri Charrière’s name scratched onto its walls, aka Papillon.
Our French Guiana holidays reviews
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1French Guiana holidays reviews
Helga Gregory12 Mar 2023
Visiting French Guiana because it was well organised. The guide was excellent and also acted as tour escort, providing us with vital practical information.read more
