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French Guyana Travel guide : THE BEST PLACES AND CITIES IN THE COUNTRY

French Guyana

French Guyana is unique! This is a corner of France outside of France, in the jungles of the Amazon and Latin America! It is best to start exploring the country through its capital, the city of Cayenne. Every year in February-March, a four-day grand carnival takes place here, one of the main events in South America! In the city you can visit the animal rescue center, where you can hold in your arms and take care of little sloths. The city itself is interesting for its Creole architecture of the houses of local residents and the monumental architecture of the 17th-18th century, and the central Palmist square, planted with palm trees. You can walk along the embankment of the Lusso Canal, look into the Botanical Garden or the market, as well as sit in a cafe around the central square. The population of French Guiana is small, and the area of the country is covered with tropical forests, savannas, with access to the Atlantic Ocean. There are beaches even near the capital of the country! There are many rivers in the country – Kuru, Irakabo, Hermina, Kaunamanu, Sinnamari. Therefore, we recommend travelers to organize a canoe tour along one of the rivers. The duration of such river cruises is from 1.5 hours to a full day. You can choose both rafting on calm water, and more complex – with thresholds. On Devil's Island, you can see the ruins of former prisons where some famous French figures and Captain Alfred Dreyfus served their sentences. The writer Henri Charriere even wrote his autobiographical novel about these places. Nature lovers in the country are attracted by the Murages Nature Reserve, which stretches from the Ruhr to Regina and is famous for its diverse landscapes and flora. The Kau marshes, near Rora, are home to many species of birds, such as toucan Toko and flamingos. In Guyana, you can also visit the Indian villages of Ot-Maroni and Ot-Oyapok, only special permits are required to visit. By the way, there is a wonderful national cuisine in the country, which has become a mixture of several cultures and traditions, thereby absorbing all the best!
Cayenne
Cayenne
Guiana Amazonian Park
Guiana Amazonian Park
Kourou
Kourou

Tours to French Guyana - CHOOSE A TOUR ACCORDING TO THE PARAMETERS

Tours to French Guyana

Choose the country, route duration, budget, type and subject of your future tour. Pay attention to our regular combined programs for several countries

French Guyana has 15 cities

The cities of French Guyana

The most famous tourist cities and places of French Guyana are the capital of Cayenne, the Kourou Cosmodrome, the Murages Nature Reserve, Devil's Island, the Guianan Amazon

Cayenne
Cayenne
Guiana Amazonian Park
Guiana Amazonian Park
Kourou
Kourou

Excursions in French Guyana with English speaking guides

Excursions

We know the best sights of French Guyana: from the original Indian peoples, natural beauties, cultural and historical locations to the best places for organizing beach holidays, gastronomic walks, immersion in shamanism and wildlife

A GUIDE TO FRENCH GUYANA FOR TRAVELERS

It's useful to know

- Beaches of Cayenne

- Space Center of Kourou

- Incredible Biodiversity of Guiana Amazonian Park
Though sharing cultural affinities with the French-speaking territories of the Caribbean, French Guiana cannot be considered to be part of that geographic region, with the Caribbean Sea actually being located several hundred kilometres to the west, beyond the arc of the Lesser Antilles.
French Guiana consists of two main geographical regions: a coastal strip where the majority of the people live, and dense, near-inaccessible rainforest which gradually rises to the modest peaks of the Tumac-Humac mountains along the Brazilian frontier. French Guiana's highest peak is Bellevue de l'Inini (851 m). Other mountains include Mont Machalou (782 m), Pic Coudreau (711 m) and Mont St Marcel (635 m), Mont Favard (200 m) and Montagne du Mahury (156 m). Several small islands are found off the coast, the three Iles du Salut Salvation Islands which includes Devil's Island and the isolated Iles du Connétable bird sanctuary further along the coast towards Brazil.
The Barrage de Petit-Saut hydroelectric dam in the north of French Guiana forms an artificial lake and provides hydroelectricity.
French is the official language of France, although Creole is widely spoken. Everyone understands French but few people understand English. Most officials, police and gendarmes understand and speak English. But they may say they do not. They comprehend the English language very well as they are taught such in schools.
In French Guiana beyond cash, credit cards are widely accepted, and you can get Visa or MasterCard cash advances at ATMs ( guichets automatiques ), which are on the Plus and Cirrus networks. Eurocard and Carte Bleu are also widely accepted. The currency is the Euro €.
French Guiana is a wet country: even when it's not raining, the air hangs heavy with humidity. The country's tropical rainforests top out at around 30°C (85°F) and receive over 250cm (100in) of rain a year. The rain falls heaviest from January to June, with May seeing the worst of it. Cayenne, the capital, and Guiana's other Atlantic coast settlements are less muggy than inland areas.
Nearly 400 years as a cultural melting pot has given French Guiana’s cuisine inspiration, originality, and passion, with a wide range of tastes and spices. Influenced by Europe, Africa, India, and Amerindian traditions, all the flavors of the world are found in French Guiana—and your taste buds will thank you. It’s good. It’s delicious. Creole cuisine is waiting for you.

Nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, pepper and chili peppers.
French Guiana used to produce these spices, and they remain a basic ingredient in local recipes.French Guiana’s waters are full of fish, so there’s a great variety of fish and shrimp prepared in number of ways.
From the small sea-bob, similar to Breton prawns, to giant shrimp, which you could almost mistake for scampi, the seafood is presented in a variety of forms, including marinades (fritters) and kebabs. These stews are delicious with either red or white meat.
All these dishes are accompanied by generous helpings of rice, red beans, or couac (a sort of semolina, more or less fine, made from roasted manioc).
French Guiana was originally inhabited by a number of indigenous American peoples. Settled by the French during the 17th century, it was the site of penal settlements from 1852 until 1951, which were known in the English-speaking world as Devil's Island. A border dispute with Brazil arose in the late nineteenth century over a vast area of jungle, leading to the short-lived pro-French independent state of Counani in the disputed territory and some fighting between settlers, before the dispute was resolved largely in favour of Brazil by the arbitration of the Swiss government. In 1946, French Guiana became an overseas department of France. The 1970s saw the settlement of Hmong refugees from Laos. A movement for increased autonomy from France gained momentum in the 1970s and 1980s. Protests by those calling for more autonomy have become increasingly vocal; demonstrations in 1996, 1997 and 2000 all ended in violence.
The vast majority of French Guianans are Roman Catholic. There are many other religions practiced by the minority groups. These include indigenous Amerindian shamanistic religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Africanbased religions
The Black, the American Indian and the Vietnamese have influenced the origin of folk art within this region while coming up with crafts made of textiles, pottery, and wood carving.

French Guiana's, enjoy watching television or going for a movie during their leisure hours. The young crowd is even attracted towards the ongoing disco clubs, cafes, and dance club. Beaches along the Cayenne offer a suitable location for picnicking and swimming. One even indulges in recreational activity like boating, swimming, fishing and playing soccer.
The French Guiana people resort to music and dance that is accompanied with a drum. A woodwind instrument is the sole instrument that is used while playing the American Indian pro music. French ballads, pop and rock music have made it place in recent time while attracting the present generation.

Vacation in French Guyana

Discover French Guyana with Ada Tours tour operator!

Ada Tours travel agency will be happy to organize your unforgettable vacation in French Guyana, as well as develop combined tours with Brazil, Guyana and Suriname. We know the best places in French Guiana for organizing ecological tours (ecotours) - for example, through the tropical forests of the Guianan Amazon, whose territory belongs to a number of Indian tribes, or rafting on rivers of any level. Exciting tours to the Kourou cosmodrome, 65 km from the capital, where rockets and satellites are launched according to a certain schedule, and you can also look into the Cosmonautics Museum. City tours of the capital Cayenne with a tour of the best sights of the city. We know the best places in the country for ethnographic tours, as well as good locations for organizing beach holidays – for example, on Remir-Monjoli or Les-At. We will be happy to organize your fascinating route of any complexity in French Guiana, accompanied by the best English-speaking guides!