Tours to French Guyana | Holidays with prices 2024-25

Highlights

- Beaches of Cayenne
- Space Center of Kourou
- Incredible Biodiversity of Guiana Amazonian Park

Geography

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.

Language

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.

Money

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 €.

Climate

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.

Gastronomy

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).

History

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.

Religion

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

Culture

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.

Music

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.