Must-SeeGuiana Space Centre
Europe's spaceport at Kourou, where you can tour the launch sites, visit the space museum and watch rockets lift off from viewing points nearby.
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French Guiana
Rainforest, rockets and an old penal colony.
US travel advisory: Level 1, Exercise Normal Precautions · checked 2026-11-07This is a first draft of the French Guiana list. The full region guide is being written, and tiers may still change.
French Guiana is a corner of France on the northeast coast of South America, between Suriname and Brazil, where almost the whole territory is Amazon rainforest. Most people live along the coast, in the capital Cayenne and in Kourou, home of Europe's spaceport, and French, Creole, Maroon and Amerindian cultures all meet here.
Travelers come to watch a rocket launch from Kourou, to visit the Îles du Salut, where the notorious penal colony of Devil's Island once stood, and to see the old prison camp at Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. The interior, reached by river boat or small plane, has some of the wildest rainforest on earth, and leatherback turtles nest on the beaches in season.
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- Best Time
- August to November, the main dry season; March also has a short dry spell
- Ideal Trip
- 5–7 days: Cayenne, the space centre, the Îles du Salut and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
- Fly Into
- Cayenne (CAY), with flights from Paris and the French Caribbean
- Getting Around
- A rental car along the coast road; boats and small planes to the interior
- Entry
- No visa for stays of up to 90 days; a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required
- Money
- Euro; tipping isn't expected, as service is included
- Power
- European two-pin, 230 volts
- Drives On
- Right
The Short List
Type
Rank
Must-SeeMust-SeeÎles du Salut
Three islands off Kourou that held a notorious penal colony, Devil's Island among them, now overgrown ruins shared with monkeys and agoutis.
Guide Coming Soon
Worth a DetourCayenne
French Guiana's laid-back capital, with a lively market, palm-lined squares and colonial houses, and hilltop views from an old fort.
Guide Coming Soon
If You're NearbySaint-Laurent-du-Maroni
A river town on the border with Suriname, where the camp that received convicts for the penal colony can be toured beside the Maroni.
Guide Coming Soon
On the Map
Grey pins: guides still being written.
Good to Know
Getting Around
A rental car covers the coast road from Cayenne to Kourou and on to Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. Catamarans sail from Kourou to the Îles du Salut, and the interior is reached only by pirogue on the rivers or by small plane.
Weather
It's hot and humid all year, around 86°F, with heavy rain from December to July, a short break in March, and the driest weather from August to November.
Food
Try bouillon d'awara, a festive stew made with palm fruit, fish blaff and colombo curry, and Hmong and Asian dishes at Cayenne's markets.
Before You Go
Americans don't need a visa for stays of up to 90 days, but everyone over one year old needs a yellow fever vaccination certificate. Launch dates are announced in advance and viewing spots can be booked, and malaria is a risk in parts of the interior, though not on the coast.