Must-SeeHeritageIslandsHistory

Îles 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.

Photo: Cayambe · CC BY-SA 4.0
Best Time to Go
Aug–Nov
Our full guide to Îles du Salut is being written. It's on the French Guiana list as Must-See.

Go Next

1–3 of 18
Must-See
Heritage · Space

Guiana Space Centre

About 11 miles away

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.

Guide Coming Soon
Worth a Detour
Cities · Markets

Cayenne

About 30 miles away

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 Nearby
Heritage · History

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni

About 101 miles away

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

The Full Short List

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