Pointe Buzaré avec la ville de Cayenne en fond.

French Guiana

French Guiana is a remote region of France covered in thick jungle and wilderness, although you'll also find colonial architecture, eerie prison-camp history and some of the world's most diverse plant and animal life here. It's a strange mix of French law and rainforest humidity where only a few destinations along the coast are easily accessed and travel can be frustratingly difficult as well as expensive.

Attractions

Must-see attractions for your itinerary

Centre Spatial Guyanais
French Guiana
Visiting the Centre Spatial Guyanais and (if you're lucky) seeing a rocket launch are two of French Guiana's biggest highlights. Both need to be arranged…
Camp de la Transportation
French Guiana
The eerie Camp de la Transportation, where prisoners arrived for processing, was the largest prison in French Guiana. Convicts arrived exhausted after 20…
Central Market
French Guiana
Inside Cayenne's market, shoppers will find a vibrant jumble of Amerindian basketry, African-style paintings and carvings, piles of spices at great prices…
Plage Les Hattes
French Guiana
This long stretch of beach is a very important nesting ground for giant leatherback turtles, which can grow up to 600kg. The females come ashore from…
Trésor & Kaw Nature Reserves
French Guiana
The Trésor Nature Reserve is one of French Guiana's most accessible primary rainforest areas, and wandering its 1.75km botanical trail is a great way to…
Île Royale
French Guiana
Once the administrative headquarters of the penal settlement, Île Royale has several restored prison buildings, including a fine prisoner-built chapel and…
Maison de la Reserve Naturelle l'Amana
French Guiana
Amerindian settlements and thick clouds of mosquitoes populate Awala-Yalimopo and Plage Les Hattes, one of the world's most spectacular nesting sites for…
Fort Cépérou
French Guiana
Off the gardened Place Léopold Héder are the remains of Fort Cépérou, perched on land bought in 1643 from the Galibi people by the first French colonists…