Things to see and do Coastline

The Amana nature reserve lies between the villages of Awala and Yalimapo, covering an area of around 14,800 hectares, from the Maroni to the mouth of the Organabo. Beaches, mangroves, lagoons, marshes and mudflats make up this wetland area, the management of which has been entrusted by the state to the Syndicat intercommunal à vocation unique (SIVU) de l'Amana since 1998. The aim is to learn more about the biology and behavior of sea turtles, and to protect one of the world's most important leatherback nesting sites. Visitor reception, public information, compliance with regulations and scientific monitoring are the SIVU's missions. A sea turtle museum completes the picture.

If you're in French Guiana between July and September, you can witness the hatching of the eggs: tiny turtles emerge from the earth into the ocean. You can save them by warding off predators, such as birds and dogs, who see this spectacle as an opportunity to feast. Today, Hattes beach is a victim of its own success: as far as possible, avoid coming to watch the turtles lay their eggs at weekends, as the crowds, unscrupulous about the intimacy of egg-laying, disturb the turtles.

The mangroves are also home to herons and egrets, while iguanas gather along the coast every year during the egg-laying season. Further south lies the Coswine River marsh, home to Guyana's only sphagnum bog.

The tourist office will be happy to guide you around this small village: guided tours of the church and the commune, as well as the hamlets of Bellevue and Dégrad-Savane, Morpio creek, forest walks starting from Organabo with an experienced guide... Local crafts and products are also on sale. The programme of events can be found on the town's website.

Zico Joseph welcomes you to his carbet, located 1 hour 30 minutes from Cayenne, in a delightful setting for a total change of scenery. On 2 levels, you can hang over 35 hammocks, around a flower garden with kitchenette, a relaxation area for reading and a pontoon to enjoy the clear waters of the creek. Walks in the forest are also possible, on your own through the forest paths. The "cascades", about 200 meters away by canoe or swim, offer a pleasant break for fishing, swimming or simply taking a siesta by the water's edge.

Not far from Creeque Canceler is Creeque Toussaint, 3 km from the town of Sinnamary. Its sandy shores and the large carbet set up on the banks of the waterway invite you to take a restorative break or even a picnic stop (tables and benches are available). Fishermen and swimmers alike will be delighted by the creek's fish-filled waters: the shallow riverbed is quite wide, and a little deeper near the bridge.

Whether you want to enjoy the marshes and their caimans, or spend a night in a carbet in the middle of the jungle and enjoy the sandbanks and sunset, the îlot caïmans offers an experience in the Sinnamary marshes. Here's your chance to get up close to these wild beasts in their natural environment. In just one day, you can observe the caimans that come easily to the beach, discover the flight of the red ibis in a pirogue and take a hydrofoil ride to an islet. The welcome, however, is sometimes a little rough.

At the end of Pointe des Roches, the Tour Dreyfus is one of the few remaining vestiges of the former Kourou penitentiary. Inaugurated in 1856 for agricultural production, this small tower facing the sea served as a semaphore during the penal colony era, and enabled communication with the other penitentiary center in the vicinity: that of the îles du Salut. The buildings have since been demolished to make way for the Hôtel des Roches, still in operation today. The tower was named after the most famous prisoner in French Guiana: Alfred Dreyfus.

It's a district that could be crossed just to get to the landing stage (shuttles and catamarans to the islands of Salut), but it would be a shame not to take a tour. With its history and customs still very much alive, Vieux-Bourg deserves a little interest, if only for its picturesque atmosphere. This is also where you'll find bars, discotheques and restaurants - in other words, the whole nightlife scene. At the end of the avenue you'll find the fish market and the famous landing stage.

At the edge of the forest, opposite the Montsinéry zoo, you'll have to leave your vehicle behind and walk the 400 m to reach Creeque Patate (just take a white sand track to get there). The rainy season often makes this an impassable spot, unless you're a daredevil! Otherwise, it's an ideal place to enjoy a sunny afternoon, swim and picnic. Creeque Patate is very popular with the local population, so the site tends to be very busy at weekends.

Headphones on, tune in to the Mananese frequency and stroll through the town to the rhythm of the voices of its inhabitants: anecdotes, daily life, cuisine, leisure, memory, identity... a concentrate of Guyanese life! The audio tour starts at the Tourism Department and winds its way through the town from east to west. To experience it for yourself, go to the corner of rue Bastié and rue Javouhey, where you'll be given a free map and audio guide.

Built in 1938 by convicts, Mana's church stands out for its Wapa wood shingle roof flanked by a high bell tower. A timeless jewel in the heart of the village, its sky-blue façade is a must-see. In 1945, the convict Bourgeois painted the Christ of the starry vault. On the forecourt, the bust of Anne-Marie Javouhey, Superior General of the Congrégation des soeurs de Saint Joseph de Cluny and founder of the village of Mana, pays homage to the Reverend Mother.

These two rivers are not often explored by visitors. Yet it is possible to fish for black piranha, of which there is no shortage in Grand-Laussat creek! Here, a Saramaca village, which lives to the rhythm of the sun and the forest, offers a genuine journey back in time, thanks to its simplicity and authenticity. You can take a guided excursion into the forest to discover its riches, canoe up the creek and discover Saramaca handicrafts.

The Mana River, Guyana's wildest river, cannot be tamed. It has to be earned, and discovering it is undoubtedly a singular experience, requiring good physical condition, a certain spirit of adventure and excluding amateurism. Fortunately, there are a number of easy and inexpensive ways to enjoy the mysterious atmosphere of this region for a day or a weekend. Alas, the river is increasingly damaged by gold-panning, and fewer and fewer service providers are offering it as part of their program.

Patrick Fresquet, a specialist in aïmara fishing on the Sinnamary, also offers a range of hikes, treks and pirogue outings... It's also possible to sleep in the Takari tanté carbet, upstream from the Petit-Saut dam, with 20 hammock places, wood-fired cooking and swimming. There are activities to suit all budgets and experiences, so don't hesitate to take a look at their website: Patrick, a colorful character, knows French Guiana inside out and shares the territory's secrets with passion.

With its source in the Yiji Pripris, Canceler Creek is a calm stream where you can splash around to cool off in the hottest hours of the day. In an exceptionally verdant setting, people come here to relax, sheltered from the rain and the sun under the two carbets (which are perhaps a little lacking in maintenance), sitting on the rocks that line the creek, or in the calm of the hammock you've stretched out in the shade between two trees. A little corner of paradise, which often gets very crowded at weekends.

At the entrance of Pripri De Yiyi, Maison de la Nature offers to enter the heart of the marais thanks to the canoe rental. Eco-museum has permanent and temporary exhibitions, works naturalist and aquariums allowing to observe fish of the marais.

If you're driving between Iracoubo and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, you'll find the village of Bellevue about ten kilometers from the town. It's the perfect place to stop and discover the crafts and traditional way of life of the Amerindians. In 2018, the village was granted 1,000 hectares of land to develop abattis and secure the community's future. Cécile Kouyouri, the village's customary chief, was the first Guyanese woman to achieve this status in 1997. Don't hesitate to stop by!

Because of its location, Morpio Creek is certainly one of the best-known coves in French Guiana. It is located on the edge of the N1 motorway, and is laid out like a rest area. Several carbets, some with hooks for hammocks, invite you to rest, while tables and benches are ideal for picnics. The site is well-maintained and ideal for swimming: the water's color - golden red - is surprisingly clean.

Madame Louison's "Bois de Rose" botanical garden is a one-of-a-kind site where you can admire almost 600 species of plants, including the traveler's tree(ravenala), the ornamental banana(musa), the calabash, the croton, 150 orchids and palm trees. Don't forget to bring a picnic lunch so that, after a stroll along the lake, you can relax under the kiosk, a veritable haven of peace. A carbet has recently been added for overnight stays!

The association offers excursions until Léodate jump. Departures are for groups of a minimum of 7 people. Accommodation at the camp in hammock (not supplied).

Open Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 16:30,
Friday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. Three possible options, ranging from € 90 per person for a day, up to £ 165 for 3 days and 2 nights.

Renovated, the chapel is now open to visitors taking a guided tour (or asking for the keys). The chapel features frescoes by forger Francis Lagrange, who spent 18 years in prison. At the request of the bishop of Cayenne, he painted these satirical pictures in the chapel between 1940 and 1948, even though he is a firm atheist. Throughout his imprisonment, he painted some 250 canvases, all signed with the same unique name: Flag. Don't miss his fresco on the Place des Palmistes in Cayenne.

The start-up of this industrial complex made headlines in the spring of 1994. The event was even reported in the mainland newspapers. From the outset, the project sparked confrontations between EDF managers on the one hand, and conservationists and residents of Sinnamary on the other. Construction lasted six years (1989-1995), mobilizing 1,000 people at a total cost of 442 million euros. The dam's impoundment resulted in the flooding of some 360 km² of Amazonian forest, home to an abundance of wildlife.

Environmentalists were therefore outraged by the situation. On the other hand, the inhabitants of Sinnamary have voiced their concern about the quality of the river water that feeds the town. The flooding of the forest has led to the decomposition of plant matter, resulting in a form of natural pollution for an indefinite period. In response, EDF set up a water oxygenation system to limit pollution, and organized a vast scientific operation to save as many animals as possible from drowning.

Today, the dam's production covers half of the coastline's consumption. Although tempers seem to have calmed somewhat since then, history will record that it was the lack of communication between the various players involved that triggered the clashes. Today, when the rainy and flooding seasons arrive, we cast a worried glance in the direction of the dam...

Kourou's beaches are one of the few in French Guiana to be equipped with picnic facilities, a fitness trail for joggers and children's play areas... With views of the Isles of Salut when the horizon is clear, and birdwatching during the migration season! Bring your hammock, as it's de rigueur here to take a siesta in the shade of the palm trees. The small Pim-Poum beach is the most attractive, but there's also the livelier Cocoteraie, with its beach bars and skatepark.

Located in the Pariacabo industrial zone in Kourou, the Centre d'Archéologie Amérindienne de Kourou offers visitors the chance to discover pre-Columbian culture in French Guiana. This archaeological interpretation center is located in the immediate vicinity of the "Carapa Engraved Rocks" site, classified as a historic monument on November 18, 1993. More than 200 polissoirs and rock engravings are found on these rocks, known as the "Hippopotamus of the Savannah". Mysteries waiting to be discovered.

The aim of this organization is to federate the various players involved in carnival, THE major cultural event in French Guiana! The association operates mainly during the carnival season, bringing together the various carnival groups and offering advice on parades, the festival itself and, if necessary, help in finding a costume. Don't hesitate to contact them if you're visiting during the carnival season.

The Royal Ti-Punch catamaran is one of the boats you can take on a tour of the islands from Kourou. Departures are at 8:30 a.m., with a return in the late afternoon. The skippers on board, assisted by their crews, are very professional and friendly, offering refreshments to passengers, whose maximum number cannot exceed 28. The catamaran can also be privatized for special events. Customized services (catering, parties, etc.) are available on request.

An exhibition hall of almost 350 square meters rich with over 2,000 works by artists from West Guiana, CARMA is the initiative of Patrick Lacaisse, a French artist who opened this art center and artists' residence in 2014. The Chercheurs d'Art association (contemporary and traditional artists, teachers and researchers) is thus able to fulfill its mission of promoting Guyanese artistic creation. Beautiful exhibition of crafts from yesterday and today.

Once a month, usually on Saturdays at 6.15 and 7.15 a.m. (for daytime outings) and 6.15 p.m. (for nocturnal outings), CNES unveils the rich fauna and flora of the CSG savannahs. An agent from the ONF (Office National des Forêts) will show you this well-preserved sample of Guiana's coastline, where animal encounters are not uncommon: jaguars, red ibises, sloths and armadillos are among the hosts of these woods. The schedule is available on the Internet, and departures are from the Musée de l'Espace (undergoing renovation in 2024).