Local history and culture French Guiana

Habitation Vidal: after around 45 minutes on a fitness trail, in the heart of a lush forest, you come to a clearing where the remains of Guyana's largest ^19th-century farming operation remain: the Habitation Vidal, formerly known as Mondélice. The sight of rusting, overgrown implements and machinery makes it hard to imagine that the site was once occupied by an extremely profitable operation. In the middle, however, a large stone-walled mule mill and a few English steam engines bear witness to the economic dynamism of yesteryear.

Although the plantation was home to a variety of crops, it was sugarcane that essentially made the fortune of its owner, Vidal de Lingendes. The surrounding marshes were dried out, providing an enormous space for growing cane, which was processed on site to produce syrup, rum and molasses. Although it seemed invulnerable, the operation quickly collapsed, suffering the successive effects of falling sugar prices and the abolition of slavery. Isolated and unsupervised, the site was left unprotected against looters. Excavations, which continue to this day, are gradually revealing the secrets of this little-known era.

During your visit, facing the path, you'll discover another, much narrower path on your right, which winds its way through a tunnel of vegetation. Don't hesitate to take it and then retrace your steps. Although it looks wild, this little path is in fact marked by trees and joins the main route after winding through the forest. Your steps will take you back in time, from the apogee to the decadence of the sugar mill, in this place that has considerably marked the history of Guyana and its families.

An orientation course was set up on this trail in June 2015. To make the most of these strolls, an information panel and 70 information leaflets are available to the public. The orienteering trail is divided into three circuits: the easy 1.5 km circuit (45 minutes), the difficult 3 km circuit (an hour and a half), and the very difficult 7.5 km circuit (three to four hours). The proximity of the marshes makes the site very popular with mosquitoes, especially in wet weather. It's advisable to bring a repellent spray with you on this walk.