AMANA NATURE RESERVE

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.