Things to see and do Kourou

Lionel and his friendly team invite you to discover the canopy at your own pace... Climbing to the top, on the 2 36 m high observatories (and 2 42 m perches now!), is an unforgettable experience. From the arboreal carbet 10 m above ground, where you sleep in a hammock, you can zip-line, abseil and hike along the trails of Mont Saint-Michel. You can also explore the river by kayak. A memorable experience in the middle of the forest (allow 2 hours by pirogue to reach the camp)!

This CNES space launch facility, based in Kourou, covers an area of 69,000 hectares. Visitors can either take a guided tour, or attend a launch.

Visit the Guiana Space Center.The CSG authorities organize guided tours which are free of charge and open all year round, Monday to Friday, to anyone over the age of 8. Valid identification is required. Visits are suspended the day before, the day of and the day after a launch. Access to the facilities remains subject to operations: tours may therefore be modified to ensure visitor safety. Visits take place twice a day from Monday to Thursday and on Friday mornings (average duration: 3h30 to 4h). Meet at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. for check-in, then depart by bus for a 3-hour tour of all the launch zones and the Ariane launch center. Finally, visit the Jupiter room until around 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. or 4:30 p.m.-5 p.m.

Watch a launch. By 2023, the number of launches has dropped to just under 10 a year, all launchers combined. If your stay coincides with a launch, try to attend the show. Requests for invitations to a launch are free of charge. Invitations are limited to the number of places available, and sites are activated according to personal protection constraints.book in advance and reserve online: cnes-csg.fr - ✆ 05 94 33 44 53 - Mail: [email protected]. To be admitted to the Agami site (7.5 km from the launcher), you must be over 16. For Ibis, Venus and the Jupiter VIP room, the age limit is 14. However, the Carapa site (12.5 km from the launch zone) remains open to the public without invitation or age restriction. It is located on the mountain of the same name, just outside Kourou. The site can accommodate around 1,450 people. Although access is free, once this number has been reached, it will no longer be possible to enter. We therefore advise you to arrive well in advance, bearing in mind that the site opens 2 hours before the launch. Bring a pair of binoculars and a camera. Other popular sites in Kourou on launch days are the beach and the summit of Monkey Mountain. In Cayenne, head for Place des Amandiers, where you'll find plenty of entertainment (and sometimes a giant screen)!

The Kourou tourist office informs you about all the tourist offers in the town. Brochures and maps of the town are available. Unfortunately, opening times are not always respected. Friendly, attentive staff.

In addition to the main office, there's another information point at the Balourous pontoon (avenue du Général-de-Gaulle), open for departures, Monday to Saturday, 7.30am to 8.45am and 4.45pm to 6pm.

The day's program promises to be a busy one aboard this beautiful 18 m catamaran. Head for Île Royale, with tea, coffee and cookies during the crossing. After a boat ride to get closer to the mythical Devil's Island, you'll be disembarked on Royale for a free tour of this historic site. Possibility of swimming and picnicking on board (please bring your own) at the lovely anchorage on Île Saint-Joseph. After this convivial moment, disembark on Saint-Joseph, a wilder island with its famous shell beach. Return to Kourou with a musical Punch.

The Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales is a public industrial and commercial establishment, created in 1961: it is the French space agency. As such, it is responsible for France's space policy: its main missions are to analyze issues, manage major programs, lead the industry, operate national systems and support research. Its centers are located in Paris, Toulouse and the Centre Spatial Guyanais in French Guiana, which is open to the public.

The site, located on the grounds of the Centre Spatial (CSG) and maintained by the ONF, is magnificent. You can choose between the botanical trail, a loop of around 650 m, or the more challenging 3.3 km trail over the summit of Montagne des Singes: the sentier de la Montagne. From here, you have a magnificent viewpoint, not to mention the diversity of the environments traversed. There's a carbet under which you can picnic and stretch out your hammock. The paths are easy to follow, but it's best to stay on them. Stay safe and enjoy!

The Musée de l'Espace is a complementary visit to the CSG, which aeronautics fans and other cosmo-curious visitors won't want to miss: themed tour, interactive animations, real-life models, selection of scientific and technical films, educational and interactive multimedia space where children can linger for a long time, temporary exhibitions... There's plenty to do! There's also a small store selling books on the history of the site and souvenirs (posters, models, gadgets, caps, etc.).

Experienced guide Thomas offers a variety of tours starting from the Balata creek, offering a wide range of activities: canoeing, kayaking, hiking, daytime and nighttime pirogue trips, archery, fishing, botanical trails and flora discovery, all in a very pleasant, flower-filled natural environment. Sleeping is in hammocks (camp capacity 20 people) and in beds (2 double beds) in magnificent traditional carbets. Meals, hammock, mosquito net and blanket are included in the price.

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.

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.

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.

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 2023).