Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Kourou

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 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!

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.