Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
The capital of western Guiana, on the river where convicts from France were landed, and the place to find a pirogue going upstream.
- Arrival
- Cayenne Félix Eboué · CAY
- To the town
- About 200 km west of the airport in a straight line
- Private jets
- Land at Cayenne (CAY)
- Best time
- August to October
The city
On the Maroni, facing Suriname.
Saint-Laurent was a penitentiary commune. Convicts shipped from France came ashore at the Camp de la Transportation, which now has guided tours on the history of the penal colony. The Maroni in front of the town is the border with Suriname.
Most journeys up the lower and middle river begin here, by motorised pirogue. Trips last from a few hours to several days, through rapids the boatmen call sauts, with giant otters, monkeys and birds along the banks. The river is home to Wayana and Kali’na Amerindians and to the Aluku, Ndjuka and Paramaka, whose ancestors escaped the plantations of Suriname. Go with a professional boatman.
- Camp de la Transportation The landing camp of the penal colony, visited with a guide.
- Île au Lépreux A river island where part of the film Papillon was shot, now a picnic stop.
- Chutes Voltaire Falls close to the town, reached on foot by hiking trails.
Arriving
A long way west of Cayenne.
The town has an aerodrome 1.4 km from the centre, but its 1,000-metre runway is for light aircraft flying by sight, with no customs and no jet fuel. Long-haul and private flights land at Cayenne Félix Eboué, about 200 km to the east.
- Barbados 1 h 40
- Antigua 2 h 20
- Miami 5 h 00
- Palm Beach 5 h 00
- Lagos 8 h 30 long-range jet
When to go
August to October.
These are Cayenne’s averages, from 200 km along the coast. Highs stay between 29 and 32 °C all year. From August to October the rain drops below 100 mm a month; May, the wettest, passes 500 mm.
- 29° J 366
- 29° F 305
- 29° M 373
- 30° A 439
- 29° M 544
- 30° J 411
- 31° J 201
- 32° A 97
- 32° S 41
- 32° O 46
- 31° N 124
- 30° D 295
Elsewhere in French Guiana
More reasons to come.
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