FRENCH
GUIANA TRAVEL TIPS
A collection
of important information that can make your trip more enjoyable.
First
settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious
penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication
satellites from Kourou.
French Guiana is the oldest of the overseas possessions of France and
the only remaining French territory on the American mainland. If you plan
to travel French Guiana take a moment to brush up on the travel tips that
will help you be more prepared for travel anywhere in French Guiana.
GENERAL
INFORMATION
Area: 83,534 sq km (32,253 sq miles).
Population: 156,790 (1999).
Population
Density: 1.9 per sq km.
Capital: Cayenne. Population: 50,594 (1999).
Government: French Guiana is an Overseas Department of France and, as such,
is an integral part of the French Republic. Head of State: President
Jacques Chirac since 1995, represented locally by Prefect Ange Mancini
since 2002. |
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Language: The official language is French, though most of the population
speak a Creole patois. English is also widely spoken.
Electricity: 220/127 volts AC, 50Hz.
GEOGRAPHY: French Guiana is situated on the northeast coast of South America and
is bordered by Brazil to the south and the east and by Surinam to the
west. The southern Serra Tumucumaque Mountains are part of the eastern
frontier, whilst the rest is formed by the River Oyapock. Surinam is to
the west along the rivers Maroni-Itani and to the north is the Atlantic
coastline. Along the coast runs a belt of flat marshy land behind which
the land rises to higher slopes and plains or savannah. The interior is
comprised of equatorial jungle. Off the rugged coast lie the Iles du Salut
and Devil’s Island. Cayenne, the capital and chief port, is on the
island of the same name at the mouth of the Cayenne River.
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ENTRY
REQUIREMENTS
Passports are required of U.S. citizens entering both the French West
Indies and French Guiana. Visitors who arrive on a regular air carrier
may enter for up to 90 days with their passports. A visa is not required
for a stay up to three months. For further information on French West
Indies and French Guiana entry requirements, travelers can contact the
Embassy of France at 4101 Reservoir Road, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007,
tel. (202) 944-6000 or the nearest French consulate in Atlanta, Boston,
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Orleans or San Francisco. Click here for Visa Informations
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GETTING
AROUND FRENCH GUIANA
Air Guyane has scheduled flights to St Georges, Saül and Maripasoula
from Cayenne. There's a daily bus service from Cayenne to St Laurent du
Maroni via Kourou, Sinnamary and Iracoubo. Taxis colectifs (minibuses),
which are faster, much more comfortable and only slightly more expensive,
run along the same route. Cars and motorcycles can be rented in Cayenne,
Kourou and St Laurent. River transport into the interior is possible,
but unless you take an expensive tour it requires patience and good timing.
Because
private cars are numerous and roads are fairly good, hitching is a realistic
- though never entirely safe - alternative. Competition is fierce in certain
areas, such as the highway to Kourou on the outskirts of Cayenne.
In
Cayenne, local buses service the beach areas of Rémire-Montjoly,
but general public transport is limited, so you may need a taxi. Buses
don't run on Sundays.
Cayenne-Rochambeau
international airport is 16km (10mi) southwest of Cayenne. Taxis to/from
the airport are available. If you're leaving French Guiana and have light
luggage, a far-cheaper option is to take a taxi colectif to Matoury and
walk the remaining 5km (3mi).
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COMMUNICATIONS
Telephone: IDD available. Country code: 594. Outgoing international code: 00.
Mobile
telephone: GSM 900 network is operated by France Caraïbe
Mobiles, and covers coastal areas and some of the interior. Handsets can
be hired locally.
Fax: Facilities are widely available, including in hotels.
Internet: Local ISPs include Wanadoo (website: www.wanadoo.fr). There are Internet
cafes in Cayenne.
Telegram: Telegrams can be sent locally. A Telex service links Cayenne and Europe.
Post: Postal services are reliable in Cayenne (where the central post office
is located on route Baduel); post takes around seven days to reach western
Europe. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0730-1330.
Press: The daily newspapers include France-Guyane and La Presse de Guyane. There
are no English-language newspapers.
Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America
(website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies
change and the most up-to-date can be found online.
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BUSINESS PROFILE
Economy: French Guiana’s economy is heavily dependent
on that of France. Most of the workforce is engaged in agriculture, principally
forestry and fisheries. Vegetables and rice are the principal crops, most
of which are consumed domestically. Exploitation of French Guiana’s
mineral resources, which, in addition to timber from the country’s
extensive forests, include gold, bauxite and kaolin, is steadily growing.
Gold production continues to flourish, with actual production levels and
sales suspected to be far higher than official estimates. Exploration
activity expanded in the mid-1990s, following the construction of a major
new road allowing access to the interior. Development of the service sector,
particularly tourism (and the promising field of ecotourism), had previously
been hampered by poor infrastructure. The country’s other notable
economic asset, acquired by virtue of its position close to the equator,
is the European Space Agency’s satellite launch facility at Kourou.
French Guiana runs a huge trade deficit, with exports less than 10 per
cent of imports. In common with most French Overseas Territories, French
Guiana has a high unemployment level of about 22 per cent. Other than
France, Guadeloupe and Martinique, the USA, Trinidad & Tobago and
Italy are the country’s major trading partners.
Business: Lightweight suits are required. English will be understood by
practically everyone, although a working knowledge of French may be of
assistance. The best time to visit is August to November. Office hours:
Mon-Fri 0800-1300, 1500-1800.
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SOCIAL PROFILE
Food & Drink: There is a fairly good selection of
restaurants and hotel dining rooms offering a number of different cuisines.
The majority of them are in Cayenne, although French, Continental, Vietnamese,
Chinese, Creole and Indonesian restaurants can be found elsewhere. A local
speciality is the bouillon d’aoura, a dish of smoked fish, crab,
prawns, vegetables and chicken, served with aoura, the fruit of savana
trees.
Nightlife: There are nightclubs in Cayenne, Kourou and St Laurent du Maroni. Cayenne
also has one cinema featuring French-language films. Cinemas can also
be found in Kourou and St Laurent.
Special
Events: For a full list of special events in 2005, contact the
Comité du Tourisme de la Guyane (see Contact Addresses section).
The main event, which takes place every year from Epiphany to Ash Wednesday,
is the Carnival. The dates for 2005 are Jan 6-Feb 9. The following is
a selection of other special events celebrated annually in French Guiana:
Jun Montsinéry-Tonnégrande. Aug Maripasoula; Saül.
Sep Sinnamary. Oct 15 Cayenne. Nov Kourou; Kaw. Dec Régina.
Social
Conventions: Conservative casual wear is suitable almost everywhere.
On beaches, modest beachwear is preferred. Normal social courtesies should
be adhered
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MEDICAL FACILITIES
Medical care within French Guiana is limited, and hospital facilities
are available only in major urban areas. Patients' rooms in hospitals
are primarily open-air facilities; instead of glass panes, hospital windows
are fitted with wooden slats.
Information
on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water
precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention's hotline for international travelers
at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747); fax 1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299),
or via the CDC's Internet site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel. For information
about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad consult the World Health
Organization's (WHO) website at http://www.who.int/en. Further health
information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith.
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CURRENCY/MONEY
Currency: Since 1 January 1999, the Euro, which was introduced
in January 2002, has been the official currency for the French Overseas
Departments (Départements d’Outre-Mer) French Guiana, Guadeloupe,
Martinique and Réunion. For further details, exchange rates and
currency restrictions, see France section.
Currency
exchange: There is a bureau de change at Rochambeau airport and
three bureaux de change in Cayenne (Change Caraïbes, Change Minas
and Guyane Change). They will exchange money every day except Saturday.
Credit
& debit cards: American Express, Carte Bleue, Eurocard, MasterCard
and Visa are accepted. Check with your credit or debit card company for
details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.
Travellers
cheques: These are accepted in a few places in Cayenne and Kourou.
To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take
travellers cheques in Euros, US Dollars or Pounds Sterling.
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SHOPPING
Within the
past few years, a great many new boutiques have opened offering a wide
range of merchandise. Good buys are basketry, hammocks, pottery, wood
sculpture and gold jewellery. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1230, 1600-1830.
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TIPPING
In hotels and restaurants, a 10 per cent tip is usual. Taxi drivers are
not tipped.
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SPORTS & ACTIVITIES
Sea-fishing: This is popular, and can be undertaken from
rocks, as well as from boats. Fishing for sharks and other big fish can
be done in the open sea. Fresh-water fishing and fly-fishing are also
popular.
Other: French Guiana is an expensive destination for adventure travellers.
There are river trips and treks into the interior, and jungle shelters
are available for overnight stops. A special permit is necessary from
the Préfecture in Cayenne. There are tennis courts in Cayenne and
some hotels also have courts. Canoeing, horse riding, and sailing can
also be arranged. Swimming is safe around Ile de Cayenne and some hotels
have pools. Facilities for water-skiing are available in Kourou and Montjoly.
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TIME ZONE
French Guiana
is in Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Brazil and Suriname. French Guiana Standard Time is GMT-3
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