Located in the shoulder of Latin America, French Guiana is an overseas department and region of France, therefore part of the European Union.
This means that French Guiana isn’t an independent country but, from a traveling perspective, it does feel like one, not only due to the geographical separation, but also due to the predominant Guyanese culture.
need to know for traveling in French Guiana
Quick facts
Capital: Cayenne
Population: 300,000 (186th)
Language: French is the official language but a large number of local languages exist.
Area: 83,800km² (115th largest country)
Visa
French Guyana is part of France, so same visa rules apply. However, this isn’t part of Schengen, so Europeans will still need their passport.
Travel Insurance
With its Backpacker plan, IATI Insurance is the best insurance for any kind of adventurous destination, like French Guiana.
Best time to visit
The drier seasons (January to April and August to November) are the most pleasant months.
Tours
Stay tuned, we’ll soon schedule an expedition into the country.
Money
The official currency in French Guyana is the Euro (€)
You can pay by card in many places, but in small businesses and taxis, so do bring some spare change with you.
Budget: Starting at €100 a day. There aren’t any hostels and prices here are standard French prices, this isn’t a budget
destination for backpackers.
Independent travel in French Guyana
If you look at the map, you’ll see that French Guiana is 98% covered in thick jungle, with no roads to travel through.
There’s only one small road that you can travel across, from the border with Suriname to Brazil. To be fair, there are 1 or 2 more very narrow roads that go into the jungle, bur won’t take you very far.
This makes independent travel in French Guiana practically impossible, since to visit the remotest places, a private plane must be chartered and arranged with respective and specific jungle lodge.
Top experiences in French Guiana
Cayenne
Discover what a colonial French city in South America looks like.
Markets
Ethnically colorful, local markets in this country make you forget you are in the EU.
French-Guyanese food
In Cayenne, go for French food with local, Guyanese twists.
Salvation islands
Today a tourist attraction, Salvation islands used to house the most infamous French prison.
tips for French Guiana
Accommodation
There aren’t a lot of options, most of them being apartment rental.
Getting in
By air, there is a daily flight to Paris with Air France.
You can also get in from Suriname and Brazil.
Transportation
There’s very little public transportation, the French have invested very very little in public transportation.
Shared, collective taxis can be arranged.