French Guiana in South America
Located in the north coast of South America, French Guiana is an overseas province of France. Flanked by Suriname and Brazil it meets the North Atlantic Ocean. It holds low lying plains to hills and mountains as part of the geographical arrangement. French Guiana boasts of natural resources like gold, timber, bauxite, fish, petroleum, clay and more. Products like rosewood essence, timber, gold, shrimp, garments and rum are exported from the country. It possesses tropical climate which is warm and humid with little variations in weather which fluctuates with the seasons.
Travel to French Guiana: The airline of French Guiana is Air Guyane but it only provides domestic flights. The flight companies that assist French Guiana’s international needs are Air France, Surinam Airways and Air Canada. Air Caraibes and TAF are the other airlines that use French Guiana as their international gateway. If you want to take a connecting flight from Brazil then Penta and Air Caraibes will provide the services.
The main international airport in French Guiana is Rochambeau International Airport. Located in Cayenne it is approximately 15 km from the city. Taxis are readily available from the airport and it takes about twenty five minutes to reach the city. Facilities like bars, banks, authorised currency exchanger, car hire and newsagents are available at the airport.
You can also reach French Guiana by car or bus from Brazil and Suriname by the road. Boats are accessible from Brazil and Suriname and crossing the rivers Oyapoque and Le Maroni will not take a lot of time. The charges are not very expensive but you may have to bargain.
Attractions
Emerald Jungle Village The Emerald Jungle Village is a picturesque holiday location. This tropical nature centre is located at Carrefour du Gallion. This spot is about 15 km from the international airport and approximately 25 km from the capital city, Cayenne. This village has guest rooms and behind the cottage a trail leads you to the rainforest where you can see exotic plants like arums and bromeliads. This place is frequented by nature lovers who want to relish the Amazonian rainforest of French Guiana. You can roam around by minibuses, motorboats, canoe or a bike. You may also get a lovely hiking experience here.
Several beaches around the area are also a good tourists spot.
Language France is the official language in the country. This is the language spoken by the majority of the population. French is taught is the schools and also used for major media information in French Guiana. Among the other languages that have made their presence are Haitian Creole French, Saramaccan, North Levantine Spoken Arabic and Hmong Njua. Other languages like Carib, Hakka which is a Chinese dialect, Caribbean Javanese, Arawak, Emerillon, Palikur, Wayana, Guianese Creole French and Wayampi are used among minorities for verbal communication. English is also spreading around and is familiar among the younger generation.
Shopping: Well, being a foreign territory of a European country, boutiques should dominate in the shopping industry. This is no exception for the French Guiana as over the years many boutiques have developed and many new ones have emerged. Offering a wide variety of the goods the clothes are also exported. Handicrafts also take the place of special purchases. The Maroon wooden carvings here are exceptional and the beauty may amuse you. Other good purchases are embroidery, gold jewellery, pottery, basketry, hammocks and wooden statuettes.
Euro is the currency of the French Guiana. As it is one of the well known currencies money exchange would not be such a big issue. If you hold other foreign currencies then you can exchange it at the airports and authorised exchangers. Money can be exchanged on all days except Saturdays. ATMs are accessible at the cities. Major credit cards are acceptable but refer to your credit card companies for more details. Traveller’s cheques have limited acceptance but it is better to carry Traveller’s cheques in US Dollars, Euros or Pounds Sterling in order to avoid additional charges.
Destinations
Cayenne At the mouth of the river Cayenne stands this capital of the country. It is a multicultural city where Brazilians, Creoles, Haitians, Asians, Hmong and Europeans have found a place. You can reach the city by the international airport and there are many amiable places to lodge here. There are many beaches surrounding the place and many other interesting places are present to spend the evening. This city is the hub for the shrimp industry. An annual carnival is held here which brings a lot of tourists. It starts on the arrival of the Carnival King on the first Sunday after the birth of the New Year. Balls and parades bring a lot of glory until the Mardi Gras.
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