If you’ve never heard of French Guiana, you may have heard of the territory’s infamously horrid prison of Île du Diable, AKA Devil’s Island. If you’re really good at this, you’ll remember the film Papillon staring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman that was all about the hell-hole.
While the French territories speckling the Caribbean — Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin — have long solidified their claim as the kinds of fabulous destinations everybody and their mother goes to, French Guiana (“Guyane” to the natives) is about as rustic as it gets. If things to do/places to go/people to meet are exactly what you are trying to get away from on a vacation, it is my pleasure to introduce you your Nirvana. So long as you speak French.
A little background: South America’s colonial history is as colorful as that of its northern counterpart. European powers tussled for centuries over the continent; French Guiana, located on the northeastern coast and a rainforest from end to end, is the sole foothold France managed to retain, and has been an integral part of France since the 1940s. WAY off the world tourist map, the somewhat sleepy capital, Cayenne, is petite compared to Miami and outright swallowed whole by New York.
But that somewhat sleepiness has its good points: the entire coast is virtually untouched, and beachside gay-friendly guesthouses like the Le Frangipanier (lefrangipanier-guyane.fr) make the most of it. Being off the beaten track also means that Cayenne and French Guiana as a whole is far less touristy and pre-fabricated than other tropical getaways.
So what’s to do? Aside from the pearl-white beaches available year-round, the best time to go is when Carnival hits. Unlike anywhere else in the world, in French Guiana the pre-Lenten blowout starts on Epiphany, meaning you have both January and February to dance in the streets until you keel over. A couple of native spins are the Karolin, the local Carnival spirit whose disguise of a magpie’s tail paired with a top hat is an easy make, and the bat-like Soussouris. But beware the Les Neg’marrons, a famous troupe of men wearing red loincloths and holding tomatoes in their mouths. Covered head to toe in molasses, they hug anybody within reach.
A few pointers: while French Guiana is firmly on the Atlantic, a steady steam of immigrants from French Caribbean territories to the north means a taste of the islands is never far off. French Guiana is also a part of the European Union, so brush up on your dollar-to-euro exchange rates while packing.
Interested? Tourisme-guyane.com is a great place to get you started and Steele Luxury Travel can help you get there! Contact [email protected] for more details.
Steele Luxury Travel
www.SteeleTravel.com