I couldn’t go to Suriname without stopping next door to French Guiana! Why? Because A. It is an overseas department of France, so I could add entering the EU on a tattered boat to my bucket list. B. Have proper croissants and have my EU data roaming work. C. Visit the Guiana Space Centre aka Spaceport !
So we went to Kourou! It is a town on the northeastern coast of French Guiana, and its main reputation is primarily for being the location of the Guiana Space Centre (Centre Spatial Guyanais or CSG). The Guiana Space Centre is a major European spaceport used by the European Space Agency (ESA), the French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), and Arianespace, a commercial space launch company.
The Guiana Space Centre launches various rockets, including the Ariane family of rockets, which launch satellites and other payloads into Space. Kourou has an advantage for space launches because of its proximity to the equator, which provides a natural boost to rockets during launch.
It was pretty easy to get a tour there. They have regular tours in French and English. We picked the French tour as it was the only one available; luckily, two of us had passable French and the other one we were able to help out. The tours are free; you have to book ahead. There isn’t that much security compared to the other space centers in the US that I have been to. You get a tour and lecture in the control room and a bus trip to the launching pads.
How to get to Kourou from Suriname
First, you must get to Albina, Suriname, the closest town to the border with French Guiana. Quite a few shared taxis are going there from Suriname. Unfortunately, as I mentioned, transport and infrastructure are very weak in this part of the world, so public transport is not an option.
Once you get there, you have the fun part! You go through passport control, and then you get to cross the e Marowijne River separates Suriname from French Guiana. You’ll need to cross the river to reach Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a town on the French Guiana side. There are lots of little boats going back and forth. The boat will make two stops; there is one that drops people off who are going into ” the back entrance”, which is primarily locals doing some trading or some errands, and the second stop, which is the official border crossing. We did the second one to avoid any issues, and we all had EU documents, so there was no point in sneaking into France.
You can easily catch a bus to Kourou from there; although the timetables are limited, there are at least several a day. You can take a shared taxi for around 40-50 euros a car, although you can talk your price down to them. But don’t be too relentless.
What else is there to do in Kourou?
Another notable thing you can see in Kourou is Devil’s Island. It used to be a harsh penal colony; the famous story of Papillion is based on this place.
The prison complex on Devil’s Island and two neighbouring islands, Île Royale and Saint-Joseph Island. The prison took in political prisoners, criminals, and prisoners of various backgrounds. The most famous prisoner was Alfred Dreyfus, wrongfully accused of treason in a highly controversial case known as the Dreyfus Affair.
The place is now part of a national park and open to tourists. You can take a ferry to the Island and walk around the prison ruins. You can see the prison ruins slowly being taken back by nature. It serves as a reminder that the planet will adapt, but we won’t as a species. We went on a foggy and rainy day which I guess is a more appropriate setting than a sunny day for such a somber place. Having a nice beach day there is like having an ice cream cone at a concentration camp.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely! While Korou is a bit of a trek, I recommend it if you are interested in French History, Creole Culture and Space. Being in the European Union but in a jungle setting is also weird. You see all kinds of French license plates from Metropolitan France. You see an exciting mix of Creole, Metropolitan French and even handfuls of Hmong culture. Like Suriname, the French sent many indentured workers from their Asian colonies who currently work as merchants.
It was my first time visiting an overseas French territory. This was another destination where I had a fantastic Couchsurfing host who opened his home to us. We were also lucky to get there when it was Mardi Gras. So we got to see how the locals celebrated it. Unfortunately, the big party is on the Monday before and was postponed to the end of the week due to bad weather. But this New Orleans girl found herself a king cake and some red beans and rice.
Interesting place..very well written!