Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni

A convict town on the Maroni River, where the transportation camp and colonial old town tell its prison history, and where you can paddle a dugout canoe upriver or watch leatherback turtles nest.

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni lies in the northwest corner of French Guiana, on the east bank of the lower Maroni River, facing Albina in Suriname across the water. It is the region's second-largest city. Between 1852 and 1953, France exiled about 70,000 convicts to Guiana. Saint-Laurent was where all convicts landed and were registered, and the town itself was built almost entirely by convicts, earning it the name “City of Convicts.” Today it is a French “Town of Art and History.”

The main attractions are within walking distance. The Camp de la Transportation tour visits the cells and the “Papillon” carvings. The official old town has the former hospital, a church and colonial buildings, and the market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings brings together Creole, Maroon, Hmong, Indigenous and other communities. Dugout canoe trips on the Maroni visit riverside villages, and you can also cross to Albina in Suriname.

Further afield: 15 km south is the Saint-Jean penal camp; to the east are the old town of Mana and the Hmong village of Javouhey, which holds a market on Sundays; in the southern rainforest is Voltaire Falls. North of Mana, the beaches of Awala-Yalimapo are one of the world's major leatherback turtle nesting sites, and from March to July you can watch the turtles at night.

The climate is hot and humid. August–November is the main dry season, with short dry spells in December–January and March; the rest of the year is rainy. From Cayenne, drive National Route 1 for about 3.5 hours, or take a long-distance minibus. Local sights are spread out, so renting a car or joining a tourism-office guided tour is recommended. Plan 2–3 days. Bring mosquito repellent and cash in euros. Crossing to Suriname requires a passport, and check visa requirements in advance.

Top sights

• Camp de la Transportation – The entry camp of France's penal colony system in French Guiana. Guided tours take you through the cells and past the name carved by 'Papil…
• Maroni River Pirogue Trip – Take a long pirogue along the Maroni, the border river between French Guiana and Suriname, and visit Maroon and Indigenous villages on its…
• Saint-Laurent Old Town – A colonial complex of 'Official Quarter' buildings erected by convicts, with an old prison hospital, a church and a lively market on Wednes…
• Saint-Jean Camp – The ruins of a relegation camp for habitual offenders on the upper Maroni River, with cell blocks and administrative buildings scattered th…
• Albina – A Surinamese border town across the Maroni River, a ten-minute ferry or canoe ride from Saint-Laurent. It makes an easy cross-border day tr…
• Mana – A historic colonial village on the Mana River, founded by the nun Anne-Marie Javouhey. It has a wooden church and a peaceful riverside.
• Javouhey Hmong Village – A farming village established by Hmong refugees from Laos in the late 1970s. On Sunday mornings, the market offers noodle soup, grilled mea…
• Chutes Voltaire – A cascading waterfall deep in the rainforest south of Saint-Laurent. Nearby hammock camps offer overnight stays, with howler monkey calls i…
• Saut Sabbat – Rapids and sandbars on the Maroni River, with rainforest riverside camps where locals come on weekends to swim, picnic and stay overnight.

Where to eat

• La Goélette – A restaurant on a converted old boat moored on the Maroni River, with views across the water to Suriname. It is the hig…
• Tipik Kréol – A creole institution in the city center for over twenty years, serving colombo curry, calaloo and Guianese game.