Cayenne Devil's Island French Guiana
Frequently Asked Questions
On Île Royale, the largest of the three. Ships anchor offshore and tenders come alongside there. Devil's Island itself remains off limits, guarded by violent currents.
Yes. Proof of yellow fever vaccination is required to go ashore. Without it, landing is refused: check your record before you travel.
Because eighteenth-century colonists escaped the mainland fevers here. The name suggests deliverance, even though history turned the place into the most feared penal colony in France.
A shaded path climbs from the landing to the plateau, where the former prison administration buildings stand: a chapel with walls painted by inmates, a hospital with tall windows, warders' quarters, and cells whose bars rust under the mango trees. A small museum traces the convicts' daily life.
About 70,000, between 1852 and 1953. Some restored buildings tell of escape attempts and the famous names held here; other ruins are slowly vanishing under the roots.
You can see it; you cannot go there. From the north point of Royale the view reaches Devil's Island a few hundred metres away: this is where Captain Alfred Dreyfus, wrongly convicted of treason, lived more than four years in isolation from 1895. A bench facing the channel lets you measure the distance.
Henri Charrière, known as Papillon, made the Guianese hell famous in a memoir that became a worldwide bestseller and was filmed twice. His name is as bound to these rocks as Dreyfus's.
About three kilometres, an hour and a half at an easy pace, between coconut groves, volcanic rock coves and viewpoints over the other two islands. The equatorial heat sets the pace: water, a hat and shade breaks are part of the plan.
Capuchin monkeys follow visitors along the paths, agoutis dash under the coconut palms and iguanas warm themselves on the low walls. Macaws sometimes cross the sky in a flash of blue and gold.
No, it is not advised: currents are strong around all three islands. Bring closed shoes, insect repellent and sun protection instead; an inn in the former warders' mess serves Creole meals and cold drinks.
