As an old penal colony, Saint-Laurent du Maroni has the distinction of being a town built by and for convicts.
Saint-Laurent is next to the River Maroni in western French Guiana, and 70 years after the colony shut down the remnants of camps are not hard to find. If you’ve read the book Papillon you’ll want to see firsthand what the author went through. The wide, muddy Maroni River forms a natural border with Suriname and promises endless ecotourism escapades: You can hack through the primeval jungle, visit Amerindian tribes and spot exotic wildlife most of us have only seen in movies. Let's explore the best things to do in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.
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1. Camp de la Transportation
Life in the criminal colonies of France in the 30s and 40s was revealed to the world in Papillon, an autobiography of former prisoner Henri Charrière. Whether you read the book or not, you should take the guided tour of the facility where the new prisoners arrive to be treated.
Most of the old prison buildings are in decent shape and give a good if the grisly sense of what it must have been like for a prisoner: You’ll see the solitary cells and learn about torture methods.
Also preserved is Charrière, the cell organization before he is sent to the colony of Devil Island. Here among other prisoners' graffiti, the word "papillon" is engraved.
2. Petit Paris
When you get to Saint-Laurent du Maroni drop by the tourist office for a leaflet with an itinerary of the town center.
Affectedly known as Petit Paris, these roads joined when the prison camp expanded after 1887. With many officials and officials coming to the town of Saint-Laurent du Maroni aired at this time.
There are bulletin boards in French and English that tell stories of structures such as the Governor's Mansion (now the subdivision's home), the Maritime Court, the town hall and the old bank, the Saint- Laurent and Joffre Barracks (currently the headquarters of the gendarmerie).
3. Centre d’Interprétation de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine
The former kitchen and mess hall at Camp de Transportation has been turned into an exhibition space.
Here there are displays on the daily life of the 70,000 convicts who came through these doors between 1852 and 1938. There are sketches, photographs and artifacts recalling the voyage from the port at Saint-Martin-de-Ré in Western France across the Atlantic to Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni.
Then in the old dormitories, there’s an exhibition showing when and how the town was built, and some of the challenges it may face in the future.
4. Camp de la Rélégation
About 15 kilometers up the Maroni River is another former prison camp, opening for tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
In terms of penalties, relegation, which means people who have committed repeat offenses before they are sent to Guiana have little hope of being free: After years of hard labor, they have been sent to This colony, currently in the village of Saint-Jean.
Here some 18,000 people were granted extra rights like being able to contract for work, on the condition that they never attempted to leave the colony. These buildings were reused to house immigrants from Eastern Europe after the war and more recently as barracks.
There is a contemporary sculpture commemorating those convicted by Bertrand Piéchaud in front of the camp.
5. Marché
At Place Flore Lithaw there is a market every Wednesday and Saturday from 07:00 to 14:00. If you want to feel about Saint-Laurent, there's nowhere like it.
You rub your shoulders with the residents who return for their day, catch the Guianese Créole conversations and the friendly hostess calls. And then there’s the enticing spectacle of tropical fruits and vegetables like cassava, bananas, papaya, mango, yam, and rambutans, some of which you’ll know and other so exotic you may need to ask about.
Blending with the scent of the market is the scent of local Chinese cuisine, Bushinengué (Creole), H'mong (South Asia) being prepared at the market restaurant.
6. Banks of the Maroni River
The saint-Laurent tourist office, just a few steps from the river, this is a good place to stop for a picnic or admire the vast blue Maroni River under the swaying palm. There’s a refreshing breeze by the water and a kiosk for fresh tropical fruit juice, ice creams or crêpes.
As you wander you’ll notice something that at first looks like an island, but is actually a shipwreck overcome by tropical vegetation. This is the Edith Cavell, a British Merchant Navy vessel that ran aground in 1925 and was left here after efforts to tow it failed.
7. Île aux Lépreux
Opportunities for adventure abound in Laurent-du-Maroni, but you don’t have to embark on a grueling expedition to escape civilization. The Ile aux Lépreux river island is uninhabited because as the name will tell you, it's a quarantine place these days.
That period is long gone, and now it’s a space of semi-wilderness for quiet walks. There are typical Amazonian huts in the forest, known as carpets; these are shelters with no walls, designed to help people keep cool at night.
On this island, they have been equipped with benches and you can pause to drink water or picnic.
8. Forêt de Saint-Jean
Another wild excursion near Saint-Laurent is a forest trip to the prison camp in Saint-Jean, which was retaken by the forest. This camp was founded in the early 20th century and is connected to Saint-Laurent by rail.
But about 70 years after it stops working, you may need an experienced guide to show evidence of this missing compound. Whether you walk or ride a mountain bike, a lot of the fun of the path comes from tropical flora, as you glide over palm trees or cross the roots of large hardwood trees.
9. La Charbonnière
There’s the history of a more recent kind in this quarter of Saint-Laurent.
This neighborhood was built in the mid-80s to house members of the Maroon ethnic group (descendants of runaway slaves). They fled the civil war in Namibia, rumbling in the river until 1992. La Charbonnière lay by the river, with locals parked on the banks and unloading fresh fruit for shops and markets.
It’s still a down-at-heel part of Saint-Laurent, but the village’s dwellings are cute chalet-style huts coated with wood shingles.
10. Rhumerie Saint-Maurice
Open to visitors in the morning, Rhumerie Saint-Maurice is the only remaining rum distillery in French Guiana. The facility was modernized around five years ago at a cost of €8m and the much-loved La Belle Cabresse, an award-winning white rum with 50-55% vol.
In the store, you'll find rum that has been three or seven years, and of course, you can try before you buy. A good thing about coming to the source is that bottles are much cheaper at the distillery than if you buy then in other towns around Guiana, like Cayenne or Kourou.
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