Officially we never went there - but we really did. We skipped visiting Kourou though.
We were afraid we could get into trouble or being refused access to ports if we had been registered
as visitors in French Guyana (COVID-19 fright).
We arrived there in the dark early in the morning, 13th March and anchored in a bay off the main island named Ile du Royale.
We met one of the officials after we got ashore he welcomed us and said they didn't bother doing check-ins for boats visiting for a day or two. The island is where the main prison was and where the islands/prison administration was located. There are 3 islands and the other two was Isle St. Joseph and Ile du Diable.
Prior to arriving we had both read the book Papillon, by Henri Charriere. He was prisoned there for many years. Did several escapes, got caught - but finally managed to escape and found refuge in Venezuela.
One of the buildings there was now converted to a restaurant and a hotel. Many of the former houses for guards/families was part of the hotel. The restaurant had some nice cold beers.
The beer tasted fantastic especially after a long walk around the island.
Walking around the prison camp we saw and recognised all the places Henri Charriere had written about.
This is the prison directors residence.
The church
The hospital
View from top of the island
Prison cells
The bay where we anchored
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| There were many of these on the island. |
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| What this animal called ? |
Harbour
Ile de Diable
Prisoners quarters
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