Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
French Guiana · 6 m
Description
Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni was founded in 1857 as the reception camp of the penal colony, and every convict shipped to French Guiana passed through the Camp de la Transportation before being sent on. The cells still stand with the graffiti of the men held in them, including Papillon's. The town around it keeps a grid of colonial administration buildings in ochre and white. The Maroni is the border with Suriname and pirogues cross it constantly to Albina. Maroon and Amerindian villages lie upriver. Some seventy thousand convicts were shipped to the penal colony before France closed it in 1953.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 4 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: August – November
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Camp de la Transportation
- Convict cells and their graffiti
- Pirogue across the Maroni
- Colonial quarter in ochre and white
- Maroon villages upriver
- Saint-Laurent market on Wednesday and Saturday (Wednesday)
- Camp de la Relégation ruins
- Musée Alexandre-Franconie annexe on the penal colony
- Amerindian craft along the riverfront
Getting there
- Airports:
- LDX