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3 Guianas tours, Suriname, Guyana & French Guiana

The regions collectively known as ‘the Guianas’ comprises the countries of Suriname and Guyana, plus French Guiana, a department of France. They make a great trio if you want a trip with wildlife, culture and unique contrast – after all, who else do you know who has done all three? Read on for how to visit the three Guianas on one trip.

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3 Guianas tours, Suriname, Guyana & French Guiana

“We went into a bar in Paramaribo with a band playing. They were all Sikhs – all wearing white – and they were a Black Sabbath tribute band,” says Rafe Stone, from our partner Pioneer Expeditions. He’s recalling a recent visit to Suriname and French Guiana.

To tell a story about traveling through the Guianas is to go off on a series of tangents – because the people you meet all have interesting stories about how they got there themselves.

As you meet different cultural groups, you’ll see true multiculturalism at work. People have come here for centuries – many not by choice – and made these countries their home. To make the most out of a tour traveling through the Guianas, you must be interested in people, their stories and the very nature of belonging itself.

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What is the Guianas?

The Guianas is commonly thought of as the three countries and regions between Venezuela and Brazil on the north-east coast of South America. They are: Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Whilst the first two are countries, French Guiana is a department of France.

The Guianas region actually also includes part of Venezuela that was formerly known as Spanish Guayana, and Amapá in Brazil, previously called Portuguese Guiana – but tourists tend to only visit the first three.

Why ‘Guianas’? Suriname was part of Dutch Guiana during its time as a Dutch colony. Guyana was known as British Guiana until its independence from its coloniser in 1966. The word ‘Guyana’ itself means ‘land of many waters’. There are many important rivers here, including the Demerara River in Guyana, the Suriname River and the Oyapock River, which delineates French Guiana from Brazil. Given the demographics of the region, you might also think of the Guianas as the ‘land of many peoples’.

People of the Guianas

The original population of the region gave the world words like ‘jaguar’ (Tupi-Guarani) and ‘canoe’ (Arawakan).

Later, having murdered and displaced the indigenous population, the foreign powers that controlled the Guianas spent a lot of time trying to populate them. The French sent prisoners to French Guiana. Enslaved people, followed by indentured workers, were sent to Suriname and Guyana to work on plantations. “Guyana is multi-faith, multi-racial, built on the stories of the terrible dark history of sugar and slavery,” says Claire Thorne. “You’ve got all these different cultures in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, and different festivals, cuisines, fiestas.”

Couple this with the fact that 60 percent of Guyanese live outside of their homeland – seeking work in bigger states like Brazil, and you have countries with a very interesting concept of belonging.

In a bid to build their resources in French Guiana in the 19th century, France ordered that prisoners sent to the penal colonies there to serve their sentence twice – once in prison and once when out of prison in the country in the hope of setting up a French population there. This resulted in 90 percent of the inmates dying from tropical diseases. Today, the Salvation Islands are popular historic sites to visit on the tourist route in French Guiana.

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Modern multiculturalism

The result is cultural whiplash. For travelers, this is expressed three times a day in the food: a bowl of pho from a Hmong market in French Guiana, deciding between an Indian and Javanese restaurant in Suriname, before settling on having Chinese food, or a taste of ‘7 curry’ – a celebration dish comprised of multiple vegetarian curries over rice – in Guyana.

Why visit the Guianas?

“People ask – how do you sum up these really unique places?” says Claire Thorne, one of the directors of Wilderness Explorers, who work with Pioneer Expeditions on trips to the Guianas. “I tell them – Guyana for wildlife… Suriname for Paramaribo… and then there’s French Guiana…”

When you’re visiting the three Guianas, you’ll find Guyana pips the others to the post for its reputation for wildlife. Beneath its thin strip of populated coastline, little human activity has taken purchase in the deep rainforest and savannah. Within the rainforest there’s a giant waterfall, a tangle of otter-filled rivers, and fascinating, little-seen wildlife like golden frogs, harpy eagles and the cock-of-the-rock, Guyana’s jaunty national bird.

Going on Suriname’s superlatives alone gives you an idea of the country, but not the whole picture. It’s the smallest country in South America, its least densely populated, and most forested. But this doesn’t tell you about its extraordinary mix of peoples: Indigenous tribes; Afro-Surinamese peoples, some of whom live subsistence lifestyles in the forest; the 14 percent of its population who are Javanese; and its growing Chinese population.

When you cross the border into French Guiana , you are in France. Workers are paid in euros and the European Space Agency launches rockets from French soil. French Guiana’s Creolean cultural expression reaches its zenith over carnival. Celebrations last from January to March. The carnival is an opportunity for people from many cultures to come out in support and party in the streets: visitors from mainland France, Brazil and beyond, the region’s Chinese community among them.

What is it like traveling through the Guianas?

For a taste of what it’s like traveling in the Guianas, look at the borders, which highlight the contrasts between the countries, and the many rivers that gave them their names.

When you drive into Guyana from Brazil you cross the only place on earth where there’s an elaborate road system that takes you from the right side of the road in Brazil, to the left as you cross the bridge – they drive on the left in Guyana, a hangover from British rule. They stick to the left in Suriname, too.

To get in and out of Suriname, you cross its rivers. Corentyne River separates it from Guyana and can be crossed by ferry. Maroni River separates Suriname from French Guiana, and it’s best to charter a pirogue (dugout canoe).

The canoe crossing between Albina (Suriname) and St Laurence (French Guiana) takes 10 minutes, but the places it links could not be more different: colourful Albina, with boats pulled high onto the beach in front of rows of painted wooden houses. When you land in French Guiana you’ll land at St-Laurent-du-Maroni, a former deportation camp for French prisoners.

Traveling in the Guianas with a tour operator

There aren’t many people who operate tours crossing the Guianas. There are logistical difficulties getting around, as independent travelers soon discover – including infrequent and expensive flights. “Unless you’re very exploratory traveling it on your own is very, very tough,” explains Rafe. “Consequently, having things arranged for you is by far and away the easiest way to do a trip.”

How long do you need to visit all three Guianas?

You’d need over two weeks to visit all three countries satisfactorily. Although they are smaller than their South American neighbours (Guyana is the size of Great Britain), their main sights are spread out, meaning that there is lots of traveling involved to see them – for example, getting to the unmissable Kaieteur Falls requires an internal flight and reaching rainforest lodges can involve prolonged river voyages.

Expect to divide your time unequally between the countries: more time in Guyana – the largest, with more spread-out sights – and less in Suriname and French Guiana.

Highlights of exploring the Guianas

There are people who want to tick off countries – here, they get three countries that no one else they know has been to!

– Rafe Stone, from our Guianas expert Pioneer Expeditions

Paramaribo, Suriname

Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, is of modest proportions but behind each grand wooden veranda is a different story. This is one of the most diverse cities in the Guianas. The inner city is a UNESCO heritage site with Dutch-Creole architecture, but the wider city is fantastic for cuisine-crossing and culture-clashing adventures.

Danpaati, Suriname

This rainforested region of Suriname is home to many Afro-Surinamese people. These Creole and Maroon peoples – the Maroons being descendants of escaped enslaved Africans – established communities in the Danpaati region and have been there ever since. Visit their villages and discover the traditions that have crossed continents, all in the midst of the dense jungle.

Commewijne, Suriname

The Commewijne district near Paramaribo has a driving loop that takes you through the diverse sights of the Commewijne district, including 17th-century plantations. Most of the plantations have been abandoned, so much so that the oldest on the route, Peperpot, which dates back to British occupation of the region, is now a nature park and a great birdwatching spot.

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

The European Space Agency launches from the Guiana Space Centre near Kourou in French Guiana, taking advantage of the French territory’s proximity to the equator, which makes it easy to fire satellites into geostationary orbit. Visitors can come and tour six launch sites and a space museum. As for going ‘out to launch’ – launch dates are a closely guarded secret, but you might be lucky and witness one.

Devil’s Island, French Guiana

Three islands – Devil’s Island, Ile Saint Joseph, Ile Royale – make up the notorious triad off the shore of French Guiana, where a French penal colony operated until 1953. Though Devil’s Island is closed to visitors it was once where the most notorious criminals were kept, surrounded by shark-infested waters. As their brutal history becomes increasingly distant, these islands have become known for their beauty and as a place to relax on an itinerary that doesn’t have many beaches.

Kaieteur Falls, Guyana

A gigantic, remote waterfall on the Potaro River, Kaieteur Falls is Guyana’s natural highlight. It’s reached by a flight from Georgetown; there is an airstrip near the top of the falls. Your light aircraft trip travels briefly over farmland before it covers acres of rainforest broken only by the threads of the Demerara and Essequibo rivers. If the flight doesn’t give you a sense of dizzying height, then the waterfall’s crashing 200m drop will.

Iwokrama Forest, Guyana

Guyana’s rainforests are brim-full of fascinating species, many no better seen than in Iwokrama. This forest in the middle of the Guiana Shield spans thousands of kilometres. It’s big enough to hold many of Guyana’s massive mammals – though spotting them all is a separate matter. Freshwater fish, birds and bats appear here in record numbers, and there’s a healthy number of jaguars too, though you’d be very lucky to see one. Alongside this ecological abundance, it is a well-established ecotourism destination – stay in a lodge for canopy walks and rainforest exploration.

Practicalities

You’ll need to take multiple flights to explore the Guianas, some of which are internal – to take you from the populated coast to the remote jungle. You should expect a fast-paced trip to cover these three countries at once. There are some long journeys involved, too. You are going off the beaten track – don’t expect internet, hot water or electricity in every location you’ll stay. Non-escorted tours involve meeting local guides at different destinations – a great way to get accurate information about where you are, straight from source. And you’ll always have help a phone call away, and detailed notes to support your adventure. Food is expensive. These places are more like Caribbean islands than continental countries in terms of cost at the supermarket till. Guyana imports many of its foodstuffs; in French Guiana many goods come from France. Tours of attractions in French Guiana are in French. A guide may be able to help you translate at places like the Space Centre.

3 Guianas tours, Suriname, Guyana & French Guiana