Iles du Salut and Kourou

Three Islands Off Kourou That Held The Notorious Penal Colony Including Devil'S Island, Facing The Guiana Space Centre, Europe'S Spaceport · Kourou, French Guiana

The Îles du Salut are three small, green islands in the Atlantic about 14 kilometres off Kourou, confirm, and between the mid-nineteenth century and the 1950s they were among the most feared parts of the French penal colony in Guiana. Île Royale held the administration, hospital and main prison blocks, Île Saint-Joseph the solitary confinement cells, and the Île du Diable, Devil's Island, the political prisoners, most famously Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Henri Charrière's book Papillon made the name known worldwide. Today catamarans and boats run out from Kourou, roughly an hour each way, confirm, to Île Royale, where prison ruins stand among palms with monkeys, agoutis and macaws, and an inn serves meals and rents rooms. Devil's Island itself cannot be landed on because of the currents. On the mainland, the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's spaceport, offers free guided tours and a space museum, and launches of Ariane and Vega rockets can be watched from public sites. The climate is hot and humid, and a yellow fever vaccination is required for entry.

Kourou and the Îles du Salut (Île Royale, Île Saint-Joseph, Île du Diable), French Guiana, Kourou, French Guiana, France

Boats to the Îles du Salut leave Kourou most days of the year, usually early in the morning with a return in the late afternoon, and several operators run catamarans, motor boats and sailing trips; book a day or more ahead, especially at weekends and in French school holidays, and confirm the timetable, which depends on the sea. The islands belong to the space agency and lie under the rocket flight path, so they are closed to visitors and evacuated around launch days; confirm the launch calendar before planning. The inn on Île Royale serves lunch daily for boat visitors and takes overnight guests, with a limited number of rooms and hammock spaces that sell out, so reserve ahead. The Guiana Space Centre runs free guided tours on set days, normally weekdays, which must be booked well ahead with a passport or national identity card and are suspended on launch days and for security reasons; confirm the current booking system and age limits. The space museum has its own opening days and is usually closed on some days of the week. Launch viewing sites need advance registration and close if a launch slips.

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