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| French Guiana, it's discovery and adventure tourism
in sometimes unusual and peculiar conditions ! Travelling to Guiana is an easy thing : it's France and therefore it's also the
European Union. But really discovering the french Amazonia implies to get out of the
coastal strip, which is only possible securely in a well organized frame.
As a
matter of fact, the roads being concentrated along the coast, the rivers, Maroni, Oyapock,
Mana, Approuague, Kourou, for limiting the list to the main ones, are, except planes, the
only penetration means in the inner country.
The visitors will follow them during the excursions proposed to them, "long runs outside time and space" in localy
fabricated pirogues skillfully driven by natives through the rapids.
The touristic products, presented in the following pages,
have, as a common caracteristic, the discovery of the european space activities in Kourou,
and of course the possibility to ATTEND AN ARIANE LAUNCH.
These
journeys are dedicated as well to individuals as to groups which may be relatively large (up
to 150 persons). |
The discovery of the touristic spots will allways be in
total security using reliable and comfortable means.
A tourism of exception,
cultural, customized and human sized, allowing for each to intensively live his journey.
THE
FRENCH AMAZONIA !
Guiana
is located at North-East of South America about 7 100 km away of France and 1 700 km away
of the west-indies.
It's
the only french speaking land in South America, it is part both of the geographic set of
the Guianas and of the economical set of the E.E.C.
It
is the bigger, the oldest and less populated of all the french overseas departments with
its 90 000 km2 of surface and 150.000 inhabitants. The 80 % of the urban population is
concentrated on 320 km along the coast without any penetration of the 9/10e of the
back-country covered with forest. |
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COLORS
AND RACES MOSAIC
9/10e
of the population is constituted by originately foreign elements : black, whites,
asiatics. The cultural, economic and social integration remaining though incomplete, it's
more suitable to talk about pluricultural and pluriethnic society. |
The
amerindians settlement, may be old of several dozen of millenniums is numerically limited
to several thousands of individuals, never been enslaved.
Small communities of black people descendant of
fugitives slaves from the hollandeese Guiana (Surinam), so-called "marrons",
(Buschs, Djukas, Bonis et Saramacas), have reconstituted along the river Maroni coasts,
their tribal structures from african origins. |
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The
europeans are quite numerous nowadays, likewise the haitians, bresilians and Saint-lucians
immigrants |
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The
asiatics, arrived at the beginning of the century from Formose, singapour Viet-Nam and
China, know a certain economic success, particularly in the commerce.
The
settling from 1977 of the mountain peoples called H'mongs who are politic refugies from
Laos is certainly one of the most original contribution to the immigration in Guiana.
Indeed, today, they are the main producers of fruits and fresh vegetables of Guiana.
French
Guiana counts 165 000 inhabitants. |
AMAZONIAN
FLORA AND FAUNA
Exuberant
and colorfull, often giant and sometime amazing, the guianeese flora is typically
tropical.
Some flowers name are besides very eloquent : Chacha,
Pink-Flamants, Paradise birds, parrot beak, tiger claws, Alpinias or butterfly orchidies. |
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The
natural and inextricable tumble of Amazonia, decline into many species whose the most
known are the palm trees |
Flower
trees like frangipanes, Flamboyants and tulip trees ; the other fruit trees like avocado
trees, cacaoyer, mango trees, guava trees and lemon trees (indispensable in every creols
garden for the famous "Ti-Punch") admirably complete the list of the vegetable
curiosities growing here naturally. |
If the fauna is riche of
various species, it would be wrong to think that it's easy to discover animals in their
natural environment. Monkeys, jaguars, anteater, doe and agouti won't be seen but with a
lot of patience and luck. In swampy lands, you will be able to see many birds and,
nightfall, caļmans. |
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Forget
about snakes would be a mistake but confirm their pullulation and their dangers would be
flattering too quick imaginations. |
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The birds like ibis,
aigrettes, toucans, will be dicovered in their nest-building place or by chance on flight.
Guiana is also rich in peruches, parots and those are the most colorful of the world. The
most spectacular and the bigger are the long tale Aras whose the feathers are red, blue,
green and yellow.
Likewise,
the taking fly of irreals colors butterflies will dazzle you. |
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