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The beaches near St Laurent, specifically the beach at Awala-Yalimapo are one of the best areas to sea giant leatherback turtles laying eggs, up to 50% of the worlds population uses the coastline of the Guyanas and the beach at Awal-Yalimapo at one time had up to 50,000 nests on it!!
There are three seasons to see all the turtles that come to the beaches of French Guyana, the first is for the Green Turtle, Chelania Mydas and is from January to May.
The second season is for the Leatherback Turtle, Dermochelys Canacea and is from March to June.
The third is for the Olive Turtle, Lephidochelys Olivacea from July to August.
Mostly the turtles come up to the beach at night, when there is a high tide, and any one female can return to this beach up to 7 times during the season. Incubation period is 90 days, so it is possible to see both Turtles laying eggs and eggs hatching at the same time.
Accommodation is taken care of either by huts next to the beach or by slinging your hammock in a carbet actually on the beach, costs about 15 euros. Or you can stay in St Laurent and drive out to the beach when the time is right!
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: Head towards Mana and then North till u see water
Arche de Noe zoo is a family run zoo on the road to St Jean, you can only take guided tours, there are about 4 tours a day.
The 'Zoo' itself is in a fairly run down state, the animals aren't kept in very good conditions and the tourguide is strange at best, ín all honesty, if you don't like seeing animals kept in small cages, I wouldn't go. The chap locks the gate after you've gone in so unless you kick up a fuss, you can't walk off half way through the tour.
The guy giving the tour has a good relationship with many of the animals, he freely walks into their cages and interacts with Monkeys, Parrots etc, but the conditions the animals are kept in are still poor.
Written Nov 6, 2006
Address: Road from St Laurent to St Jean
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As I said in the Intro, St Laurent was the reception area for newly arrived prisoners to French Guyana.
It still has the original reception buildings standing but they have fallen into quite a bit of disrepair apart from some of the buildings where the farm working prisoners stayed, which have been turned into business buildings.
The tour is conducted in French, but if you know a little about the history of the place, it doesn't leave a lot to the imagination. Tours are 5 Euros a piece and start daily at around 10 or 11.
The prison is divided up to where the trusted prisoners stayed, and where prisoners condemned to death, and those who were waiting for transfer to the islands, and the free prisoners stayed.
One of the interesting things about the system is that whatever time the prisoners served in prison, they had to serve in French Guyana as free people after, as none or not many had accommodation, the prison had an open system so that the free prisoners could return at the end of the day working.
Written May 28, 2005
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Reviews and photos of Saint-Laurent du Maroni attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Saint-Laurent du Maroni sightseeing.
As I said in the Intro, St Laurent was the reception area for newly arrived prisoners to French Guyana. It still has the original reception buildings standing...
Q: Grateful for tips on travelling between Paramaribo and Cayenne and vice versa. Are there any air links (can't find any scheduled...
A: You can travel overland in one day
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St.Laurent, border town with Suriname
St. Laurent Du Maroni is quite a busy little town as it is on the river-border (the Maroni) with Suriname, therefore a lot of trade goes through it. Originally St. Laurent was the debarkation point...
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