Follow The 3 Guianas are the 3 small countries at the top of South America to the east of Venezuela and north of the Brazilian Amazon! They are probably the least visited of all 13 countries in South America. 7yrs after I first started traveling South America, I finally made my first visit to French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana. Which did I like the best? Who are the nicest people? Which was the most expensive? Which one do I want to visit again soon? My first time visiting the 3 Guianas was in April 2015. I mainly visited the capital cities and border towns with the aim of getting to know the countries, people and cultures. Suriname was the highlight for me in many ways. Guyana was interesting but a little rundown. French Guiana was good but very expensive. Here are my experiences and story.
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I forgot to get my passport stamped in Oiapoque to exit Brazil before crossing the Oyapock River to Saint Georges in French Guiana. Luckily, there is an office a few streets back from the waterfront in Saint Georges where you can get exit and entry stamps for both Brazil and French Guiana! I thought I was going to have to go back across the river and come back over, but not. Moredate: April 2015
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Take the cultures of France, China, the Caribbean and a touch of Brazil, mix them altogether and you get the city of Cayenne, the vibrant capital of French Guiana! Cayenne is a pleasant city to spend a day exploring. 1 day is really all you need to see most if not all the sights, I walked around the city twice in this time. Moredate: April 2015
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I left Cayenne by co-op taxi-van and headed 60kms west to Kourou to see the space center known as Le Centre Spatial Guyanais (CNES), a journey of 1hr ($10euros). Saint Laurent du Maroni on the western border with Suriname is 256kms from Cayenne while St Georges on the eastern border with Brazil is 185kms from Cayenne. Moredate: April 2015
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From Kourou I hitched a ride west to Saint Laurent du Maroni on the western border of French Guiana, 2hrs to travel 200kms at high speed. Saint Laurent is the 2nd most populated city in French Guiana but it didn't seem like it, there were very few people around town. Moredate: April 2015
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From the center of Saint Laurent du Maroni in French Guiana I walked about 1km to the port to take a boat across the Maroni River to Albina in Suriname. Customs and immigration are based at the port so it is an easy process. The boat across to Albina took about 10mins and I was met by a friend of the boat driver who had a van full of people ready to go to Paramaribo. Moredate: April 2015
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Of the 3 capital cities in the 3 Guianas - Paramaribo, Cayenne and Georgetown, Paramaribo is definitely my favorite! Why? For many reasons including the historic center, the friendly people, the interesting things to see and because I just happened to be there during the 4 day annual parades in April called Avondvierdaagse. Moredate: April 2015
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The 4 and a half hour bus journey from Suriname's capital Paramaribo west to Nickerie isn't particularly interesting or picturesque as far as sights go. The road isn't that great either which is why it takes 4hrs and 30mins, the distance is only 234kms. Moredate: April 2015
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The border crossing from Suriname to Guyana is an easy one but not without a potential problem if you do not do it correctly or legally. I had read about a method of crossing the border called the 'backtrack'. This way is usually only done if there has been rain and the roads are in bad shape. Moredate: April 2015
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Georgetown was the last stop on my first trip to the 3 Guianas and to be honest the least best capital city out of Cayenne, Paramaribo and Georgetown. I arrived here from Moleson Creek, a 3hr journey from the eastern border with Suriname. Georgetown is a mixed bag with a few interesting sights, but in general is quite rundown and dirty. Moredate: April 2015
Clearing an area of palm trees on a property in western French Guiana.
A big black and white door and a white facade in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Old and new buildings with tiled roofs and a monument, the sea behind, Cayenne, French Guiana.
Country houses under trees between Kourou and Saint Laurent du Maroni in French Guiana.
Interesting designs on the ceiling at Arya Dewaker Hindu Temple in Paramaribo, Suriname.
A man pushes greens on a cart to the Stabroek Market in Georgetown, Guyana.
French Guiana
Guyana
Suriname
The main street in Cayenne looking from the town hall down the street, French Guiana.
The Baba and Mai monument celebrates the Indian laborers and immigrants of Suriname (1873), Paramaribo.
A figure with a pick axe painted on a wall at the central market in Cayenne, French Guiana.
Wooden houses in a community between New Amsterdam and Georgetown in Guyana.
Jaggernath Lachmon (1916-2001) bust in Nickerie, a politician born in nearby Corantijnpolder, Suriname.
Mural of 2 large eyes and a tucan outside a house in Kourou in French Guiana.
The main shop in Saint Georges beside the plaza in French Guiana.
Wooden house with red flower tree in front in the country between Albina and Paramaribo, Suriname.
A side street in a small town between Moleson Creek and Georgetown, Guyana.
Looking along the main area of the waterfront in Saint Georges in French Guiana.
A pond of large round lilies at the Georgetown Botanical Gardens in Guyana.
Clock, anchor, fountain, columns, red tiled roof, the Prefecture in Cayenne in French Guiana.
Mural of an important man near the old port in Cayenne, French Guiana.
Palais de Justice, one of the original courts in Saint Laurent du Maroni in French Guiana.
Bedford Methodist Church, small church made of wood in Georgetown, Guyana.