Best Time to Visit Cayenne

A year of two wet seasons

Cayenne is hot all year. Highs sit around 28°C and nights stay at 25°C, so temperature won't help you pick a month. Rain will. The year splits into a long wet season, a short dry spell, and a brief mid-year easing.

From December to February, and again from April to June, the rain is heavy and almost daily. May is the worst: 501 mm, with rain on 29 days. Expect warm downpours, soaked streets near the Place des Palmistes, and grey, sticky afternoons. March dips a little but still isn't dry.

September and October: the best window

These two months are the driest and sunniest. Skies open up, with around 8 hours of sun a day in September, and rain falls on only 9 to 11 days. It's still humid, but it feels easier.

This is the time for the things the wet season spoils. Take a boat to the Îles du Salut, the old penal colony islands off Kourou, where the sea is calmer and the walking is pleasant. Visit the Kourou space centre area. Birdwatch in the Kaw marshes. Walk up Montagne du Mont-Grand or the Rorota trail without sliding in mud. Hike the beach at Rémire-Montjoly, where you may see the paths of turtles. Travelling with kids? These months make day trips far less stressful.

August and November are the shoulders. August is fairly dry. November is warmer but the rain creeps back, with 18 wet days.

Crowds, events and what to expect

Cayenne never gets mass tourism. Most visitors are French families, workers on assignment and people heading to the space centre. Flights fill up around July and August, when French schools are on holiday, and again near Christmas. If you hate crowds, you'll mostly find quiet anyway.

The big event is Carnival, which runs on weekends from January to Ash Wednesday, usually in February. It's loud and colourful, with costumed groups, brass music and the figure of Vaval, the carnival king, burned at the end. Yes, it's wet. Locals dance in it anyway. Rain is part of the deal.

Rocket launches from Kourou happen at various times of year, so check the schedule if you want to see one. Planning a trip around Carnival? Go in the rain with a light mac and a good mood. For everything else, aim for September or October.