Best Time to Visit French Guiana

Cayenne and the rest of the coast

Most visitors land in Cayenne, the capital, and our data covers only this city. Almost everyone lives on the coast, so the picture below holds for Cayenne, Kourou and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, though we only have figures for Cayenne. The inland rainforest is wetter and stickier, and rivers there change with the rains. Treat it as a rough guide.

Wet season and dry season

The year has two big moods. From about December to July it's rainy, and May is the wettest month by far, with 501 mm in Cayenne. Showers can be heavy and roads and trails turn muddy. You'll get sunny breaks, but you'll want a plan for the afternoons.

The dry season runs roughly August to November. September and October are the best months. Skies are clearer, boat trips are easier, and walks in the forest are more pleasant. It's also the hottest stretch, with October reaching 30°C. No other month is listed as hotter in our data, so expect warm, humid days even in the "cool" part of the year. Mornings and evenings are the comfortable hours.

Events, holidays and crowds

Carnival is the big one. It runs from January until Ash Wednesday, with weekend parades in Cayenne and costumed bands in red and black. It's loud, colourful and very local. If you want to join in, you'll visit in the wet season, so bring a rain jacket and a good mood.

The other big draw is the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou. Rocket launches are a reason to travel in themselves, and they can happen in any month. Visits to the centre are possible on guided tours, and launch days draw crowds, so rooms in Kourou fill up.

French holidays apply here, so expect closed shops on Bastille Day on 14 July and at Christmas. French school summer holidays in July and August bring visitors from mainland France and the Caribbean, with busy flights.

High and low season

Tourism is small, so "high season" is gentler than on a beach island. The drier months, and the summer holidays, are the busiest. May to June is quieter and cheaper, but rain can cancel river trips. Want turtles? Leatherbacks nest on beaches like Les Hattes in the wet months, roughly spring to early summer, so a rainy trip can be worth it.