How to get there: We came by ship but it seems a number of catamarans and power boats were bringing tourists from the mainland. I have to say that if you were in French Guiana, and close to Salvation Islands, a day trip visiting the islands would be a lovely way to spend a nice sunny day and experience some history of the area.
April 2019 on Seabourn Quest
We anchored off the main island of the Salvation Islands on the sheltered side where there was a small bay and tendered into the jetty. The islands are about 15km or so off the coast of French Guiana and are very close together with about a small channel 200-300m wide separating all three. Devil’s Island is the smallest of the three and is no longer open to tourists but the main island is the best place to visit anyway. There are inhabitants - some military or similar it seems - on two of the three islands with a small hotel and cafe situated in the one of the renovated buildings that was part of the original French penal colony village that existed here many years ago. The original village which is at the top of the island appears to be undergoing renovation and was a really interesting place to wander around - am old church that has been renovated, the prison building, a light house and many other building related to the community that once lived here. We first walked along the small waterfront and up the moss covered roadway rising up to the top of the island where the old settlement is, and then wandered down the hill on the other side taking appropriate pictures of Evil’s Island across the small channel. There were plenty of monkeys to keep us entertained along with some other small cute skinny legged Agouti also.
The islands are made famous due to stories of the escapees of the terrible prisons on these islands and today the lush green natural forest covers all the islands but we were told this was not the case when the penal facilities were operating as the islands were mostly or completely denuded for safety reasons. Quite a different place then I suspect. We saw turtles swimming beachside but none of the sharks that are said to be in the area. All in all a nice and quiet stop as only a few catamarans bring tourists from the mainland.
April 2019 on Seabourn Quest
We anchored off the main island of the Salvation Islands on the sheltered side where there was a small bay and tendered into the jetty. The islands are about 15km or so off the coast of French Guiana and are very close together with about a small channel 200-300m wide separating all three. Devil’s Island is the smallest of the three and is no longer open to tourists but the main island is the best place to visit anyway. There are inhabitants - some military or similar it seems - on two of the three islands with a small hotel and cafe situated in the one of the renovated buildings that was part of the original French penal colony village that existed here many years ago. The original village which is at the top of the island appears to be undergoing renovation and was a really interesting place to wander around - am old church that has been renovated, the prison building, a light house and many other building related to the community that once lived here. We first walked along the small waterfront and up the moss covered roadway rising up to the top of the island where the old settlement is, and then wandered down the hill on the other side taking appropriate pictures of Evil’s Island across the small channel. There were plenty of monkeys to keep us entertained along with some other small cute skinny legged Agouti also.
The islands are made famous due to stories of the escapees of the terrible prisons on these islands and today the lush green natural forest covers all the islands but we were told this was not the case when the penal facilities were operating as the islands were mostly or completely denuded for safety reasons. Quite a different place then I suspect. We saw turtles swimming beachside but none of the sharks that are said to be in the area. All in all a nice and quiet stop as only a few catamarans bring tourists from the mainland.
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