From Natal, our last port in Brasil, we sailed 10 days non stop to French Guyana. Our first stop was Cayenne, the capital of the french department Guyane. Guyane is not an independent Country but a part of France an therefore also a part of the European Union.

French Guyana has a bit more than a quarter million inhabitants, apart from two bigger cities and a handful of villages there is untouched nature to be discovered.

After Cayenne we set for the îles du Salut and later for the Maroni River. Here we would witness the wide range of ethnic groups who settled down at the borders of this river that is shared with Suriname, the country in the north of Guyane. The biggest group are the Creole and the Afroguyans, furthermore there are the Amerindian, Vietnamese (from the Ex French Colonie of Indochine) the Marrons and Europeans.

The Marrons are former slaves who fled from forced labour on plantations. They formed communities with other escaped and led a life like in their former homes in West Africa.

The biggest economic export of French Guyana is Fish, Rice and Gold. Most of the gold origins from illegal mining in the rivers, the mercury used for for this, accumulates in the food chain of the river and is responsible for several disease for humans who feed on local fish.