The Guianas - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 673

Îlet la Mère
This small island, 13km from the coast
and reachable from Cayenne's Marina de
Degrad-des-Cannes (to the east of the
city centre), has recently opened to the
public and is home to an abundance of
squirrel monkeys, iguanas, caimans and
red ibis. You can either walk around the
island's perimeter (3.5km; 1hr 30min),
with its various viewpoints and picnic
spots, or else hike up to the 88m peak
(2.5km; 1hr 15min) to admire the
environs. Or both. Count on making
this a day-trip, since the boat ( €35;
T

TO MARKET, TO MARKET!
The best place to shop for crafts and
souvenirs is the market on Avenue du
Président Monnerville (Wed, Fri & Sat from
dawn until early afternoon), surrounded
by colourful fruit and vegetable stalls.
Inside, you'll find African-style wall prints,
jewellery, carved calabashes, assortments
of local spices and home brews - from
peanut punch and passion fruit liquor to
rums. In between browsing, quench your
hunger and thirst at the Laotian food stalls
(see opposite).

694 222 253) departs the marina
at around 8-8.30am and returns at
around 4pm.

7

Hospital Centre Hospitalier de Cayenne Andrée Rosemon,
3 Av des Flamboyants ( T 594 395 050, W ch-cayenne
.com).
Internet Copy'Print Cybercafe, at 22 Rue Lalouette.
Laundry Rue Catayée at Rue Lalouette.
Pharmacies Pharmacie Benjamin-Agapit, 23 Av du Général
de Gaulle.
Post o ce Opposite Place Léopold Heder near Place des
Palmistes (Mon-Fri 7.30am-1pm; Sat at 11.30am).

Cacao
A slice of Asia in Guyana's interior,
about 75km southwest of Cayenne,
CACAO was settled in 1977 by refugees
from Laos. Since then, this small Hmong
community has become the fruit and
vegetable basket of the département due
to the extensive cultivation of Cacao's
steep hillsides. The village draws visitors
with its Laotian-style architecture and an
excellent market (particularly good on
Sunday mornings) where you can pick up
fresh produce and high-quality Laotian
embroidery before sitting down to large
bowls of phô , porc caramel , spring rolls
and other outstanding Laotian dishes.
Don't miss the wonderful Le Planeur Bleu
museum (Sun 9am-1pm & 2-4pm;
other days by appointment; T 594 270
034; €3.50), opposite the market, where
you'll gape in wonder at the wealth of
insects and butterflies, hold live tarantulas
and get a brief introduction to gold
mining, Hmong handicrafts and other
aspects of French Guiana's culture.

DAY TRIPS FROM CAYENNE
There are a number of varied attractions
outside Cayenne that make for easy
day-trips - from a sloth sanctuary,
monkey island and morass rich with
birdlife to a Hmong Laotian village
- though having your own wheels is
necessary to access most of them.

Sloth sanctuary
What moves at 2m per minute, hangs
upside down from a tree, digests its food
for a month and wears a beatific smile?
If your answer is “sloth”, you are correct,
and if you've ever seen a sloth cross a
road, you'll understand the need for this
sanctuary (Wed & hurs 1.45-4pm; €5;
T 694 906 923, W www.chouai.free.fr)
that takes in injured and orphaned sloths
and nurses them back to health before
releasing them. Here you get to cuddle
several of its three-toed members (the aï ),
and learn about the less cuddlesome,
larger and omnivorous two-toed sloths
(the unau ). To get here from Cayenne,
take the bridge across the Cayenne River
towards Kourou and take the first left
immediately, then turn right.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By car Take the RN2 towards Saint-Georges before turning
off along the beautiful, winding, signposted road to Cacao.

ACCOMMODATION
Quimbe Kio T 594 270 122, E [e-mail].
Overnight stays on a wooded hill near the centre, either in
a carbet (€5 discount if you bring your own hammock) or in
one of the en-suite rooms (breakfast in clud ed). Kay aking ,
boat and quad tours available. Doubles €45 , carbets €10