Shop a Review

French Guiana is officially an overseas department of France, making it the largest territory of the European Union outside of Europe. French Guiana therefore has the French president as head of state and the official currency of French Guiana is the euro. French Guiana has a tropical climate, in which the northwest has a tropical rainforest climate (type Af), with a lot of precipitation throughout the year, and the rest of the country has a tropical monsoon climate (type Am), because there is a clearly drier period and a (long) rainy season. The Marowijne River (called Maroni by the French) largely forms the physical border between French Guiana and the western country of Suriname. This river not only forms the border between the two countries, but is also an important smuggling route for Suriname due to the poor controllabilityto French Guiana. The Marowijne flows through an area where on average thousands of millimeters of precipitation falls each year, causing the river to regularly overflow its banks, with all the misery that entails. The area around the Marowijne is on average wetter than most parts of the Amazon region.

Tropical heat

The temperature in French Guiana is around the tropical value of thirty degrees Celsius almost all year round. In the dry season it is usually slightly warmer because the sun shines much more exuberantly and the air temperature can rise a bit further than in the rainy season. At night, the mercury does not drop to a minimum of about 23-24 degrees Celsius until well after midnight. In the highlands of the Tumuk-Humak Mountains, in the extreme south of French Guiana, it can be slightly cooler. Because the large amounts of precipitation and the high temperatures create a very high relative humidity, it can feel very clammy and stuffy in French Guiana. This tropical dampness is present throughout the year.

Rainy season and hurricanes

There is no immediate danger of hurricanes in French Guiana. These huge tropical depressions develop between 5 and 20 degrees north latitude over the Atlantic Ocean and then move west, northwest and, at a later stage, often north or northeast. Because French Guiana lies between 2° and 6° north latitude, it falls just outside the route taken by hurricanes. The rainy season in French Guiana runs from December to June. In July you see a reasonable decrease in the average amount of precipitation, as does the frequency with which the showers fall. Large parts of French Guiana can be called relatively dry in September and October.

Climate figures

The figures below are based on long-term average climate statistics. The temperatures are displayed in degrees Celsius (°C).

Best time to visit French Guiana

Do you want to know when is the best time to travel to French Guiana? You can determine the best time to travel to a destination based on the weather and climate. In addition, there are other factors that are not directly related to the weather and that can influence the best travel periods for a travel destination. Think, for example, of holidays or festive periods, which makes traveling more interesting or not, because daily life comes to a standstill as a result. In the northern regions of South America, next to Suriname, lies the French overseas department of French Guiana. It is striking that this tropical destination belongs to the European Union by France. You therefore pay here with euros and you can call and use the internet here with your Dutch mobile subscription within your usual bundle. French Guiana largely has a tropical rainforest climate. In the north and south there are areas with a tropical monsoon climate, because there is a drier and a wet (monsoon) period. The temperatures are around the tropical values ​​of 28 to 32 degrees during the day and 22 to 25 degrees as a minimum temperature almost all year round. It is the amount of precipitation and the times when the rain falls that distinguish the two types of climate that occur in French Guiana.

Most pleasant months

The best time to travel for a holiday in French Guiana is from mid-August to mid-November. This is the drier period in the northern areas. In the capital Cayenne, where more than five hundred millimeters of rain can fall in May, it only rains on average five days a month in September and October and the monthly precipitation sum is around fifty millimeters. As soon as you go inland, the amount of precipitation increases. In some places there is as much as four to five thousand millimeters of rain on an annual basis. There are no longer really dry months in the deep rainforests.

Beach holiday in French Guiana

If you want to fly to French Guiana for a beach holiday, we would really like to ask why you should not choose another holiday destination. Besides the fact that it is always hot in French Guiana, it is also always stuffy and it rains quite often. If you do want to travel to this part of tropical France for a sun holiday, then preferably do so in September or October.