Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni

The commune of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is located in French Guiana, on the Maroni River, opposite the Surinamese town of Albina, and is accessible via ferry or pirogue. It is one of the country's three subprefectures and the seat of the Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Arrondissement. Many of the old official buildings in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, which were originally built by and for the French Department of Corrections, have a characteristic architectural look, a distinctive blend of colonial and penitentiary architecture. The local red clay was used by the prisoners, a free and inexhaustible source of labor, to build an entire official and administrative quarter, beginning with the main prison itself, the Camp de la Transportation. The headquarters of an important environmental association has long been located in this river town: "Le pou d'agouti", an organization named after an irritating local mite with an itchy bite, dedicated to the protection of flora and fauna, both local and regional. The town is also the starting point for a number of ecotourism routes, especially upriver trips to explore the many creeks and the Amazon rainforest. Another great place to visit, not far from the town, is the Voltaire Falls, located 70 km up the river.