The Îles du Salut

The Îles du Salut, three small tropical islands off the coast near Kourou, are among French Guiana's most fascinating destinations, their idyllic beauty of palm-fringed shores and turquoise seas standing in haunting contrast to their grim history. For a century these islands, including the infamous Île du Diable, or Devil's Island, formed part of a notorious penal colony where prisoners were sent in brutal conditions, a story made famous by the memoir and film Papillon. Today the crumbling prison buildings, cells, chapel and cemeteries stand as atmospheric, ivy-clad ruins amid swaying palms, roaming agoutis and vivid birdlife. Reached by boat and offering a place to stay, the islands are a beautiful, poignant and deeply memorable place to explore.

History

The islands, of volcanic origin, lie about 11 kilometres off the coast, and their name comes from missionaries who went there to escape plague on the mainland. From 1852 to 1953 they formed part of the penal colony of French Guiana: Île Royale received the general population, held in relative freedom because escape was so hard, Saint-Joseph was the Reclusion, where men were punished with solitary confinement in silence and darkness, and Devil's Island held political prisoners, the most famous being Captain Alfred Dreyfus, held there from 1895 to 1899. A decree of September 4, 1891 set up a disciplinary commission, and between 1892 and 1895 a disciplinary camp for difficult convicts was built around a courtyard; tropical diseases killed many, and the system was phased out until it ended in 1953. Henri Charrière, held there for nine years, wrote of it in Papillon, Joseph Conrad set his story An Anarchist of 1906 largely here, and since 1979 the islands have been protected by the Conservatoire du littoral (Wikipedia, Salvation Islands).

What you'll find

• The prison ruins - the atmospheric crumbling penal-colony buildings.
• Devil's Island - the infamous Île du Diable offshore.
• The tropical shores - the palm-fringed beaches and turquoise sea.
• The wildlife - the agoutis, monkeys and vivid birds.

When to go

Year-round; the islands enjoy a warm tropical climate and can be visited in any season, with boat trips running from Kourou; the drier months, roughly July to November, generally offer more settled weather for the crossing and exploring. The contrast of beauty and dark history is striking whenever you go.

What to expect

Reaching the islands requires a boat trip from Kourou that depends on the sea and schedules, and their appeal blends idyllic beauty with the sombre history of a brutal penal colony, so it is a poignant rather than purely relaxing visit. As beautiful, palm-fringed tropical islands steeped in the haunting history of Devil's Island, though, the Îles du Salut are a genuinely fascinating and memorable place.

Nearby

The space centre and town of Kourou lie on the nearby coast.