Kourou

Kourou existed as a small river settlement long before the rockets came, and the town now lives two lives at once: launch days fill the hotels and the viewing sites, and the rest of the time it is a quiet coastal place where the Kourou river meets the Atlantic, with a beach along the front, the Dreyfus tower on the point and pirogues going out to the Îles du Salut. The pepper-pot stone tower on the shore was built to signal to the prison islands offshore.

What you actually see

• The Dreyfus tower - the stone signal tower on the point facing the prison islands.
• The river mouth - pirogues and fishing boats where the Kourou meets the sea.
• The beach front - the long sand strip the town sits behind.
• The launch days - the town filling when a rocket goes up the road.

When to go

July to November is the long dry season. Launch dates are published ahead and change the town completely. The wet season peaks from April to June.

Honest expectations

Between launches the town itself is quiet and half a day covers it. The beach is brown Atlantic water rather than Caribbean blue. Hotels price up sharply around launch dates.

Nearby

The space centre is inland, and the Îles du Salut are offshore.