The Salut Islands of French Guiana
Of the three islands, Royal Island is the largest in area and height and the most populated with a church, a hotel, and a cafe. There is a schedule of when cruise ships will arrive extending forward two years. The cruise ships anchor in the harbour and take their tender boats to the only docking facility on Royal Island. From there, they can walk around the island in about 45 minutes and take a boat over to visit the overgrown prison cells on St. Joseph Island. No one is allowed to visit Devil’s Island.
The islands were first populated by French missionaries who left the continent of South America to avoid the plague. Of course, like the rest of the Americas, there were people living on these lands before the Europeans arrived and believed they could claim the land as their own. The islands became infamous as a French prison.
Royal Island on the left, St. Joseph on the right. 
Royal Island on the left, St. Joseph on the right. 
Docking facilities on Royal Island 
Docking facilities on Royal Island 
The catamaran tour of the islands. 
St. Joseph islands restored buildings
The views of the island change as the ship cruises around them. The prison cells of St. Joseph Island are on the center of the island and can barely be seen from the aerial views.
St. Joseph island on the left, Royal island on the right 
The distance from the coast is reported as 6.8 to 9 miles. I am confused about what figure to quote. Maybe the shorter distance is if you fly and the longer distance is if you measure the distance you sail in a boat going up and down the crests and valleys of the waves.
One of the questions I had on the previous post was how long does it take for the taxi to get the pilot out to the cruise ship. The answer is “it depends”. The good news is that traffic is not a major problem. The weather, however, can make a big difference and sometimes they have the equivalence of a road closure. There are times when visitors are not allowed. Just like when travelling from home by air, the advice is to check your booking and departure status before you leave home. Maybe the island is booked for a private party.
Our cruise did not drop anchor, we only sailed around parts of the islands for a couple of hours between 9:30 and 11:30. Fortunately the weather was fair, hot and humid, but not raining as it often does in the spring at the end of its rainy season.
The oil tanker seemed always present. Perhaps that is how they store the fuel the island depends on. It makes me reflect on how dependant the world has become on the use of oil for the generation of its electricity and the powering of its vehicles including planes, trains, ships, boats, trucks and cars.
St. Joseph – Royal – Devil’s
After you leave me a comment, follow the link below for a recent sailors story.
Today, Jan 12, here in NJ it was 60+ degrees! It was a great day for a hike which is what I did. I say this because in the dead of winter i would normally be itching to head to the islands! But this short respite make the winter bearable.
So, if not for this, where would I want to go? Top of the list is Fiji, St. Barts, and then Turks & Caicos! Oh, of course, you can include the Great Barrier Reef.
Thanks!
With a good internet connection, you could do some of your work from those places but then it would not be a holiday, it would just be a sandy office. Blog on!
Where do I want to go? Galapagos Islands, Macchu Picchu, the Rock of Gibraltar, Bhutan, Victoria Falls, the Grand Canyon…. Oh! If I had the resources, I would travel the world and tell stories! (And if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride,)
I have been to a few of those and Bhutan is new to me. BTW horse will only get you so far. . .
I’d like to visit Italy again but go to Naples, my husband’s family is from there. Devil’s Island looks fabulous too!
I think Naples would make a better vacation. Devil’s Island would just be a day trip if you were in the neighborhood.