French Guiana or discovering the history of the penal colony

French Guiana had almost a dozen penitentiary centres, known as "bagne", which were used to remove those whom the successive regimes from 1852 to 1953 did not want in Metropolitan France, but also as a means of developing and populating the territory, for those who survived. Having built the town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni and its impressive Camp de la Transportation, 70,000 convicts passed through this remote land: murderers, thieves, homeless people, counterfeiters, but also political prisoners including Alfred Dreyfus, the most famous of them all, who remained in solitary confinement for more than 4 years on Devil's Island.

Just an hour's boat ride from Kourou, the Iles du Salut archipelago has become Guyana's leading tourist destination. Although Ile du Diable (Devil's Island) is not open to visitors, some 50,000 people make the crossing each year to discover Île Royale, the largest of the islands, and even its little sister, Île Saint-Joseph, nicknamed "The Island of the Devil". the man-eater "The conditions of detention there were so difficult.

Left abandoned, the island is impressive for its narrow cells with bars on the ceiling, where tropical vegetation now rules. On the other hand, several former prison administrative buildings on Île Royale have been renovated for use as holiday accommodation. The former infantry barracks dating from 1899 have even become the Auberge des Îles, a hotel-restaurant that can be hired by companies for a seminar in its 40-seat room, or for an incentive, with the island becoming the playground for an incredible treasure hunt to immerse yourself in the terrible history of the place. When it comes to accommodation, however, the new wing of the hostel, with its modern rooms and breathtaking views over Devil's Island, is preferable to the historic building with its tired dwellings.