French Guiana eSIM: Mobile Data from Cayenne to Kourou

Most visitors land at Félix Eboué Airport, a short drive from Cayenne, many of them on long-haul flights from Paris. Set up a HelloSIM eSIM before you leave home and your phone joins the local network once you touch down in French Guiana.

Why use an eSIM in French Guiana

• If your phone plan comes from an EU country, check whether its EU roaming allowance actually applies in French Guiana; travellers from elsewhere usually pay roaming rates here.
• The coastal road linking Cayenne, Kourou and Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is much easier to drive with live maps and a way to message your next host.
• Launch dates at the Guiana Space Centre can move, so being able to check for updates on the go helps if you hope to watch one from Kourou.
• Your regular SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts, and WhatsApp keeps your usual number.
• The plan's days only begin once the eSIM first connects in French Guiana, so installing it early costs you nothing.

French Guiana is France's largest overseas region, yet most of its people live on a narrow coastal strip with dense Amazon rainforest behind it. A data line of your own keeps hire-car directions, boat bookings for the Îles du Salut and messages to your forest lodge in one place.

Networks and coverage

Your HelloSIM eSIM for French Guiana uses Digicel on its 4G network, so expect 4G/LTE rather than 5G for the whole stay.

Signal is usually reliable in Cayenne, Rémire-Montjoly and Matoury, in Kourou, and in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni on the river border with Suriname. On the long coastal road between these towns you may meet weaker stretches away from the settlements.

Inland it is a different picture. The rainforest interior, journeys on the Maroni and Oyapock rivers, and remote villages such as Saül, reached mainly by small plane, often have little or no signal.

How to get connected

1. 1Make sure your phone supports eSIM and is not locked to a carrier, then buy the French Guiana plan. Your QR code arrives by email straight away and is also stored in your HelloSIM account.
2. 2While you are still at home on Wi-Fi, install it: on iPhone go to Settings → Mobile → Add eSIM; on Android look under Settings → Network & internet or Connections → SIM manager → Add eSIM.
3. 3After landing near Cayenne, turn the HelloSIM line on, choose it for mobile data and enable Data Roaming on that line. The eSIM needs this to connect, and it adds no cost because your data is prepaid.
4. 4Switch data roaming off for your home SIM so your usual provider cannot add roaming charges.

How much data do you need

• Light — maps for the coastal drive, messaging and checking boat times: around 1 GB a week.
• Medium — posting photos from the islands, social media and browsing: 3–5 GB a week.
• Heavy — video calls home, streaming or remote work: 10 GB or more each week.

Hotels in Cayenne and Kourou usually offer Wi-Fi, though the connection at forest lodges and river camps can be slow or missing.

Good to know

• Currency: euro (EUR)
• Capital: Cayenne
• Language: French; French Guianese Creole is widely spoken
• Time zone: UTC−3, with no daylight saving
• Plug type: C and E, as in mainland France
• Don't miss: the Îles du Salut off Kourou, including Devil's Island; the Guiana Space Centre; and the Camp de la Transportation in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni

Travel tips for staying connected in French Guiana

• Before a pirogue trip up the Maroni or Oyapock, or a flight to Saül or Maripasoula, download offline maps and save your lodge's details, as you may be out of range for long stretches.
• Boats to the Îles du Salut leave from Kourou; keep your booking confirmation on the phone in case the signal drops during the crossing.
• Tropical downpours are frequent, so carry a dry bag for river outings and keep a power bank charged for long days away from the coast.
• Crossing the river to Suriname or the Oyapock bridge to Brazil? Sort out data for the next country before you go.
• Need more data halfway through? Top up the same eSIM in the HelloSIM app or on the Check / Top up page, with no reinstall.

Combining French Guiana with its neighbours or other countries in the region? A Latin America plan puts several destinations on one eSIM, so check that each country on your route is listed.

Keeping to Cayenne, Kourou and the Maroni for the whole trip? The French Guiana plan is all you need.