SFR La Carte, sold in Guyane
SFR Caraïbe's La Carte page says its prepaid formula is sold in Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guyane and lets you call, text and browse on 4G with no subscription or automatic debit, with a top-up whenever you like. At the time of checking, new customers got 20 euros of credit on activating either the Classique or the Smile card. Classique is for people who mainly call, with half price to an SFR mobile or fixed number in the department, and Smile includes unlimited SMS to the Antilles, Guyane, mainland France, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy and 20 MB of internet at each top-up.
Internet options cost 3 euros for 150 MB over 3 days, 5 euros for 250 MB over 5 days and 10 euros for 600 MB over 10 days, if you have enough credit. Top-ups are made online, by phone on 224, or in an SFR shop. The page does not say what identification a visitor must show, so ask in a shop.
eSIM from SFR Caraïbe, collected in shops
SFR Caraïbe's eSIM page says the service is available in the Antilles and Guyane, in shops, with all its plans, and describes activation by QR code, several lines on one phone and the ability to deactivate a lost eSIM remotely. It compares eSIM and physical SIM in a table, noting that a physical SIM needs delivery or collection in a shop, while an eSIM is activated instantly by QR code.
The page presents eSIM as a service for customers who visit a shop, so we do not claim that a visitor can download one before flying. A foreign eSIM for data, used with a local card for calls, is the alternative.
SFR's coverage maps, and the small print
SFR Caraïbe publishes a mobile coverage map for 4G and 5G, with legends for voice and SMS coverage, and for mobile internet coverage in 3G, 4G and 5G, and says in a notice that the information is indicative and has no contractual value, because the zones are computer-simulated and may contain inaccuracies. It adds that coverage varies with the season, weather, number of users and obstacles, and that indoor coverage depends on building materials and windows.
The page also lists a map of incidents on the mobile network and a forecast coverage map. We could not read the maps themselves as text and found no regulator measurement for the interior, so if you plan a trip up a river or into the forest, ask your lodge about signal and keep offline maps.
The compulsory yellow fever vaccine, and the 90-day stay
The UK Foreign Office says French Guiana is an overseas department of France and part of the EU, that UK visitors can stay up to 90 days without a visa, that a passport must have an expiry date at least three months after departure and that you must have a certificate to prove you have had a yellow fever vaccination, and may need one for onward travel. The tourism board says the vaccine is compulsory for all travellers, should be done at an approved centre at least 10 days before departure, and is now valid for life, and that some areas carry a malaria risk.
Because the certificate is required, keep a photo of it on your phone as well as the paper. The tourism board adds that EU nationals need a passport and a return ticket. Rules differ by nationality, so check the French consulate for your own passport.
Rocket launches at Kourou, and the rainy season
The Guyane tourism board says the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou has seen more than 300 launches since 1968, that attending a launch is a rare experience and that the site's advantages include its closeness to the equator and the absence of cyclones. It describes two seasons, a rainy season from December to June with peaks in May and June, and a dry season from July to November, and says the time zone is GMT-3 all year.
The UK Foreign Office says there is a risk of tropical storms during the rainy season from December to July. Launch dates and viewing arrangements change, so check the official sources before you plan around one, and keep your tickets on your phone.
Emergency numbers, and a tip on using your phone in Cayenne
The UK Foreign Office gives 112 as the emergency switchboard in French Guiana, with 15 for an ambulance, 18 for fire and 17 for police. It says crime levels are low but there is a risk of being robbed in some areas of Cayenne, especially after dark, and advises going into a shop or café to use your mobile, taking a licensed or pre-arranged taxi after visiting an ATM and avoiding secluded beaches after dark. Our French Guiana plan page covers data before you arrive.
Networks our French Guiana plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for French Guiana, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Digicel4G
- Orange5G
- Orange Caraibe4G