Visit Kourou Space Station

The jungle-strangled backwater of Kourou was propelled into the international spotlight in the 60s when it was chosen as the site for a French space station. Today the town is virtually unrecognisable, with modern facilities replacing the rusting shacks, and a fast highway to the capital where previously there had been no roads to infiltrate Kourou's isolation.

You can tour the Centre Spatial Guyanais to see the launch sites from which over 500 rockets have shot into the heavens, and to take a guided visit around the on-site museum, featuring film screenings and interactive installations.