French Guiana requires a yellow fever shot. Chikungunya and malaria shape the rest of the plan.

Are there mosquitoes in French Guiana? Yes, and 2026 has been an outbreak year. French Guiana is having its first chikungunya epidemic since 2014–15, under an active CDC Level 2 travel notice, and the CDC lists malaria medicine for Kourou, Matoury and the gold-mining communes on the borders. The territory also requires proof of yellow fever vaccination from every arriving traveler 1 year and older, including arrivals from the US.

The chikungunya notice, in plain terms

The CDC posted its Level 2 notice on June 4, 2026. Its French Guiana page says, "There is an outbreak of chikungunya in French Guiana. Chikungunya vaccination is recommended for people traveling to an area with a chikungunya outbreak." The notice advises pregnant travelers to reconsider travel to the affected areas, particularly close to delivery.

Santé publique France, the French national public health agency, counted 2,130 laboratory-confirmed cases since late January in its October 22 bulletin, with 387 people hospitalized and four deaths among confirmed cases, one caused directly by chikungunya. By mid-October the western coast had been post-epidemic since late September, the Savanes sector was still in epidemic, and the Île de Cayenne had two active clusters. The bulletin's map shows which communes each sector covers.

Dengue has stayed low all year. Chikungunya travels on Aedes, which bites in daylight with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon, so repellent goes on over sunscreen at breakfast and again before sunset. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule.

Yellow fever and malaria: one clinic visit

The CDC's recommendation is "Vaccine is recommended for all travelers ≥9 months old," and French Guiana's entry requirement is "Vaccine is required for all arriving travelers ≥1 year old." Carry proof with your passport.

The CDC reports no malaria transmission in Cayenne city or in coastal areas west of Kourou, and lists prevention medicine for the areas in the box below. Santé publique France counted 166 malaria cases in 2026 through October 23. A focus in a gold-mining area on the Haut-Maroni, near the Suriname border, was still active then.

River trips, forest camps and when to go

River trips and the interior bite hardest. Forest mosquitoes on the Kourou River have a reputation for biting through clothing, so treat yours with permethrin. In forest and mining areas, malaria mosquitoes bite from dusk to dawn, so sleep under a net in carbets, the hammock shelters used on interior trips.

The dry season, roughly August to November, tends to be easier, and in 2026 chikungunya wound down then on the western coast and around Cayenne. The heaviest rains, roughly April to June, tend to be the worst. Malaria advice for the interior and the Oyapock applies in every month.

Where you're going

Adding a neighbor? See our Suriname, Martinique & Guadeloupe and Brazil briefings.

What travelers report

Paraphrased from a TripAdvisor review and linked so you can read it in full. It isn't dated, and bites on the islands change with the season and the wind.

• Devil's Island (Îles du Salut)

  A reviewer who found the historic penal colony fascinating but very hot and humid did not run into any mosquitoes, though the group had been warned to wear repellent. TripAdvisor ↗

One more rule outlasts the trip. Any fever or joint pain during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in French Guiana and whether you went upriver. Malaria can show up weeks later.

Traveler questions