Javouhey

Javouhey is a town in northwest French Guiana. Most of the population are Hmong refugees now settled in French Guiana. There is a market open on Sundays.

Javouhey is the second Hmong settlement village in French Guiana, with the largest Hmong population at around 1200, in the commune of Mana.

Overview

There are two primary schools, one just completed in around 2006, a Catholic church, and the biggest Protestant church in French Guiana. There are three family owned stores, one with a gas station. One tour guide up river, owned by Mr. Lee Xiong, to a very eco-friendly forest tour and you can rent bike at the Poste to bike around the village. There is a Sunday market, where foods, souvenirs, and Hmong crafts can be purchase. In comparison of the Hmong villages in French Guiana; Javouhey is more a traditional Hmong-Laos village, while Cacao - a more Hmong-French village. The contrast is in the area of lifestyle; clothing, home, practice of tradition, etc. Parking is available only on the right side of the road as you enter the village.

The best time to visit Javouhey is during the week of Christmas, where the New Year's festival is held during the hot and dry season. Hmong are very friendly in Javouhey (as well as Cacao), there is nothing wrong with asking to use a washroom, because there are no accommodations anywhere around. There is less accommodation in Javouhey compared to Cacao, but Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is only 20 minutes away. There is a French-owned Bungolow hotels a few minutes outside of Javouhey with minimum accommodation. Javouhey is only about one square mile in size. Visiting Javouhey or Cacao, and for that matter, visiting French Guiana, one must have an adventurous mentality. If you are not in French Guiana because of the European Space Centre, you will find most everything else is outdoors and jungles.