The Voltaire Falls (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''Chutes Voltaire'') are a series of

waterfalls A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

in the Voltaire Creek, located near

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (, ; ) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni is one of the three sub-prefectures of French Guiana and the seat of the Arrondissement ...

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

, an

Overseas department of France The overseas departments and regions of France (, ; DROM) are the five departments and regions of the French Republic which are located outside European France (also known as "metropolitan France"). These overseas entities have exactly the same ...

. The Voltaire Falls are the largest waterfalls in French Guiana, with a height of 35 metres. It has been a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

since 2000.

Overview

The Voltaire Creek is sourced from the Voltaire

Inselberg An inselberg or monadnock ( ) is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa, a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, an ...

. Downstream, the creek encounters hard

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

rock, causing the creek to split into two parts that descend between 35 and 45 metres, depending on the season, in a steep slope of up to 40%. About 200 metres later, the two parts rejoin, confluencing with the Sparouine Creek and continuing onto the

Maroni River The Maroni () or Marowijne (; ) is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist forests ecoregion. It originates in the Tumuk Humak Mountains and forms ...

. The left arm is the widest, however the right arm offers a more impressive view. An area of containing the Voltaire Falls and the neighbouring Vieux Broussard Falls have been protected since 2000 by the

Office National des Forêts The National Forests Office (), or ONF, is a Government of France agency that manages the state forests, city forests and biological reserves. ONF is based in Paris. The office is responsible for the sustainable management of France's approxi ...

. The area is also important for its flora and fauna, as the rainforest habitat hosts a large number of endemic plant and animal species.

Transport

In 1990, a trail was built to access the falls by car, however a

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

vehicle is recommended. The distance from

is about 70 kilometres. The falls can be reached by taking the road to

Saint-Jean-du-Maroni Saint-Jean-du-Maroni is a village in French Guiana, in the commune of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni on the river Maroni. The village is mainly inhabited by Ndyuka Maroons. History Saint-Jean-du-Maroni was established in 1857 as a sub camp of the pena ...

, and then taking the trail to

Paul Isnard Paul Isnard is a mining concession in French Guiana, named after a gold miner. History Paul Isnard discovered gold in the area in 1875. The Paul Isnard mine was initially explored by CMPI. Paul Isnard is, as of 2012, part of the Montagne d'Or mi ...

, with a hike of approximately an hour and a half. The area is popular for hikers in general, with a number of routes of varying difficulty.

References

{{commons category, position=left Protected areas of French Guiana Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Tourist attractions in French Guiana Waterfalls of French Guiana