The Voltaire Falls ( French: ''Chutes Voltaire'') is a series of

waterfalls A waterfall is a 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 w ...

in the Voltaire Creek in

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The Voltaire Falls are the largest waterfalls in French Guiana. It is a protected area since 2000.

Overview

The Voltaire Creek is sourced from the Voltaire Inselberg. Downstream, the creek encounters hard

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) 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 cools and solidifies under ...

rock, causing the creek to split in two parts that descend 35 metres in a steep slope of up to 40%. About 200 metres later, the two parts rejoin, confluence with the Sparouine Creek and continue onto the

Maroni River The Maroni or Marowijne (french: link=no, Maroni, nl, Marowijne, Sranan Tongo: ''Marwina-Liba'') is a river in South America that forms the border between French Guiana and Suriname. Course The Maroni runs through the Guianan moist fores ...

. 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. The area is also important for its flora and fauna.

Transport

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

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to 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 cas ...

vehicle is recommended. The distance from

Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni (; gcr, Senloran di Maronni) 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 ...

is about 70 kilometres. The falls can be reached by taking the road to Saint-Jean-du-Maroni, and then taking the trail to Paul Isnard.

References

Protected areas of French Guiana Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Tourist attractions in French Guiana Waterfalls of French Guiana {{Waterfall-stub