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The only English speaking country in South America, Guyana is bordered by Suriname, Venezuela and Brazil. Guyana is considered the land of six peoples: Indian, Black, Amerindian (Indigenous), British, Chinese and Portuguese. Most of the citizens live in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. When I married my Guyanese spouse, I was confused. How can you be British, Black, Caribbean and South American all at once? Until 1966, Guyana was under British control. Once the country became independent, it became (and remains) part of the British Commonwealth. Thus, Guyanese people have adopted many British customs. But it is also part of CARICOM and they have many West Indian traditions.

The country is mostly rainforest, part of the Guiana Shield. Much of it seems to be impenetrable. Not only is it the land of six peoples, but Guyana is also the land of many waters. This is not surprising since much of the land is below sea level. The most popular thing to do in Guyana is visit Kaieteur Falls. But to get there, you most likely have to start in Georgetown (GT).

Georgetown

Most people flying into Guyana will land at Cheddi Jagan Airport. It is located an hour from downtown GT. I stayed at the Georgetown Marriott and was lucky to pay with points. Cost-wise, it is one of the more expensive Marriott’s I have ever stayed, but at $0.02 points per mile, the point conversion was excellent. Our stay was wonderful. The service is perfect, particularly if you are lucky enough to use the Executive Lounge. As a Platinum Bonvoy member, I had full access. They serve a very nice breakfast and dinner and you can get bottled water, coffee and sodas all day long. At the beginning of my stay I was on the 8th floor and had a nice view of the city. However, the water pressure was not great. Upon my return from the Interior, I stayed on the 4th floor with a very nice ocean and pool view. The water pressure was great.

Georgetown lies below sea level. As you drive around you will see ditches filled with water, often very dirty. The ditches are everywhere to assist with runoff from rains, protecting streets and buildings from flooding. Some were clean and looked pretty. Others were quite gross and filled with garbage. If the government wants to increase tourism, they should start with cleaning things up.

You will also see a large disparity in wealth. Nice light oil was discovered in Guyana in 2015. There appears to be a lot of incoming wealth since then, but unfortunately, it deosn’t seem to be going to the locals. Some complain that the Chinese came to build the Marriott, instead of using a local workforce.

The famous Stabroek Market is filled with every type of stall you might need. But it is also crowded with cars, buses and people. I didn’t find a reason to spend time there. The Bourda Market was much more manageable. It is a great place to buy fresh coconut water and all types of fruits and vegetables.

A top tourist attraction in Georgetown is St. George’s Cathedral, the largest wooden cathedral in the world, built in 1892 using native Greenheart wood. The Cathedral is located in the middle of a roundabout. Capturing the enormity of the building in a photograph was a bit challenging because it goes straight back.

A popular monument to see is the 1763 Monument, also known as Kofi Badu or Curry. It was erected to commemorate the first attempt by slaves to fight for their freedom. The slave revolt, led by Cuffy, was suppressed and he committed suicide.

I also visited the Botanical Gardens and Zoo. I had heard you can see manatees in the botanical gardens, but I did not see any. The ponds where they supposedly live are filled with thick vegetation and sprinkled with garbage. The Zoo has some very cool animals, but I feel the cages the animals are kept are not acceptable.

Bartica and Sloth Island

Bartica (pronounced Bar-tika) is known as the gateway to the interior. You can find excursions on Viator that will take you to Bartica, Sloth Island, some Dutch ruins and resorts such as Arawai or Baganara. I planned to spend most of my time in Bartica, so I chose a private transfer that made a stop for breakfast on Sloth Island. We only saw one sloth high up in the trees, but apparently the small island has quite a few. I arranged my transfer with Nigel Lynch, the owner of Stena River Tours and Charters. He picked me up from the Marriott, drove the 60+ minutes to Parika (going over the Demerara Bridge) and then took me on a 90+ minute speed boat ride down the river.

Backyard Cafe

The Backyard Cafe is a restaurant, but it is also an excursion. You need to take a taxi here and you definitely need a reservation. You can arrange for a tour where you go shopping with Chef Delvin, or you can tell him what you want to eat. I chose traditional Guyanese food like cheese straws, black pudding, chow mein, curry chicken, local fish, pepper pot and local fruit. It was delicious. The restaurant is in the back of Chef Delvin’s childhood home and is set up with a bar, two large tables and a hammock. Chef was welcoming, friendly and really fun to chat with. He was also very accommodating. I cannot recommend this place enough. He can be reached on WhatsApp: +592 663 5104.

The Interior

Traveling into the interior takes some effort and is an experience in an of itself. I originally tried to book with Air Services Limited. While they were very responsive, they didn’t actually come through with a pilot to make the trip for us. JAGS Air can be reached at +592 647 3965. They were perfect. The only downside is you have to pay in cash on site. Planning in advance is not easy when traveling in Guyana! On the day of the flight, you arrive to Ogle airport where there is a nice waiting area. They will weigh you and your bags and then you board your flight. The views into the interior are incredible. You can see thick forest, wide rivers and sporadic mines (mostly gold) and random waterfalls.

Kaieteur Falls

Kaieteur Falls is probably the top tourist attraction in Guyana. There is an overland option, but it supposedly takes days. That’s why I chose to charter from Georgetown to Kaieteur and then on to Iwokarama. Kaieteur Falls holds the title of the world’s largest single drop waterfall. Angel Falls in Venezuela, is the tallest, but has a smaller water flow. The plane will circle the falls, allowing both sides to see from above. It will then land in front of the visitor’s center. Once you land, you have two hours to view the falls. There are a few different walks you can take to see the falls. The walks I took were not strenuous, but they were definitely not wheelchair accessible.

Iwokrama

After leaving Kaieteur, I flew to the Fair View air strip at Iwokrama. Flying in, I had a great view of the River Lodge. The property is good for birding and is known to have a large variety of animals. I didn’t see as many as I hoped but I love their ideas about conservation and what they are doing to help the area. You can choose from a variety of activities, such as a nighttime boat ride to see caiman or a day trip to a canopy walkway (at Atta Rainforest Lodge) or an area where Guinian Cock of the rock are known to nest.

Guyana was safer than I expected. With the discovery of oil, the country is booming. Unfortunately it is also is in the midst of a dispute with Venezuela over territory west of the Essequibo River where the oil was discovered. With the oil dollars coming in, I truly hope the government will clean up some things, specifically the garbage.