Formerly called the British Guyana, Guyana is today a UN country that got their independence from the UK in 1962.
Composed of 95% unspoiled jungle, this English-speaking country in South America is home to a huge biodiversity, the jewel in the crown being Kaieteur Falls, one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world, and one of the most jaw-dropping natural places to visit in the Americas.
need to know for traveling in Guyana
Quick facts
Capital: Georgetown
Population: 815,000 (166th)
Language: English is the official language but English Creole and other local languages are largely spoken as well.
Area: 214,269km² (83rd largest country)
Visa
A visa is not needed for entering Guyana.
Travel Insurance
With its Backpacker plan, IATI Insurance is the best insurance for any kind of adventurous destination, like Guyana.
Best time to visit
The drier seasons (January to April & August to November) are the most pleasant months.
Tours
Stay tuned, we’ll soon schedule an expedition into the country.
Prices
The official currency in Guyana is the Guyanese Dollar (GYD)
Guyana is one of the most expensive countries in South America, especially Georgetown, where food and accommodation are more expensive than certain countries in South Europe.
Budget: Starting at 70 USD a day (without activities).
Overlanding into Kaieteur Falls
According to Kaieteur National Park statistics, 99.2% of the travelers who visit Kaieteur Falls come there on a day trip by plane from Georgetown.
This means that my friends and I were within the 0.8% who got to the falls on a 4-day overland adventure. The trip was rough and uncomfortable, but we had the falls to ourselves for more than 24 hours. If you go there on a day trip, all you’ll do is check it for an hour from 3 different viewpoints.
Top experiences in Guyana
Mining villages
The most remote, developed villages in the world. Getting into such remote villages in the jungle and seeing the big cultural diversity of workers from all over the world was interesting to see.
Meeting Amerindians
Amerindians are the indigenous population from this part of the world, whose communities live deep into the country.
Downtown Georgetown
This is the least appealing capital in South America, but that’s what’s interesting about it.
Keiteur National Park
The only national park in the country is home to the famous waterfall.
Read: How to travel overland across the 3 Guianas
tips for Guyana
Accommodation
There’s very little tourism in Guyana, so there aren’t many tourist hotels ,but you can find basic accommodation pretty much everywhere. Georgetown has obviously the largest offer, but hotels there are $$$.
Getting in
By flight, common connections are Port of Spain (POS), Panama (PTY), Miami (MIA), New York City (JFK) and Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI).
By land, it’s easy to enter from Brazil and Suriname. There’s no official entry border with Venezuela.
Transportation
Minibuses travel between all towns and villages that are connected by road, including Georgetown to Mahdia, Lethem and the border with Suriname.
Jungle villages and settlements are connected by small planes that are usually chartered.