Guyana

Guyana or the Co-operative Republic of Guyana is a state in the east-northern part of the South America. It is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Guyana shares its borders with Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil. The capital city is Georgetown.

The climate in the country is mainly sub-equatorial. The monsoon season is two times a year: in summer and in winter. Plan your travel to Guyana when the wet season is over. 

The official language is English but many people can speak Creole, Hindi and Urdu. Major religions are the Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.

Guyana is a popular destination for the lovers of extreme sports. The tourists come to Bartika, Kamarang and Mahda for rafting and kayaking. Such resorts as Marshall Falls, Mabaruma, Barakara and Joe Viera on the Demerara river are also very popular among the tourists.

If you like to spend your time on a beach, go to such resorts as Anna Regina and Fort Wellington. The city of Paradise and Lethem and  the river island not far from Linden are popular destinations for country holidays and ecotourism. 

In the Kanuku mountains, Imataca mountains, Roraima mountains and Ayanganna mountains the tourists can go trekking. There are excursion programs to the Timberhead Rainforest Reserve and hiking in the tropical rainforest of Guyana.

In the capital and in the oldest city of the country New Amsterdam, you can have 'go and see visits' and excursions. 

Get in

By Plane

There are no direct flights between CIS and EU countries and Guyana. The airlines usually offer flights with a stop in Canada or the United States of America.

Air France, British Airways, IUA and Caribbean Airlines offer flights to Guyana. The Cheddi Jagan Airport in Georgetown welcomes the planes.

By Land

A road links Guyana with Suriname and Brazil. Regular buses run from Paramaribo. From Brazil, the tourists can get to Guyama through Lethem. 

Visa

The citizens of EU and the Russian Federation do not need a visa to travel to Guyana. The tourists will need to have a valid international passport (valid for, at least, 6 months).

The citizens of other countries must obtain a visa to travel to Guyana. The tourists can submit the documents for a visa in any Embassy of Guyana in Great Britain or Belgium. Normal time for processing the documents is 3-5 working days. The tourist visa is valid for 90 days but no longer than 1 month since the date of entering the territory of the country. 

Customs

The legislation of Guyana does not limit the amount of imported currency but all the money must be declared. The national currency you can export is limited to 200 Guyanese dollars (GYD).

The tourists can import in Guyana the following goods  duty-free:

• a certain amount of alcohol and tobacco;
• perfume for personal use;
• clothes, shoes, video, photo and audio devices for personal use;

It is strictly prohibited to import:

• psychotropic medications (without a doctor's permit);
• pets (without an international vet certificate).

The tourists are not allowed to export from Guyana goods made of precious metals and stones, stamps, coins and wooden figurines without a document confirming that you legally purchased these goods. 

Cuisine

The Guyanese cuisine preserved its authenticity despite the influence of Dutch, British, African and Indian cooking traditions. The staple foods in Guyana are rice, fish, fruits and vegetables, manioc and meat. If you care about what you eat,in Guyana you can follow a healthy diet with dishes from seafood which is rich in calcium.

We recommend trying such dishes as Jollof (meat with rice), roast turkey Chofi and a specialty from wild meat Arkanti. Various versions of Kebabs are also very popular. The lovers of exotic dishes should try fried snails Grin Grin.

In Guyana, treat yourself to fish in dough and in banana leaves Fante dorknunu and stewed fish Fante fante, a salad with crab meat Gari Foto, seabass in wine Builya Bass and fish with tomatoes Forowe.

People in Guyana cook soups from palm nuts, peanut soup Pepe and soup from banana leaves Nkontomire. The tourists are often served chicken broth.

Rice, cassava, batata and beans are popular ingredients for side-dishes. The locals also like mashed yam or manioc Fufu. The tourists can treat themselves to fried bananas.

At the end of the meals, order the dessert Fulu with ginger, sugar and milk. But the most loved dessert in this country are fruits.

As for the drinks, you will be served tea, coffee or cocoa, juices, a traditional non-alcoholic tree bark-based drink Maubi and herbal infusions.

Pito is a type of beer made from fermented millet and corn wine Asana.  Rum Demerara and a strong drink Akpeteshi are also very good. 

Money

The official currency is Guyanese dollar (GYD) which is equal to 100 cents. The bank notes from 20 to 1.000 and coins from 1 to 5 dollars are in circulation.

In Guyana, the tourists can pay with US dollars, Euros and sterling pounds as they are accepted almost everywhere. If you are planning a trip outside large cities, we recommend exchanging foreign currency at a local bank, in a hotel or an exchange office. Keep the receipt you will get when exchanging the currency until the end of your stay in Guyana. You probably will not be able to withdraw the cash from your card account via ATM as foreign credit cards are not accepted in Guyana.

In many hotels, restaurants and car rent services in the capital city credit cards are accepted but outside Georgetown cashless payments are not widespread. 

You can cash your traveler's checks at large banks and in hotels but be aware that this process will take a long time. In Guyana, they prefer traveler's checks in US dollars and sterling pounds. 

Details of interest

Sightseeing in Guyana

In Guyana, there are no UNESCO sites. However, the tourists can visit 5 UNESCO candidate sites. Three major sights of Guyana are located in Georgetown.

The Saint George's Anglican Cathedral is on the Church Street. The building is in neo-Gothic style with many windows and glass paintings depicting the episodes from the New Testament. Inside the Cathedral is a chandelier which was presented by the British Queen Victoria.

In the capital city, you can see the Georgetown’s Plantation Structure and Historic Buildings. Strict street and buildings architecture as well as city gardens and parks are of a great cultural value.  

A special attention should be given to the Georgetown City Hall which was designed in 1887. A rectangular Town Hall with a pyramid-shaped roof is the best example of Gothic architecture in the country. 

On the Fort Island, there is a Fort Zeelandia which is one of the oldest buildings in Guyana. The fort was built in 1743 during a Dutch colonization. The fort is surrounded by the boulders.

To enjoy the nature, go to the Shell Beach Essequibo Coast and observe the life of four different species of turtles. Here, various activities are carried out to study and save the turtles from extinction.

The tourists will find in Guyana many interesting places. The best destination for ecotourism is the Kaieteur National Park. This park is located on the oldest plateau in the world, namely, on the Guiana Shield. The travelers can have a walk across the Iwokrama Forest which is located between the Essequibo and Rupununi rivers. The reserve Timberhead and nature sanctuary in the Kanuku Mountains are also available for the tourists. 

If you want to learn more about the country, these museums are open for you: Philatelic Museum, African Heritage Museum, Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, National Museum of Guyana, John Campbell Police Museum, National War Museum and Rupununi Weavers Society Museum. 

Guyana Souvenirs

The tourists like to buy in Guyana the following gifts:

• wooden figurines of women;
• cigars;
• national clothes and hand-made textile;
• decor items, rugs and hammocks;
• national musical instruments;
• authentic masks;
• magnets with landscapes of the country.