Welcome to Guayana
Different to the Guayana Region, an administrative region of Venezuela, Guyana is a sovereign state located on the northern coast of South America. This land was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1498 A.D. after which, in 1616 A.D., it became a Dutch colony. British established their power in Guyana in 18th century and the country remained a British colony till 1966.
It is an untravelled country with scenic landscapes, sandy beaches and a magnificent jungle with rich biodiversity. If you consider yourself an adventurer or explorer, or you just simply want to visit a less tourist country, Guyana is the perfect spot for you.
As a first stop you should visit Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana, known for its British colonial architecture, including 19th century stilted wooden houses line the streets, old Dutch canals line the roads and tall, painted-timber St. George’s Anglican Cathedral, the world’s tallest wooden church.
You must also visit shell beach, in which you will have the opportunity to view one of earth’s largest reptiles: the leatherback turtle. These giants can weigh up to 750 kg and are a sight to behold. Shell beach is one the last wild beaches of this word with only a few small Amerindian settlements surrounded by mangrove and rainforests, where jaguars still prowl the beaches at night.
Furthermore, Iwokrama’s Canopy Walkway, a series of suspension bridges hoisted 30m above the forest floor, offers bird’s-eye views of native greenheart trees, high-dwelling red howler monkeys and lots of birds.
While you are there, you must also visit Kaieteur Falls; one of the tallest and most powerful waterfalls in the world and the largest single-drop waterfall by volume in the world. Watching 30,000 gallons of water shooting over a 250m cliff in the middle of an ancient jungle with few tourists in sight is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Travellers generally visit the falls in small groups, and therefore the area is never crowded, allowing tourists to marvel at the rugged landscape and sense of deep isolation.
Finally, no trip to Georgetown would be complete without a visit to the Botanical Gardens, one of Georgetown’s popular recreation parks. The Botanical Gardens houses one of the most extensive collections of tropical flora in the Caribbean and are laid out with ponds, canals, kissing bridges and a bandstand. Many bird-watching groups visit Georgetown’s botanical gardens as an introduction to Guyana’s birdlife.
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