edit Guyana Travel Guide

Guyana is a country in north-eastern South America. It has an Atlantic Ocean coastline in the northeast, and lies between Suriname to the east and Venezuela to the west, with Brazil to the south.

It is now the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay.
The name Guyana (from Arawak Guayana) means "Land of many waters."
It is related to the name Uruguay: River of the colorful birds,
another country in South America.

edit Highlights

edit Getting Here

By plane

By train

By car

By bus

By boat

edit History

edit Government

edit Money

edit Geography

edit Weather And Climate

edit Culture

edit Food

edit Accommodations

edit Education

edit Work

Guyana has a fair number of expatriates. Persons who are not Guyanese have to get a work permit after employment is confirmed. Caribbean citizens might have some exemptions under the CSME scheme. There are a number of volunteer organisations like Peace Corps, VSO and CESO working in Guyana. Some people have come on short stints to volunteer with churches, and other non-governmental organisations. The host organisations will apply for the necessary travel permits.

edit Communications

edit Health And Safety

The country's largest hospital is the Georgetown Public Hospital and is located in the capital. Facilities here are basic, even though it is a tertiary referral centre. There is very poor disposal of 'sharps' (needles, etc.) which is worrying, given country's growing HIV prevalence.

You are better off using the private facilities at St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital near the US Embassy. While not first rate, this facility is far superior to GPH and practices basic hygienic standards. Rooms are not overcrowded. There are also other private hospitals

Yellow fever is endemic to this area; monkeys are a reservoir, but you can catch it even in cities. Be sure to get immunized before you leave, and take Mosquitoes|mosquito repellent with you. Also be careful of malaria and dengue fever in the interior.

Do not drink the tap water, unless you want to spend a great part of you vacation in the toilet! Bottled water is readily available in a variety of brands.

Be vigilant to avoid criminals.

Avoid walking around with large sums of cash.

Avoid the sun between 1pm and 3pm. It tends to be at its hottest during those hours. Wear sunscreen.

edit Getting Around

Minibuses travel throughout Guyana and are the cheapest way to travel. Minibus fares range from $.20 - $5.00 depending on length. Do not take minibuses at night.

Many parts of Guyana are separated by large rivers. These areas can be traversed by way of river taxi. Go to the port village and ask where the speedboats launch from. Ask other passengers what the fare is while traveling as boat operators tend to seek higher fees from tourists. Do not take "specials" without first negotiating the price.

Taxis are a good way to get around in Georgetown. Fares should never be more than $2.50 (Guyanese $500) for travel within the city and most fares should be around GD$300.

There are set prices for taxis for different destinations, eg. from the airport to town costs GD$4000, from the airport to Moleson Creek is GD$24,000.