One of the most interesting things about Guyana and Suriname is the fact that around 55% of the population are of Indian origin. They were brought over by the British back in the 1800s along with Africans as workers or slaves. They have been living here for generations now and therefore one of the national languages is Hindi and their holidays include the Indian festivals of Diwali and Dussehra among others. We were curious to see the culture here which was one of the reasons we wanted to visit Guyana and Suriname. When we were researching places to visit, Suriname came up really short and the only major tourist attraction in Guyana was the Kaieteur Falls. I didn’t know what to expect of Guyana or what I thought it would look like, but I was slightly disappointed because it looks a bit run down and dilapidated. It is evident that they don’t really cater to tourists because other than the large wooden church, which was closed for renovation, there is really nothing else to see here that would warrant someone to visit unless they have family or business here. Transportation to and from the airport is by taxi and also within the city limits is quite pricey. The ride from the airport cost $5000 Guyanese Dollars (USD $23).
Kaieteur Falls
These falls are considered the world’s largest single drop falls (in volume) and were located deep in the middle of the Amazon jungle. The only way to see this is to book a tour on a small 14 passenger plane. These tours have to be booked in advance but they will not guarantee it until they have a minimum of 11 passengers. The cost of this tour is US$190/person which included the flight to and from Kaieteur Falls, snacks, refreshments and a 2-hour guided tour of the Kaieteur National Park. We had contacted Evergreen Adventure tours a few weeks in advance and were working with an agent who had tentatively booked us on 2 days (20th and 22nd) as neither tours had sufficient passengers. The morning we left Trinidad, we got confirmation that the tour on the 20th was a go. This was a relief because we had spent a lot of effort and money to come here to visit the falls and would have been terribly disappointed if we didn’t get to see it. We also had booked our AirBnB from the 18th until the 22nd, so if we had gotten the 22nd, we would have had to extend our stay here. That was one of the reasons we had also not booked our onward journey from Guyana.
During our first day in Guyana, we had to buy our tickets for the falls tour from the Eugene F. Correia (Ogle) International Airport which mainly catered to small charter planes (this is different from the main airport in Georgetown – Cheddi Jagan Airport). On the day of our tour, we were to report to the airport at 11 am. After going through some safety checks, we waited for over an hour for the plane to be fueled and ready and then we boarded the flight by 12.30 pm.
The small plane took off from the airport and after flying for about 1.5 hours, we landed on a small airstrip next to the Kaieteur Falls Visitor Center. Before landing, we got an amazing view of the majestic falls as the plane made a full circle around the falls. Although we got a pretty good view from the plane, we were eager to get up close and take in the beauty for which we had made the long journey.
View of the Amazon jungle from the plane
First view of the majestic Kaeiteur Falls
After a brief 10 minute break at the visitor center, the tour guide took us on a guided tour through the jungle to 3 different vista points from where we could get a great view of the falls and take pictures.
Truly this was THE reason to visit Guyana. Nestled deep in the Amazonian jungle, you see this river running, creating a serpentine line of dark blue in between the lush green, and as it reaches the end of the cliff, it plunges down as a white silky curtain to a misty cloud. No matter which angle you look from, you can’t take your eyes off of it.
Added to the mystery was the fact that there was not a soul for hundreds of miles, and nature put on this heavenly show as an exclusive event just for us.
Throughout our tour, our guide showed us the huge variety of flora and fauna present in the Amazon. At one of the vista points, he pointed us to the rare golden frog which is indigenous only to the Guyanese Amazon. In between some large leaves, he spotted this tiny bright golden frog, almost the size of a peanut. 
The whole tour took about 1.5 hours after which we flew back to Georgetown on the same charter plane that was waiting for us. The pilot made one last full circle around the falls before heading back. As I mentioned earlier, in my opinion, this is the reason to visit Guyana and I highly recommend that you book the tour well in advance before coming here.
Sights of Georgetown:
- National Museum of Guyana: This is a large taxidermy display consisting of indigenous animals, birds, insects, etc stuffed and put on display. The only interesting item in the museum is the giant sloth whose bones were found in these parts completely intact. The bones of this giant sloth, which is known to be extinct for over 10,000 years, was found in 1999 by miners in the Cuyuni river. It is believed that it originated in the tropical rainforest in South America, had an average height of 15 feet, and weighed approximately three tons. They have dedicated a room just for the sloth which it much deserves. Entrance to the museum is free and the only caveat to take pictures is that you have to have a person in the frame. You cannot take pictures of just the display.
- Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology: This museum explains the history of the indigenous people of Guyana and their culture. It is located on the main street in the downtown area of Guyana.
- St. George’s Cathedral: This is the tallest wooden structure in the world. The cathedral was completed in 1892 and built from greenheart trees which are native to Guyana. These trees are very hard, virtually fireproof and bug resistant. The cathedral is supposed to be beautiful with pointed arches, vaulted ceilings and colonial architecture. However, because the cathedral was closed due to renovations, we were unable to see it.
- Botanical Gardens: A large garden located in the center of the city. The main attraction is the Victorian lilies.
- Starbroek Market: This is a market that is usually frequented by the locals and mostly sells various creole wares.
- German’s Restaurant: This restaurant began in a small shop in Tigerbay, Georgetown (a neighborhood in Guyana) in 1960 by its founder Hubert “German” Urling. This restaurant is very famous in Guyana for its “Cow Heel Soup” which is a Guyanese Creole Soup, along with other popular local foods.
AN ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY FROM GUYANA TO MANAUS, BRAZIL
Travelling from Georgetown, Guyana to Brazil is an adventure in itself. There are no direct flights between these two neighboring countries and flights will either need to stop over in Suriname, Panama, Trinidad or Miami and ticket costs tend to run in several hundreds. Paying so much for a plane ticket for such a short distance just didn’t make sense to us. So we did a lot of research and found a complex land route which would work out to be much more affordable. So if you are ever in this situation, here is how to do this.
On the first leg of the journey, we were to travel by a small charter plane from Georgetown to Lethem, a small town located at the border of Guyana and Brazil. This small plane is an 18 passenger plane that will weigh you and your luggage prior to confirming your seat. The cost of the ticket was $195/person, and the luggage allowance is 20 lbs/person with an extra $1/person for any additional weight. When we wanted to add an extra 80 lbs, they said the flight was full and couldn’t accommodate it, so either of us with the luggage could take the first flight and the other person would have to take a later flight. But after some pleading with the agent to see if there was anything she could do, she called the other passengers to find out if anyone was willing to switch to a later flight. Yes, you read that right, luggage in place of a passenger. Trans Guyana Airways has flights along this route 3 times a day. Eventually, she received confirmation and we were all set for the 11.15 am flight.
The aircraft we flew in, although similar in capacity to the one we took to go to Kaieteur Falls, seemed smaller because of the way the seating was arranged. 
There were 9 rows of single seats on either side of the aisle. It took about 1.5 hours to reach Lethem and when we arrived, we landed on a large open fenced field.
Airport is the building on the extreme right
There was no airport but just a small single storey building which served as an airport office and there were a few small shops lining the side of the street.
Several taxis were parked on the side and they were the only means of transport away from this airport in the middle of nowhere. As we walked towards them, one of the taxi drivers approached us and offered to take us to the border for 2000 Guyanese Dollars (USD $9.50) per person. It was only a short distance of 2.5 km and it took about 10 minutes.
We had to wait at the border patrol office in Bonfim for an hour to clear immigration as it was their lunch time. Meanwhile, the taxi driver who dropped us off put us in touch with another taxi driver who was to take us to Boa Vista. This was a shared taxi and we paid 60 Reals (USD $16) per person. It took about 2.5 hours to drive to Boa Vista (around 130 km away). We reached the bus station at 4 pm and after purchasing the tickets to Manaus, we had lunch in a small restaurant at the station. Our bus was to depart at 8 pm and would reach Manaus 12 hours later. The price of the ticket was around 250 Reals (USD $61) per person. So we waited at the bus station for a few hours until it was time and were on our way. After an almost 21 hour journey, we finally reached Manaus!
