Guyana travel guide

Bartica is a trading town for the mining people further in the jungle. Here they sell their gold and buy new rubber boots or machinery. The town has been growing in the recent years, so it's fairly civilized with sealed streets, lots of guesthouses, and even banks with ATMs. But there is still a small covered market and on the other side of town something that could go for a beach. There are lots of interesting characters hanging out in the streets, all friendly and curious about any foreigner passing through. The easiest way to get to Bartica from Georgetown is by bus to Parika and then speedboat.

For some reason, once upon a time, some people decided to put a bunch of manatees in a pool in a city park called National Park in Georgetown. Whether the animals are happy in there is a different question. They probably would prefer their freedom in some river delta, which is their natural habitat, instead of having local kids try to aim stones into their nostrils.
It does however give you a chance to watch these docile, slow, and a little shy animals from up close. They love to eat grass and when you pick a handful and slap it on the water surface they will all (and there are plenty of them in this pond) come swimming to you to be fed. You can pet them and scratch their heads while feeding them.

Arriving into Guyana you feel right away a different vibe than in the neighbouring countries. All off a sudden, you have arrived in the Caribbean, just without the beautiful beaches. Most Guyanese are from either African or Indian descent and from cars and shop windows you'll hear Soca, Chutney, Bollywood or Reggae music. A strange worldly mix. The colonial history of Guyana is still very evident on signs, with streets and areas bearing Dutch or English names. Some colonial buildings and houses are well maintained or renovated with the St. George's Cathedral, Town Hall and Parliament buildings as the masterpieces. It's a pretty laid-back city but a lot more active and with a lot more hustle and bustle than the capitals of the neighbouring Guianas. A great day in Georgetown could be sightseeing the colonial buildings in the morning, eating a curry for lunch, watching a Bollywood movie in the afternoon and party at night with rum and Soca music.

When you fly into Kaieteur Falls, you will glide over the top of the dense rainforest which makes up most of Guyana (about 75% of Guyana is covered by some kind of forest). From up there it's easy to spots the large brown patches in the otherwise green blanket, the open mines. Gold mining is a big thing in Guyana and amounted for about 35% of Guyana's export, which otherwise consists of agriculture products like sugarcane, rice and shrimps. But these mines are often an environmental disaster with displaced soil, cyanide and mercury pollution of water, and endangered animals as a result - not to mention the danger to the miner's health.

As often with waterfalls, countries claim that they are the tallest, widest, most voluminous, etc. in the world. The Kaieteur Falls is none of the above, but is probably the world's tallest waterfall with this volume. In any case it is definitely one of the most amazing waterfalls in the world! The massive amount of water from the Potaro river plunges 226 metres down into the gorge below. Pretty much all visitors to the falls take the one-hour flight from Georgetown to the top of the falls where there is an airstrip where small planes can land. From there you can take a guided walk to different viewpoints to admire the grandeur of these magnificent waterfalls and stand on the edge of where the water plunges down. If you have the chance, consider staying overnight. At dawn and dusk, a huge amount of swifts go out or come in to sleep behind the waterfalls.

Most visitors to Kaieteur Falls just fly in and out the same day, but the waterfall lies inside Kaieteur National Park, which holds more than just the viewpoints of the spectacular waterfall. The national park encompasses 627 sq km and is home to several endemic species of both flora and fauna, but is particularly known for its miniscule golden rocket frog, which are only found here on the Kaieteur Plateau. It's possible to stay within the park and do different treks, like the one to the bottom of the falls and back up.

Parika is just a travel hub for transferring between minibuses to and from Georgetown and boats down river. The main street, which leads down to the harbour, is where the action is which isn’t a whole lot, so no reason to go here unless you’re catching some transport.

The central market in Georgetown, also known as Stabroek Market, covers about 7,000 m² and must be one of the largest covered markets in all of South America. The building itself is a bit of an architectural gem built in 1881 with an iconic clock tower. The outside is a chaotic mayhem of minibuses and street vendors, and it doesn’t get any less crowded inside. The huge market is divided into distinct areas: meats, fish, fruits and vegetable, clothes, and jewelry. As it goes all the way down to the waterfront, it doubles as ferry terminal for boats going up and down the Demerara river. Stabroek Market can feel a bit rowdy and untidy, and even though people are friendly, it's probably best to watch out for pickpockets and such.

These cars/taxis/buses with the funny name of the strange-looking animal are unique to Guyana, more specifically to the area between Corriverton and New Amsterdam, an area called Berbice. You won't see them anywhere else in the country.
These boxy cars are very basic with two doors at the front and one door at the back with two lengthwise benches fitting up to 8 passengers. They are mostly very colourful, nicely decorated and are sometimes given names. Tapirs were originally produced around the '70s. The bodies of the cars were locally fabricated while the engines were imported. Although the production stopped in the '80s they are well maintained and taken care of so you are bound to see plenty of them on the roads in Berbice. They are still the main means of public transportation in this Eastern part of Guyana and a cheap way to travel around locally.

Now or Never
Good Faith
Village 2
Hope
Palmyra
Calcutta
Prospect
Glazier Lust
Content
Garden of Eden
Supply
Support
Pearl
Caledonia

The above list might seems as a random mix of nouns, titles of B-movies, and well-known cities, but they are all names of villages in Guyana. How did they come up with "Now or Never" and "Glazier Lust"?