Monday March 27 2023, 12.01am,
Jamie Lafferty - The Sunday Times
Despite being the only English-speaking country in South America, Guyana has long been a mystery for most British travellers. Blessed with extraordinary wildlife and one of the purest remaining wildernesses on the continent, it has largely been ignored by everyone aside from committed birders looking to spot some of the 800 or so species found within its border.
Now, however, this former British colony is a little bit closer, thanks to the launch of a new British Airways flight to the capital, Georgetown, providing the first direct link with Europe.
1. Kaieteur Falls
See a thundering cascade and dazzling wildlife
Unarguably one of the most picturesque waterfalls in the world, Kaieteur is the nation’s icon and the planet’s largest single-drop waterfall by volume. It may not match Angel Falls in Venezuela for height, but it’s still 225m tall, and whereas its nominal rival is a mere trickle in the jungle this is a thundering, exhilarating cascade. With its own airstrip and national park, it’s also surprisingly accessible thanks to a short (if often bumpy) flight.
There are three separate viewpoints and, at the time of writing, still very little in the way of restrictions — vertigo sufferers may find the lack of safety rails a little daunting, but photographers will be delighted by the dizzying access.
The mist from the falls in rainy season breathes life into the surrounding valley, providing enough moisture for golden rocket frogs to live their entire lives inside giant tank bromeliads, many of which hang perilously over the cliffs facing the falls. Elsewhere, one of the most popular hiking routes passes a courting location for the absurdly flamboyant Guianan cock-of-the-rock, a bright orange bird that looks as though it’s dressed to provide security at a punk gig.
2. Surama Eco-Lodge
Guyana’s oldest eco-lodge is right in the heart of the country, where the jungle has started to thin out towards baked savannah. The Surama Eco Lodge has many elements you’d expect — easy access to nature, sustainably constructed buildings — and some great tours into the wilderness, where you can expect encounters with giant anteaters, scarlet macaws and, if you’re especially fortunate, the mighty harpy eagle.
The lodge is owned and run by local Makushi people, one of the nine distinct indigenous groups in the country. As well as meeting community members at the property, you can also make a visit to the Surama cultural village — originally built as a film set it’s now used by the indigenous people for demonstrations and lectures about their fast-fading way of life and language. Among the classes there’s hammock making and the baking of cassava bread, as well as the chance to try a local hooch known as “fly”. The cultural show at the end — a mix of folkloric songs and poems — has toured internationally and been performed for visiting royals.
3. Georgetown
For a long time travelling through the capital felt like a necessary evil en route to discovering the more beautiful and natural parts of the country. As visitor numbers have grown, however, this British-built city has improved, with a growing number of bars and restaurants catering to an increasingly international crowd.
If you want to learn something about the culinary history of Guyana, the Backyard Café is a must. Its owner and chef, Delven Adams, leads tours of the central market before taking you back to his family-run restaurant for an expertly prepared meal made with the produce that he has just acquired, as well as a lengthy talk on the country’s cuisine and dishes, such as coconut bread, and baked fish with mango salsa (fb.com/backyardcafegy).
For accommodation, more international brands are arriving each year, but for a sense of Guyana’s colonial-era architecture try the Cara Lodge, which dates from the days of the British Empire.
The city and surrounding area is best explored through an organised tour taking in the Guyana National Museum, with its hulking full-scale model of a giant sloth, and sunset trips up the Demerara and Essequibo rivers — at day’s end thousands of birds, including spectacular scarlet ibises, come to roost by the slow-moving waters. If you’ve a little extra time, more elaborate boat trips include visits to the Sloth Island nature reserve, where you’re likely to find some incredibly lazy residents.
4. Rewa Eco-Lodge
Rewa is one of those lodges buried so deep in the jungle that wildlife interactions will be unavoidable. Prizes include the near-mythic arapaima, a colossal prehistoric fish that breathes at the surface, giving it a huge advantage when the dry season arrives. Sports fishermen come from around the world to catch (and release) these giants.
Fans of creepy-crawlies will not go wanting — a short trip from the lodge, guides have marked hiding spots for the impressive Goliath bird-eating tarantula, which may not actually eat birds, but which is nonetheless the world’s heaviest spider.
In the deepest depths sunlight won’t penetrate the foliage, but the lodge’s expert guides are still able to help spot birds and primates in the canopy. If that feels at all claustrophobic then the good news is that time is also spent out on the Rewa and Rupununi rivers, speeding along on skiffs with a cooling breeze. There’s plenty more wildlife along the riverbanks, including giant otters and dozens of kingfishers, as well as cayman sunning themselves on sandbars.
One of the most popular excursions stops at one of these river beaches (making sure it’s clear of Crocodilia first) to have a barbecue dinner while the sun sets over the jungle. Racing you back after nightfall, the guides will then use spotlights to find yet more wildlife.
The captivating South American country with a new direct flight (thetimes.co.uk)
