Guyana as a tourist destination - an adventure in the wonders of nature

Guyana has the biodiversity, the flora and fauna and, most importantly, the warm and hospitable people to offer world travelers an exceptional and unique experience.

"To really know the secrets of Guyana, one has to internalize all that we have to offer and see it as a spiritual journey. We have to see Guyana with our hearts, feel it with our eyes and listen to the rivers, waterfalls, bird and other wild lives with our souls," said Geoffrey da Silva, minister of trade, tourism and industry.

Gerry Gouveia, president of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana, has great plans for the tourism industry. "Tourism could only be developed with a genuine partnership with government and with the private sector, and that's what we are working for. We have a unique product to offer tourists."

Annette Arjune, a tour operator of Shell Beach Adventures in Guyana, is very committed to preserving the nesting grounds of the sea turtles. Shell Beach, which is really made up of many beaches, lies between the mouths of the Pomeroon and the Waini Rivers in Northwestern Guyana and is one of the longest stretches of the wilderness shoreline anywhere in the world. Arjune and her colleagues are working diligently on a community-based conservation program for the protection of the marine turtles on these beaches.

Arjune declared that, "A sustainable livelihood approach to eco-tourism can empower people to protect their environment and their cultures not just for this generation but for those to come."

Discovering Guyana begins in Georgetown

A walk from north to south starting in the city's northwest corner near Le Meridien Pegasus and the Seawall will show you most of Georgetown's main attractions.

Umana Yana

The Umana Yana ("meeting place" in the Amerindian Wai-Wai language of the deep south of Guyana) is a thatched benab, an enlarged version of a Wai-Wai building constructed by the Wai-Wai for a summit conference of the non-aligned movement in 1972.

The Seawall

The northern part of Georgetown stands on land reclaimed from the sea, and much of Guyana's coastal region is below sea level at high tide. The massive seawall, which runs along the shore and then most of the way along Guyana's northeastern coast, was started in the 1870s. In Georgetown, the seawall has long been a place for walking, jogging and passing the time.

St. George's Cathedral

This graceful wooden cathedral, the mother church of the Anglican diocese of Guyana, was completed in 1892. It is the fourth church to stand on the North Road site; originally designed by the English architect Sir Arthur Bloomfield in stone, it was eventually built in Guyanese greenheart and English oak, both to reduce costs and to avoid problems with soil conditions. At 143 feet, its steeple makes it one of the world's tallest timber buildings.

City Hall

This is probably the finest of all Georgetown's 19th-century wooden buildings. Completed in 1889 at the corner of Regent Street and the Avenue of the Republic, its interior has been lovingly restored. Its architect Ignatius Scoles (who won $50 for the winning drawing) was clearly inspired by the Gothic revival then fashionable in England.

The High Court

Immediately south of City Hall, the L-shaped High Court (1887) is a striking mixture of styles, with echoes of Elizabethan England above and ancient Greece and Rome below, in its high dormer roofs and covered verandahs. The statue of Queen Victoria on the grounds is a reminder that the building was opened on the English queen's birthday in her jubilee year.

Stabroek Market

Once described by Canada's Pierre Trudeau as s "bizarre bazaar," Stabroek Market with its distinctive clock tower is one of Georgetown's most familiar landmarks. A market has been here since at least 1842, though the covered area dates from 1881. According to some accounts, it was intended as a railway station for another colony, but arrived in Guyana by mistake. The market is always busy: furniture, gold jewelry, handicraft and clothing are offered here as well as fruits and vegetables.

Parliament Building

This imposing brick building on Brickdam, with a central dome, opened in 1843. Guyana's parliament meets in the eastern wing. The cannons on the northern side come from the Crimean War.

Sun, white sand and the therapeutic waters of lakes, creeks and rivers

East, south and west of the capital lie vast rivers, lakes, creeks and waterfalls, high mountains and rolling savannahs that stretch away to the borders of Brazil, Venezuela and Suriname. It's an area as big as Britain. So let's go out of town . . .

To go further into the interior, it's best to use a tour operator. Those registered with the Tourism and Hospitality Association know the local conditions, will develop an itinerary for you, and will know if a permit is required to enter any districts you want to visit.

Timberland, run by Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel, lies within the Santa Mission Amerindian reserve on the Pokerero creek. It is a secluded retreat, reached by boat along a winding creek overhung with vegetation. Timberhead offers comfortable accommodations in jungle lodges; its open lounges are slung with hammocks, and huge window seats overlook the creek with views of the savannah and forest.

Further up the creek from Timberhead is the attractive Arrowpoint nature resort, in the heart of the Amerindian reservation of Santa Mission. Arrowpoint nature resort is nestled in the heart of the Amerindian reservation of Santa Mission and is only a 35-minute "Disney-like" adventure boat ride from the international airport. Arrowpoint offers sun, white sand and the beautiful clear black creek water. Water sports, nature treks and delicious Guyanese cuisine are all part of the package.

Essequibo occupies the whole of western Guyana with its high mountains and savannah lands. It is named after Guyana's mightiest river, the Essequibo, which traverses the country from south to north, splitting it in two. At the mouth, the river is 21 miles wide; no less than 365 islands lie within the river itself, the largest of them, Hogg Island, being longer than Barbados.

Following the river's contours, we can trace the footsteps of history. First, we come to Fort Island, once the headquarters of the Dutch in the Essequibo region; parts of the fortification still remain.

The tiny island of Kyk-over-al (see-over-all) lies at the confluence of the Mazaruni and the Cuyuni River, with a direct view of the Essequibo. Here the Dutch made their headquarters before moving to Fort Island, and traces of them still remain; plans for restoration are under way.

A range of resorts are located in the Essequibo region, many of them offering bird watching, jungle trekking, visits to waterfalls, river trips and explorations, fishing, or historical sites.

Shanklands Rain Forest Resort is set amid 100 acres of rain forest. Accommodation ranges from simple camp-style facilities to self-contained gingerbread cottages with porcelain tubs and four-poster beds. Set on the edge of a cliff, the cottages offer a panorama of the river and the islands below. Each cottage is secluded to offer comfort and privacy and has sweeping verandahs with low-slung hammocks.

Baracara Island Resort is surrounded by its own sparkling white-sand beach leading to a natural, rustic wood cabin. Day trips by 900 horsepower jet boat provide a thrilling ride along the Mazaruni and Cuyuni Rivers.

Lake Mainstay Resort, taking its name from the lake on which it's located, is one of the most recent developments. The resort is close to the popular Hot and Cold Lake Natural springs that create hot and cold undercurrents in the water, hence the name. The 1,919-acres of Hot and Cold's waters offer swimming, fishing, boating and waterspouts. There are 264 feet of white-sand beaches for sunbathing, and scattered benabs and umbrellas to relax under. Treks into the nearby forest or to Amerindian communities can be arranged.

The Iwokrama International Center for Conservation and Development

The Essequibo forms one of the boundaries of the Iwokrama Program, named after its central feature, the Iwokrama mountain range. The reserve lies at the center of the country, with almost a million acres of virtually pristine rain forest, bounded by North Rupununi, the Takatu and Siparuni Rivers. The program focuses on forest conservation and the sustainable management of forest resources.

It was first conceived at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kuala Lumpur in 1989 by the Guyana Government. The wildlife at Iwokrama is still being documented; so far, one in every three visitors has sighted s jaguar. Found there are 1,500 to 2,000 different plant species, more than 200 different fish, 120 snakes, lizards and frogs and 105 mammals. Bird life is prolific, with an estimated 450 species.

The Rupununi savannahs are famous for rodeos

Here some of Guyana's greatest pioneers braved a harsh and unforgiving land to establish their homesteads. Cattle are worked in the same way as they were centuries ago. Many ancient Amerindian sites and petroglyphs are in the Rupununi, and a museum of Amerindian relics has recently been opened in Lethem, the Rupununi's main township.

A yearly event, which attracts participants from across the Brazilian border and sightseers from around the country, is the Easter Rodeo. The sport has grown into a yearly event.

The Rupununi holds many treasures, chief among them a huge diversity of wildlife. It is here that some of the largest species in the world survive. The harpy eagle, an endangered species, is king over the glittering blue skies of the savannahs. The black caiman, growing up to 30 feet long, finds refuge here, as does the giant river otter. The arapaima, the world's largest freshwater fish - an adult weighs on average 300 pounds - also is here. The giant anteater also makes the Rupununi one of its homes.

Karanambu Ranch is a unique combination of ranch, resort and wildlife reserve. Its fame stems partly from the Giant Otter Reserve that Diane McTurk has established there, rescuing orphaned giant otters and rearing them until they are self-sufficient and can be returned to the wild. The ranch borders on being an Amerindian settlement, which has its clay brick and palm-thatched cabanas.

Dadanawa Ranch, Guyana's largest ranch, is located deep in the southern Rupununi.

It is the perfect base for horse trekking tours, hikes into the forest in search of the endangered harpy eagle, visits to outstations, caves and Amerindian rock paintings and bird watching on the savannah.

Kaieteur Falls is the largest single-drop falls in the world

The best-known site in the Pakaraimas is the Kaieteur Falls. This - the highest continuous single-drop fall in the world - is surely one of the nature's masterpieces. Here, the Potaro River, a tributary of the Essequibo plummets off the Pakarama

Plateau in billowing mist, spreading an eternal rainbow across the water, plunging 741 feet to the rocks below, and there descends another 81 feet to the bottom of the gorge, then winds away into the far distance. Five times the height of Niagara and twice the height of Victoria Falls, it is also 300 feet broad and surrounded by unspoiled rain forest with no commercial intrusions in sight. It is a magnificent and awe-inspiring display.

The falls support a biodiversity peculiar to this area; giant bromeliads thrive, themselves supporting a miniature ecosystem within their leaves and sustaining the tiny golden frog.

More than 100 species of orchids have been identified. Cloud forests created by the mists have developed and created their own ecosystem.