The interior is dominated by Kaieteur National Park. You may have been to Angel or Iguazú Falls, seen Niagara or not even be particularly interested in waterfalls; it doesn’t matter, go to Kaieteur Falls (www.kaieteurpark.gov.gy). Watching 30, 000 gallons of water per second be shot out over a 250m cliff (allegedly making this the highest [...]
Suriname, the self-proclaimed ‘beating heart of the Amazon,’ is just that: a warm, dense convergence of rivers that thumps with the lively rhythm of ethnic diversity. From Paramaribo, the country’s effervescent Dutch-colonial capital, to the fathomless jungles of the interior, smiling descendants of escaped African slaves, Dutch and British colonialists, Indian, Indonesian and Chinese indentured [...]
St Laurent is a dozy place with some of the finest colonial architecture in the country and, even 60 years after the penitentiary’s closure, is dominated by penal buildings and the ghosts of its prisoners. Along the banks of the Fleuve Maroni (Marowijne River), bordering Suriname, St Laurent is also a place to take a [...]
Amsterdam meets the Wild West in Paramaribo, the most vivacious and striking capital in the Guianas. Black and white colonial Dutch buildings line grassy squares, wafts of spices escape from Indian roti shops and mingle with car exhaust, Maroon artists sell colorful paintings outside somber Dutch forts. Locally known as ‘Parbo,’ the inhabitants are proud [...]
Kourou’s depressing, scattered sprawl of cheap ’70s and ’80s architecture can be blamed on the establishment of the Centre Spatial Guyanais which employs some 1350 people. For the seat of the country’s economic strong-force, there is surprisingly little culture and the most recommended activity after a visit to the Space Center is to hightail it [...]
Described by its own tourism association as ‘Conradian’ and ‘raw,’ Guyana is a densely forested country with a dark reputation of political instability and interethnic tension. While politics aren’t making things brighter, underneath the headlines of corruption and economic mismanagement is a joyful and motivated mix of people who are trying to bring the spectacular [...]
There’s something endearing about Georgetown, whose easy to navigate gridded streets, dilapidated colonial architecture and many unkempt parks give it a laid-back feel amidst real-life chaos. Around the congested market area the air is full of angry shouting, happy shouting, marijuana smoke, friendly faces and suspicious-looking thieves; in all, there is so much fiery turbulence [...]
French Guiana is a little country of pristine rainforests that has both the luck and misfortune of being colonized by France (and is thus a member of the EU). It’s the wealthiest region of this corner, with France pouring in the funds to insure a stable base for its satellite launcher; everyone from Brazil to [...]
Together known as Corriverton, the towns of Springlands and Skeldon, on the west bank of the Corentyne River about 195km from Georgetown, are at the southeastern end of the coastal road from Georgetown. The town’s Main St is a long, lively strip with mosques, churches, a Hindu temple, cheap hotels, eateries and bars. Brahman (zebu) [...]
The coastal plain, an area heading east from Georgetown to the Suriname border, can be traversed via the Eastern Hwy. The road travels through town after unremarkable town, passing potholes, suicidal dogs, unfenced livestock and the resultant road kill. Rosignol, about a two-hour drive from Georgetown, is where the road ends; a massive antique ferry [...]