Guyana

In the humid tropics, long before the infamous Jonestown incident, colonial British Guyana was famous for Demerara sugar, but today's independent country has become a low-key eco-tourism destination for explorers truly dedicated to off-the-contrailed-air-route travel. Where the Demerara river enters the Atlantic, the capital city of Georgetown recalls the heyday of British colonialism in its architecture, but it also features a lively visual arts scene, and its surprisingly good zoo provides an introduction to native animals of the country's tropical seas, savannas, and rainforests. Freshened by the trade winds, the Seawall makes a fine walk ...

In the humid tropics, long before the infamous Jonestown incident, colonial British Guyana was famous for Demerara sugar, but today's independent country has become a low-key eco-tourism destination for explorers truly dedicated to off-the-contrailed-air-route travel. Where the Demerara river enters the Atlantic, the capital city of Georgetown recalls the heyday of British colonialism in its architecture, but it also features a lively visual arts scene, and its surprisingly good zoo provides an introduction to native animals of the country's tropical seas, savannas, and rainforests. Freshened by the trade winds, the Seawall makes a fine walk at sunset. The sugar port of Corriverton is one gateway to Suriname, but the best excursions are flights to the interior, where the ribbon of Kaieteur Falls plunges more than 800 feet from a sandstone tableland; the mini-Niagara of Orinduik Falls, often visited on the same trip, is also worthwhile. Overland travel is more difficult, except in the spring and late summer dry seasons, when it's possible to travel to Lethem on the Brazilian border; there, the Rupununi savanna and the forests of the Kanuku mountains support a diversity of birds and other wildlife. Air access is also possible, and several wildlife lodges provide accommodations and food in the vicinity.

About the Expert

Wayne Bernhardson is the author of Moon Handbooks to Argentina, Buenos Aires (including coastal Uruguay), Chile (including Easter Island), and Patagonia (including the Falkland Islands).