guyana travel safe

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Is Guyana Safe? Crime Rates & Safety Report

Guyana, officially known as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana is a sovereign state located in the northern mainland of South America.

However, it has such strong cultural, historical and political ties with other Anglo Caribbean countries, that it’s often considered part of the Caribbean region.

Guyana shares its borders with the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Brazil to the south and southwest, Suriname to the east and Venezuela to the west.

Guyana is the only South American nation in which English is the official language which makes things that much easier for an average tourist, though the majority of the population speaks Guyanese Creole, an English-based creole language.

A must-see for all tourists is definitely the Kaieteur Falls, which are monumentally five times the height of Niagara Falls.

This place can be accessed by a short plane flight from the capital.

Lovers of summer activities can enjoy the gorgeous Shell Beach where they can see a range of Leatherback, Green and Olive Ridley turtles laying eggs.

For those in the mood for hiking, there are Merume Mountains, with a legend to follow: the legend has it that no one has been to the top of the Merume Mountains, or found the source of the Mazaruni river rumored to be within them.

• Warnings & Dangers in Guyana

OVERALL RISK: HIGH

Even though this country is known for its welcoming people, you should keep in mind that it is still filled with dangers to bear in mind. Apart from petty theft, there is serious violent crime to consider so apply all possible precaution measures before venturing into this beautiful country.

TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM

Transportation is generally not the best in Guyana. Road conditions are generally poor, the bus service, although it is frequent, isn't very reliable or safe and it is best to travel by taxi, especially at night. Be particularly careful on public transport for pickpockets that operate on buses and trains.

PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM

As in most countries in the world – where there are tourists, there are pickpockets. Pickpocketing and purse snatching are frequent in Guyana, particularly in the busiest areas of the country, like Georgetown. The general area of Stabroek Market and the area behind Bourda Market are places where petty crimes have been reported so apply caution when around these places.

NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: LOW

Guyana isn't prone to a huge amount of natural disasters, but it does have two significant rainy season, with substantial rainfall, causing severe flooding because there are two significant rainy seasons.

MUGGING RISK: HIGH

Petty crime can sometimes turn violent so your best bet is to just hand over everything you own immediately. The problem is that violent crime in general in this country is a serious issue, with murder rate that is three times higher than that of the United States. Armed robberies, muggings, burglaries, assaults and rapes are frequent. Areas where you should be particularly cautious include the village of Buxton, which is located along the road that leads from Georgetown to New Amsterdam, as well as Agricola, which sits near the East Bank highway.

TERRORISM RISK: LOW

Although there haven't been any terrorist attacks in Guyana's recent history, they shouldn't be ruled out so remain vigilant at all times.

SCAMS RISK: MEDIUM

As in almost any countries, there is a great risk of getting scammed in Guyana, too. Always check everything twice and negotiate everything in advance. Taxi drivers might try to trick you into paying more, giving you wrongful information about the price of the ride.

WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: HIGH

Women should definitely not travel alone in Guyana, but in a group or within a tour, especially at night but this applies to daytime, too. You should exercise precaution at all times and avoid dark and empty streets and locations.

• So... How Safe Is Guyana Really?

Guyana is not known as a particularly safe destination, with Georgetown being notorious for petty street crime.

Never carry all your money with you: in fact, do not carry large amounts of it at all.

Never walk alone both during night and day, as daytime is not a guarantee that you’re safe.

Avoid areas such as the Tiger Bay area east of Main Street and the entire southeastern part of the city including Albouystown and Ruimveldt, though if you’re in a group, you might pass by these places and you probably won’t have any problems, particularly if you’re with a native company.

Do not count on police assistance, as they will probably help you only if they see a criminal act occurring in front of them.

The good news is that the inner regions of the country where you can explore the famous, breathtaking waterfalls of this region and the vast rainforests are completely safe and crime-free.

Generally, once you leave the major cities and venture into rural areas, you will enter a friendly and warm atmosphere.

The interior regions with the breath-taking waterfalls and the beautiful rainforests and mountains are perfectly safe.

Before you travel to Guyana, make sure you get immunized for yellow fever, as well as malaria and dengue fever, though it has appeared only in the inner parts of the country.

Yellow fever is endemic to this area and you can catch it even in cities.

• How Does Guyana Compare?
• Useful Information

Many countries do not need a visa in order to enter Guyana. Make sure your passport is valid for six months beyond the period of your planned stay in Guyana. If you are not sure about your visa status, visit www.doyouneedvisa.com which will let you know whether or not you need visa based on your nationality and the country you want to visit.

Guyanese dollar is the official currency in Guyana. Bear in mind that not all ATMs accept foreign cards, and that credit cards are rarely accepted.

Climate in Guyana is warm and tropical all year round. There is substantial rainfall throughout the year, and the humidity is high. Guyana has two rainy seasons, December to January and May to June, while along the coastline the climate is tempered by sea breezes.

Cheddi Jagan International Airport is the national airport of Guyana. It is located on the right bank of the Demerara River in the city of Timehri, 41 km south of Guyana's capital, Georgetown.

Travel Insurance

Just like anywhere else, we advise getting travel insurance when traveling to Guyana, because it would cover not only medical problems, but also theft and loss of valuables.

Guyana Weather Averages (Temperatures)

• Average High/Low Temperature
• Where to Next?

122 Reviews on Guyana

Very good experience.

Guyana is s beautiful country your points are not completely correct I love Guyana I’m from London. The people are very nice and friendly. I had a really good experience there and I would definitely go again.

Hi I would like to have more details about safety & dealing locally. I want to start a gems & jewellary business there. I am from India.

One has to be careful with scammers and robbers.Careful when dealing with some people.They can be dishonest and look for any red flags.

GUYANA A PLACE TO BE!

To Rakesh…..alot of other guys from india are doing great here….business is really booming here in the clothing department……and thats what the others are doing here

A long, long time ago, whilst a service rep for Ford in Central and South America, Georgetown Guyana was among my many ports of call. I loved the place though it was likely the most dangerous places in the Americas, with the malefactors being dubbed the “choke and rob” element, gangs of roving thugs who’s waylay unwary or careless visitors, rob them of everything, including their clothes, and often give them a sound thumping for good measure. It also featured the most spectacularly beautiful women I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been pretty much all over the world, with beautiful racial mixtures of pure English beauties, East Asians, Amer-Indians, pretty much everything but Eskimos. The biggest downside was the cuisine, which was virtually inedible at best and potentially lethal at worst. This all was 35-40 years ago and likely much has changed for the better. Given the chance and a free airline ticket I’d love to go back for a visit.

Dear Rakesh I want go Guyana and please give me more details

Just because u had a good experience don’t mean the author is wrong he correct all the way

Not a place to raise a decent family

Agreed, Guyana is a shithole country, and as a Guyanese living in New York, I went back 4 times in 35yrs, out of the 4 times, I got robbed twice and I got stabbed in the neck from one of those robberies, there are approximately 185 countries and I prefer to go places where I don’t have to be afraid walking alone in the streets by myself cuz I did so many times in some of the most safest streets in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia all by myself.

Guyana is a shithole country, and as a Guyanese living in New York, I went back 4 times in 35yrs, out of the 4 times, I got robbed twice and I got stabbed in the neck from one of those robberies, there are approximately 185 countries and I prefer to go places where I don’t have to be afraid walking alone in the streets by myself cuz I did so many times in some of the most safest streets in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia all by myself.

Guyana is a beautiful place not bad

love your comment i actually from Guyana 😁😀👍😃

Great place to visit

Man what the hell is this shit who wrote this This is so not true and it should be taken down

Your vitriolic words are just proving the author’s comments to be right.

So what if the individual used colourful language it doesn’t take away from the fact this is a damaging quote about Guyana not being safe. There is crime and petty thieves everywhere but that doesn’t stop people from travelling. So who ever the author may be… it’s high time you reevaluated your statement.

“There is crime and petty thieves everywhere….”

NO, there is not! Time for you to visit Iceland, Austria, Switzerland or Norway (just to name a few). In these countries you don’t have to think about what time it is when leaving your hotel. It’s perfectly safe around the clock. Yes, even pickpocketing is very rare. Violent crime is “nearly” unheard of.

So, please stop this “…it’s the same everywhere” BS. That’s a hippie lie. There ARE much better and safer countries out there. Go inform yourself.

I worked there 5yrs ago (healthcare). We did our research, went well prepared. Had to stay in a secure compound in Georgetown. We were robbed at gunpoint on the way to work at 9am. Witnessed a machete attack at 9pm (a small crowd of us) The author seems to know what they are talking about. People travelling need to know if they will be safe and the areas to avoid

Guyana is a very special country but, crime is out of control from the airport they follow you to your destination, there is an insider who is involved with your destination.

My wife is guyanese and she told me the same thing

crime crime crime risk high

I was robbed of everything at gunpoint on my way from the airport, apparently this is quite common according to the US embassy where I had to get a temporary passport to return but the government hides reporting crimes for obvious reasons. Crime is terrible throughout the country, not a place to visit.

The author is absolutely correct. There is a armed robbery nearly everyday. The murder rate for such a small country ? Your disparaging remarks serves to confirm precisely what the author is conveying.

So not true. Georgetown is usually busy and does have thefts but if you go other places like Linden, Essequibo etc it’s beautiful and safe, people even sleep with their windows and doors open because a lot of areas are safe. Know your facts before you write this crap. P.s people are very friendly there, usually greeting you as you walk by.

Would like to visit

You sleep with your windows open in Guyana and you’re likely to get eaten alive by a snow leopard.

What snow leopard? Smh. You get robbed at gunpoint in the USA.

snow leopard in the tropics? come on now.

I wish to visit Guyana..though crimes are all over even in Africa

No crime is way above the norm. Especially if you are white. Why go to a place where you have to be on high alert unless you prefer that sort of vacation. Try Costa Rica or Caracas No sense in being a victim. Sorry l will always choose safety over unsafe.

Skin color has nothing to do with being a victim of crime.

Yes it does I am Guyanese born, and I’m married to a white wife being white in Guyana attracts attention to the wrong type of people. They’re bad people all over this world when I lived in Guyana, I was the victim of a home invasion, they threatened to chop my baby out of her mom belly with a cutlass if I did not give up the money . My wife and daughter are alive. Thank God ! Being white in Guyana makes you an easy target. You have so many desperate people there Safty is definitely an issue. I guess it has to be an issue of luck if you’re lucky you won’t get killed!!! And I was not easy in GT. Disparity knows no limits! Lucky to be ALIVE you need a Glock 40 with lots of ammo to be safe!

Shit hole country

This is 99% facts… Just remove trains… Cause there’s no public trains and not train terminals… Guyana is not safe and nobody should travel there… Worse caribbean country…

iNf4MouS Pi3RRE: You’re a shit hole asshole. Guyana is first class country and most important, shit hole asshole, Guyana is NOT a Caribbean country. Guyana is a South American country. Ok shithole asshole. Just a little edification for you.

Actually it is considered a Caribbean country. It’s the only Caribbean country that is part of a land mass rather than an independent island.

I thought Belize was also part of the land mass and classified as Caribbean?

Guyana is not the only Caribbean country apart of mass land

Control crime

I am a Guyanese. Unfortunately the author’s comments are absolutely correct.

Big time inside crime high

Guyana , serious safety concern.

I lived for 25 years in Guyana. Author is on point.

Guyana is apart of the Caribbean

Though guyana is not geographically accepted as apart of the Caribbean, on historical terms, sharing similar or rather exact history with caribbean islands, Guyana is a Caribbean country.

Hateful Ken a Guyanese

U r a hateful foul mouth bafoon you just prove the author right

You are an example of a first class Guyanese POS how they act and behave, not only in public but on the the internet while having a discourse with a fellow being. A fowl mouth like you are the reason why Guyanese get a bad name. It’s fallicious to have an discussion with ignoramus like you.

No, we are not the worst, there’s Trinidad and Jamaica. Guyana in the 50’s was described as “Paradise on Earth” with the friendliest people but no longer. The author who wrote this article is quite right.

My opinion of Guyana.

Agree I’m Australian my wife born in Guyana . Was a paradise before independance. Also East Indians and corrupt goverments had made this place a no go zone. Am a travel agent and yes the beauty is in the interior. I stayed at the Pegasus and didn’t feel safe. Robbery is rife the police turn their back. Money talks… Thank goodness my wife had a British Passport before becoming Australian citizen . She was admonished when visiting. . There were trains once from Geo to Rossignal. Only mining companies have trains down south. We were treated so badly . The airport staff were rude and ignorant. Transport is terrible. Best get limo of hotel. Advice stay out of Guyana , Venezuala or Suriname. Dont ask for directions or help as you wont get it. Why do you think major airlines keep failing and giving up route.

Guyana in the 50’s was riddled with race wars between the Afro and Indo Guyanese, much like the Protestant/Catholic kill kill kill in Northern Ireland, all due to the British telling NI Protestants they were superior to NI Catholic and Indo Guyanese they were superior to Afro Guyanese, all poppycock, of course, nobody is superior to anybody, but all grist to the mill of divide and conquer.

Beautiful Guyana

Some people need to get their facts correct. Guyana like many countries experience some problems with crime. However, it is a beautiful country with beautiful people . Guyana is about to become one of the richest countries.

Guyana is a shithole thanks to the pnc

hiding behind an anonymous politically charged posting does no one a service

Racist country

Guyana is unsafe and the ppp and their supporters are racist

Just gonna ignore El Salvador like that

Ken, your offensive language has just proved the man is right.

I have not been to your beautiful country. It is a dream to, one day. God bless your efforts, Guyanese people.

I felt most unsafe in the markets in Georgetown with 2 people doing a gun type action with their hands and pointing it in my direction. Beaches are just terrible -full of litter. I felt more safe in San Salvador than I did here.

Guyana is better than Norway

Norway sucks Norway is dumb country boring dumb people there bruh never g to Norway expensive crime terrorist attacks and El Salvador suck the end

I believe the people who says Guyana is not beautiful, haven’t been traveling. I don’t mean, going to a Caribbean Island Resort and getting drunk on a white sand beach or staying in your hometown saying ,”God Bless America” I haved visited over 27 country in world, I’ve used local buses and trains to see people lifestyles and what resources the country has. Many times I broke down in tears seeing Poverty. It’s unbelievable how people live especially children.” I have never been to Africa”.

Safety; The world have a safety and security issue. It’s going at your own RISK, anything could happen anywhere at anytime

Dirty; Did you ever check out New York and Los Angeles. One of the richest countries in the world with the most dirtiest city. I am Guyanese, I’ve lived in the USA for over 35 years. Guyana is a beautiful country that need to be develop more and its getting there.

I am from Guyana but have been living abroad for the past thirty eight years. Guyana is just climbing out of poverty and systemic corruption. The Capital city is looking much better these days with modern malls, office blocks, restaurants and night spots. The place is fairly clean just bushy along the verges. Most Caribbean countries are the same. The people are friendly and mostly protective of visitors. They enjoy a good joke and are not afraid to engage strangers in conversation. Gun violence is a concern in recent times but it has not reached crisis levels as in some other places. One has to be vigilant but no need to be running scared. Downtown Georgetown is best traversed on foot and can be quite crowded but, relatively safe. In terms of natural beauty, this country has it. The interior villages and towns are very safe and quite picturesque. The inland lakes and long winding rivers filled with exotic creatures foments excitement and adventure. Fruits are plentiful and wild animals in the forests make for great gastronomic satisfaction. Beautiful Guyana.

Use common sense when visiting Guyana

This man is right, Guyana much like traveling anywhere else calls for a bit of common sense. It’s best if you have a local contact come and pick u up from the airport or use one of the approved taxis. Dress not to draw attention to yourself and leave jewelry and gold chains and bracelets at home. Walk with just what you need in terms of money and btw, Guyana can be a very expensive destination so I would say about 100$usd/day to GYD. You may not spend it all but if ur visiting family n friends it will be gone trust me! Bury the rest of ur cash somewhere deep on ur person or hide it really well where ur staying. Trust NO ONE with ur money! People are people the world over, there are good n not so good but don’t be afraid to go to Guyana, it is a poor country by Western standards but the people would be glad to have you. Oh n white folks you are the last ones who have to worry about crime in Guyana, people will treat u especially well, please return the favor and reciprocate from your positions of power. Tell ur colleagues to please visit and take advantage of what the beautiful interior has to offer. Guyana is really trying hard to pull itself together but with decades of grinding poverty, change is not going to come overnight. Guyanese people are easy going and love a good laugh, make someone laugh and you’ve made a friend. Don’t fear going to Guyana, it might be a shithole country but that means ur measuring it against something else and if it is indeed a shithole country to some, it’s an shithole tons-of-fun for others!

Beautiful country but be vigilant

It is true I been going there for years and have been scanned so many times by dishonest people the buses are unsafe robbery is rife we witness robbery in broad daylight taxis do bump up prices when they know you from abroad so it is true stop being nationalistic and be honest Guyana isn’t safe period.

About 12 of us (some white English, some mixed English and Indo-Guyanese) hope to go to Guyana next year. None of us have been to Guyana before and no idea what to expect. But I do know that the parents of the mixed E and IG came to England, not because of poverty, but because of the race wars. So how safe are we from the Afro-Guyanese?

I don’t know why these people who are making comments about how Guyana beautiful. Guyana rass aint beautiful. It just has beauty in some areas just like any other country. What is so beautiful about Bourda and Stabroek markets. The areas are filthy. These people are all brain washed by Burnham. The whole bloody country is corrupted. Clean the country up. Most crimes committed is hardly solved. In adequate police force. It is a very poor country. No middle class. if it so beautiful then all you who have left Guyana 30 years ago, should go back and live there. I bet in a few months you will run away. The country requires structure. take a page from the Island of Barbados.

I think what Grant is saying is pretty true.I want to go to Guyana but what I gather from other writers I put together. One should dress down and don’t show off just go with the flow.I suggest you should take your shots from your Dr. Do not take too much clothes, you wash and wear and make sure you have a reliable person to pick you up at the airport. Carry enough money to use and just know where you are going. Don’t travel by yourself.

Hi, I been to Guyana in 2007, I met a wonderful lady online, and invited me to come over. I never been outside Europe before. I must say the guyanise people are one of the most friendly, warm welcoming people I ever come a cross.i felt very welcomed and safe, I difenetly go again.

I am a Guyanese, migrate to Canada in 1982, because of safety and the bullies of the PNC. You cannot count on law enforcement for your safety due to corruption. Look at the Government, total disregard for the constitution, after a non confidence vote. Get a grip of yourself people, there is no law and order of that land of three quarter million people. The city that I lived in Canada has twice the population and I’m sure our Mayor can do a better job than those meat heads that call themselves leaders. Leadership is lacking which in turn creates unemployment, no hope for the decent people, helplessness, and anger which in turn creates criminals and thugs. Read my lips, Guyana is not safe. Stay away.

The truth about Guyana

I was born at Leonora, left at age 22 years old all alone for Canada with a landed immigrant Visa. I returned a few times and I know what I am talking about. Guyana is a lawless country fuelled by racism / politics. I am now 70 years old. The police and military are Negroes and as such are loyal to the Negro government PNC – APNU-AFC. Just take a look at the 2020 March election. Guyana will soon becomes like Zimbabwe under the PNC. Guyana is no Country to visit, it is unsafe for tourist.

You sounds like sour grapes ..I know your race

Shame Indo and Afro can’t live together without hating each other.

A dangerous but beautiful country

So true my friend. When certain individuals suspected I was planning to leave the country as I was uncomfortable with the political policies, they arranged the burgling of my home perhaps, to take the passports? they failed, but stole a lot of jewelry and the stereo set. Next, they arranged the break and enter of the institution I managed but couldn’t access the safe. I finally fled with 2 suitcases. In the 60’s and 70’s I travelled all over the country on business and can say it’s a beautiful country with beautiful women who are struggling to survive and probably being taken advantage of. However, I understand the crime rate has increased with many unsolved murders some of which are high profile, and of late many unsolved fires. Perhaps the flow of the oil money may reduce crime but since crime pays, that’s not likely to happen. You couldn’t pay me to return on a visit.

A whole bunch of us are planning to visit Guyana next year and your comments about the PNC are worrying. Think I’d feel safer if it was run by the PPP. Maybe I’m biased as some of the people I’m travelling with are descended from Indo-Guyanese who left Guyana due to Afro-Guyanese violence.

Beautiful Guyana, Land of many WATERS

Guyana is not a crime country. Things have changed and you shouldn’t portray our country as being bad. It’s a beautiful place to visit and I gaurantee that you’ll be safe there.

Every place has challenges, just be vigilant and enjoy

i am a proud Guyanese living in the Bahamas for 16 years now.I was very proud to take my Bahamian husband to Guyana. Despite my country needs a bit cleaning up, things are looking much better now than before.Guyana is naturally beautiful, the food was great n my husband and kids loved it.We felt safe even with public transportation. My husband and kids took lots of pics especially in Linden. We are planning vacation again there very soon.

Guyana is beautiful. I spent 5 months there and enjoyed it. The people r friendly and treat foreigners respectfully. The place has cleaned up immensely since the new government has taken control. The previous govt did nothing to improve nothing everything was in disarray. I will visit again at the drop of a hat. Continue the good work seek God’s guidance and put race and hatred out of there. We r God’s children live like we r.

Love of country

I am Guyanese by berth now a Canadian citizen for 49 years, I am proud of Guyana that I still call home original from Bernice No. 63 beach, I love this beach has great memories with my family as a child that was all we had. love of family is the greatest thing, for the people in Georgetown please be more friendly to foreigners, we needed to change, where some one is bore is not your fault, be good to others and give yourself and country good names. We alway have a fabulous and save time when we visited. The government should restrict bad people for certain area of Georgetown and have curfew on under 18 years at night.

I walk every day in Guyana, and have been doing so since I first arrived in march 2019

Today I was on my way back from a walk from central Georgetown to the national park a few laps and then home via quay wall, I have seen and met several young men whom approach you and ask for money, today at 9:45am I was followed by two young men age around 16-18 on small bikes.

Battery Street between the two of the largest / busiest hotels Pegasus and Marriott, they cruised past me before stopping to ask for money, I told them I didn’t have any, no watch, they pulled out a machete and lunged at me, I hit one and removed the machete and they ran off…. I was lucky I am quite a big guy…. this is happening every day, to foreigners but also Guyanese people across Georgetown….. the police came to make the report, an officer came to take my details as he was supposed to check cameras outside…. but I have no idea if they have the ability to follow up, they need more Police Visibility, more camera’s and certainly more patrols where tourists gather…….. sad for Guyana’s tourism industry which is slowly developing but people and income will not come when read these reports & the statistics …. god bless Guyana….. most people hard working & humble only a few dangerous one’s.

In short its not safe

I notice that the President Trump never go there to met there. I guess so. That the place of Guyana will not Safe. Well. I thank God for that. This Guyana need the best improve more restrict like Mexican patrol.

Talk about what u know

Talk about your country and keep Guyana out of your mouth

Beautiful Guyana!!!

A lot of these reports are first hand experiences from people from Guyana. Don’t get angry, become aware of what Guyana truly is. A beautiful country indeed but certainly dangerous for visitors as well as locals. Sadly, no one is completely safe in Guyana

Tell me about your experience or leave a tip for others, Hello I am from Nigeria but I will like to come Guyana work a job. my name is innoma.

This email [email protected]

Why let the truth be told debbie

I live in the vacation capital of the world Orlando, Florida. IS it safe no do you hear about all the crimes in Orlando , NO. Property crime rate in 2018 Orlando :368.0U.S. Average:189.3 PER 100,000 : Murders:39 Rapes : 200 Assaults 1415 Burglaries 1619 Thefts : 10,965 Auto Thefts :1219 and Arson 13 Orlando the beautiful ( smile ) We talk about the negatives of a small country 600 k people very little taxes collected , we blame the government for everything, Georgetown is not GUYANA This is my first blog/// I was born in Kitty

That’s right Georgetown is not Guyana Just look at the sky it is so beautiful The smallest child pass by say good morning Guyana our beautiful country

I was born in Guyana kitty to be exact Gordon st left in 78 never went back. When I left, Guyana was getting bad not interested in wasting good money on a bad trip.

Do you know 100 Sheriff Street?

Is it safe or not

Hi, I have been reading the comments on this page I have a boyfriend who lives there and wants me to come there to visit, but something tells me it not safe reading from ur Comment I don’t know what to believe.

interested in knowing if you went to visit?

Absolutely not safe

Jess is a sugar momma and doesn't know it

Your “boyfriend” lives there and you’ve never visited him? Seems like you don’t know what the word “boyfriend” really means, lady. Talking to someone online doesn’t make him your boyfriend. Yeah, go visit him….you will get used, robbed and dominated by him, his friends and his entire family….you dummy. How much money have you already sent to him?

Not safe at all

I’m Guyanese and this country is a real disgrace to civilization the city of Georgetown is a real shit hole, is the only city in the world with no order apsoluty none.

WE ARE STILL DEVELOPING

First of all iif yall want to talk about Guyana like that well think again Guyana is a beautiful country I am a guyanese and yes I admit Guyana has some flaws of it’s own but that dosen’t mean that Guyana is a very bad country we are still developing trying to make Guyana a better place

I love Guyana

People! If you haven’t gone to Guyana in the last five years. Please don’t judge Guyana.

If you haven’t gone to other countries please don’t judge Guyana.

I know hundreds of people who goes to Guyana often. I Don’t know anyone who was robbed or killed

There is bad people everywhere including Guyana.

GUYANA IS A MUST VISIT

Guyana is a safe country. I am from Atlanta, Ga. The West End area to be exact, where the crime was at an all-time high and I’m sure it has skyrocketed since I’ve left. I feel safe living here in Guyana the people are friendly, I have family here who are very welcoming, the land is peaceful..yeah might be petty theft but that is everywhere…Guyana is nice I love it here and plan on staying and getting a home here.

Guyana, mine to rediscover

I am Guyanese. I left there 50 years ago and it was very safe back then. I lived in Georgetown and many nights we slept with the downstairs windows open.

That never caused any problems. I have never been back but have lots of relatives living in the USA who visit Guyana regularly. I heard there was an increase in crime but it wasn’t enough to keep them away and none of them was ever a victim. Recently I have been hearing from several sources that things are getting a lot better. As a matter of fact a lot of non-Guyanese are moving there permanently and one of my cousins moved back to retire there about two years ago.

I am planning a trip back there soon to show my family where I grew up. I appreciate the validity of different opinions shared in this forum but it would be great if people would just stick to the facts, and state exactly where and when you had your experience so that it would be helpful to people who will be influenced by this to make travel decisions.

Lastly, I beg of you especially if you are Guyanese, please don’t butcher the English language. If you want to write Creole, cool. Try hard to get the correct spelling. But, if you are writing in English please use Grammarly and Spell Check.

You are on the internet so these tools should be easy to find.

When I left home I was pretty young but I clearly remember that while we may have spoken Creole we wrote proper English. Since I have no first-hand knowledge I have given a neutral rating for safety since N/A is not a choice. Jan 2020

Creole suggests you are Afro-Guyanese, therefore safe when visiting Guyana, but are you safe if you’re Indo-Guyanese?

I Have been listing to all ur views pls someone should help me with the truth because I am abt coming to Guyana to search for greener pasture

I want to know about Guyana

I Have been listing to all ur views pls someone should help me with the truth because I am abt coming to Guyana to search for greener pasture before I make mistake thanks.

Go to Barbados

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Come to Kenya

This article is not an update!

I First of all of you haven’t visit Guyana recently? Or did you even visit Guyana? Are you Guyanese? This is a 2020 update? LOL 😅🤦🏾‍♀️ Okay! 😂 Our county crime rate has decreased drastically and our economy has grown within the five past years. Our land is very beautiful and is ranked one of the top three eco-tourism destinations. “Guyana is not particularly safe.” Really? Every county has petty crimes yet you are here talking about my country as though tourist shouldn’t come here (Guyana) , Yes we had high crime rate in the past years but have you done your proper research? I’m okay with you saying that the crime rate was high to a point where you would be scared to walk the streets but that was the past. What about or flora and fauna did u talk about that? Did you mention that our county is an oil producing county? Did you mention our diverse culture? NO instead you spoke only about our country not being safe. P.s I hope the county you live in are so safe that you can leave you doors and windows open🙂

Guyana was a good country, not any more

Never again

Guyana isn’t such a nice place scamming is rampant especially when the locals realise that you’re a foreigner. Secondly most locals there are just plain out racists and rude. Last issue cleanliness is not a top priority there is some cases and areas its just not a priority at all

Don't go there.

I lived in Guyana all my life and it is exactly as described above. Anyone who says something different is either fooling themselves or haven’t actually lived there long enough. Crime is a norm. I grew up there so I’ve got first hand experience. The country has beautiful landmarks and sights to see but is it worth your life? Crime is crazy high and cops are corrupt to the highest level. If you’re going there… be super careful, especially in the capital Georgetown. People get robbed and assaulted even in the day time . These criminals aren’t scared. Don’t risk your life or your loved ones lives for this place.

Well worth a visit.

I’ve been to Guyana 3 times and would go back any time. I never felt anything other than safe and welcomed. I walked a lot in Georgetown including Bourda & Stabroek markets. They’re messy and noisy but you can get pretty much anything you need in or near them. The people are mostly friendly and helpful and don’t try it on just because you’re a tourist. Travel by taxi rather than minibus, they’re always crowded. The biggest problem I saw is litter everywhere in Georgetown. A great beach spoilt by plastic water bottles, the drains full of plastic, rubbish just dropped on the floor. Clean the place up, it could be a ‘garden city’ again.

Guyana trip 2021

I would like to visit guyana

Give Guyana a Chance!

Guyana has its share of problems like most anywhere else but just use your common sense and you’ll be fine. The people of Guyana as you have read here are friendly and welcoming but decades of grinding poverty has brought out the worst in some. When was the last time you read or heard about tourists being robbed or killed in Guyana? If you want to flaunt it and attract attention to yourself you’ll find trouble in any country you visit however if you leave the jewelry at home and dress like an ordinary person you’ll have no problems. If you’re white even more so, the people don’t want to rob you, they would really like to get to know you! If you are traveling to Guyana for a trip to the interior, ur chances of running into problems are virtually nil. Use ur common sense like you wud anywhere else and don’t walk around with a lot of money. Leave the jewelry home! Should you see a high ticket item that u really want to get, make arrangements to pick it up later with the shop owner or the head person. I GUARANTEE that your travel to Guyana would be a good one just by using ur common sense! Virtually everyone going to Guyana is going to meet someone from the get go and move around Guyana in a like manner so, like so many have said, ur visit to Guyana should be a memorable one!

I am yet to visit Guyana. My daughter is seeking admission in Texila American University. I just wanted to take a look at the reviews on Guyana. Some of the reviews are worrisome.

university of Guyana is the only real university.

You should spend time check out Texila American University. Only real university is the University of Guyana.

The truth hurts

Anyone living in Guyana who has never been the victim of a crime ,it’s only because your number hasn’t come up yet.I am a Guyanese who has travelled and lived all over the world and Guyana is the most unsafe place i’ve ever seen.It’a a fact that people have been held up and robbed at gunpoint while eating dinner in restaurants with the cooks,cashier and security guard all having guns pointed at them.Don’t let your guard down with the nice people you meet in Guyana.Evil lurks among those people.Guyana has the highest rate of suicide in the world.Many cases involve men killing their wives and girfriends and then drinking poison.Gyanese can defend Guyana all they want,but they so are in denial.

Beautiful Guyarna

Hi, having travel through a lot of Guyana over months from the south to the north, kayaking rivers spending time isolated survival in remote jungle places lethem,Georgetown Rewa Bora Bora……… i’ve probably visited more places than most the locals and definitely seen places most of them never been. Guyarna is beautiful fascinating mythical. Yes it can be dangerous but so can most places if you walk in the wrong place in London you can find trouble. Most Guyanese people A friendly I’ve had some amazing nights out in Georgetown probably some of the most craziest times I’ve ever had. I find most people on the interior especially the tribes very friendly. Having kayaked the Rio Negro and the real Blanco in comparison is totally the opposite! If you’re looking for adventure choose a company like BushMaster holidays, you will never forget it!

I would take family there, only when safety improves

I went only once to Guyana, and that was when it was British Guiana. I went with a small group to dive for diamonds in the interior. This was in 1963. Forbes Burnham came personally to meet us at the little pensione we stayed at on Middle St. Although there was some trouble going on, while in the City one usually would get ‘wind of it’ ahead of time and stay indoors. Trouble like molotov cocktails and small caliber shooting, especially in the evening. The leader of our group was out walking one night and got jumped. However, our fellow practically killed this wayward guy – leaving him motionless. “Choke and Rob” was the usual term used to describe. Mahdia was sort of a hell hole full of homely prostitutes (we went there to sell diamonds), but taking the paddle-wheel steamer up river to colorful Bartica was nice, particularly on Easter. The town even had one oold jukebox playing very loud music. We actually felt safer in the interior than in Georgetown. And I must say the vast jungle and its lifeline of rivers was, for me, the highlight experience!. Parrots in pairs flying overhead and toucans, also. Caiman and capybara were quite plentiful there. But the diamonds were NOT plentiful, drats! I would some day like to take my son to visit Guyana, but only if it improves – safety-wise.

Make Guyana Great Again

This country doesn’t have a Pizza Hut or a McDonald’s. It’s terrible folks. Very terrible. Very very terrible. I will run for office here someday and save this beautiful country. We will wipe out all the crimes folks. All the crimes. We will improve the police force. It will be a great police force. A wonderful police force. And most importantly? We will have a McDonald’s and a pizza Hut. I guarantee it. Together, we will make Guyana great again! Thank you. I love you.

Beverage Rev

Just don’t drink the kool-aid.

Your Choice

My cousin married a guy from Guyana that’s been in North Carolina for the past twenty some years. They visit quite often. Not once has she told me of a horror story.. in fact she’s moving there very soon. Her longest stay was three weeks. I always hear good things about Guyana from her mouth!

Shithole racist country indeed

Guyana is a shithole country, and as a Guyanese living in New York, I went back 4 times in 35yrs, out of the 4 times, I got robbed twice and I got stabbed in the neck from one of those robberies, there are approximately 185 countries and I prefer to go places where I don’t have to be afraid walking alone in the streets all by myself cuz I did so many times in some of the most safest countries in the streets of Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. No ifs and buts about it.

I spent sometime in Guyana when I was a kid ( 1959/1963 ) but back then it was British Guiana my Father was a Mining Engineer for Reynolds Metal Co. and we lived up the Berbice River in Kwakwani. My Mother taught me 1st/2nd/4rd grade and one year (3rd grade) had to live in Georgetown at a Convent which was another story but that year I was in Georgetown was the year it burned with lots bad times there and I was in the middle of it— My father came and pulled me out of the Convent and ended up living on a large crew barge in the middle of the Berbice River for about three or four weeks with others from the US and UK— we where guarded by the BRM ( British Royal Marines ) that bivwacked on the roof of this crew barge— machine guns where set up on all four corners—there is more to the story but will not go into it— In time I did finish out 3rd grade at the Covent but did not go back– ( Do not let anyone ever tell you nuns can not get real strict and or will not give you a good whipping if you get out of line well lets say back in the early 60’s) anyhow out of all those years down there I have always remembered the BG people there where real nice to me and the Country was very nice and for some reason remember a lot of those times down there and how the Jungle was as a kid. The Jungle is another story which will not get into but will say it was mind blowing. I have always wanted to go back to South America but most likely will never make it. The way the world is now a days really there is no place you can call safe not even walking out your front door in the US — One more thing over the years I have met a few Guyanese people which have been very nice and I hate to say it they had a very neg. attitude towards there Country ( Politics/Crime/ etc,etc ) and where very glad they no longer lived there. If it is changing like some have said on here then I hope for the best in the years ahead for Guyana.

Enter at your own risk. Not Safe. No ambulance. No medical care. Crooked police. You're on your own.

Enter at your own risk. Not safe. No ambulance. No public medical care. Crooked police. You’re on your own.

Headed there in a couple days for work… most of these comments have no dates. I’ll be there for a month, anyone have a current opinion? I travel a lot, have common sense, so not worries, but just wanting any recent feedback from Georgetown area.

Airport experience

I only changed flight once in Guyana, but I had read some interesting facts about the country before I landed. The problem was that I had forgotten all about it on my way. The personal in the airport did not want me to take the next flight to Panama since I was told that I had no return-ticket from Peru that was my destination. Not letting me on the flight stressed me and the street outside looked kind of dull and not welcoming, although it was sunshine. Even though I looked like a random backpacker the personal maybe wanted money from me. I just kept saying that a ticket back from Peru or not must a problem in Panamá, or Peru. Not in Guyana. Why letting me on the fligh from French Guyana at all? Finally I had to enter to an office and go online and finally I found my return-ticket from Lima to Europe. What a mess and stress.. Got on the flight, just on time bye-bye. This experience confirms the info about feeling safe and comfortable

Never been here but my cousin had a layover of several hours in Georgetown, he couldn’t wait to get out of there. Every street felt unsafe and during a one-hour walk he saw five mugging incidents. That’s insane!

🇬🇾 can be safe or unsafe back in 2002 there were plenty shootings u gotta read it

I think it is unsafe anywhere in world….when you go to other Caribbean island you mostly stay at the resort and never leave to go out to the locals. Why???? All I would say if all of you did not get the opportunity to migrate…you would have to survive in Guyana!!! You know the saying “do not burn the bridge you crossed on”.. you never know!!! Guyana is beautiful!

Amazing country!

Guyana is amazing! As long as you keep your eyes open at all times, you’re sure to have fun. It’s super pretty too!!

Exercise caution in Georgetown

Got mugged in Lima Peru. Lost everything except for my underwear. Would I go back? …absolutely. Guyana has a lot of crimes in their capital city, Georgetown so you guys exercise extreme caution visiting there. The new Govt. is taking the tiny country in the right direction. With their new found oil wealth, crime in the country will be addressed. The country, more directly Georgetown, will be safe to travel in the near future.

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Home » South America » Travel Safety

Is Guyana Safe for Travel? (Insider Tips)

An undiscovered gem of a country in South America – and the only English-speaking nation on the continent, at that – Guyana is bordered by Suriname, Brazil, Venezuela and the Atlantic Ocean. Think dense rain forests, savanna, and sandy beaches: it’s a natural wonderland.

In fact, Guyana boasts one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world and, unlike many of its neighbours, over 70% of its natural environment remains intact. For anybody looking for a fresh, off the beaten track place to explore, Guyana is basically a paradise.

However, it isn’t always what we’d call “paradise”. Safety issues in urban and rural areas, as well natural threats like the weather and insect-borne diseases, can make it a risky place to explore – especially if you’re not used to that sort of environment.

As such, we’ve crafted this guide to staying safe in Guyana to tell you everything you need to know about this little known nation, from how to get around to how to avoid crime hotspots and whether or not it’s safe for female travellers – we’re here to help.

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How Safe is Guyana? (Our take)

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You might be wondering “ Why is Guyana so dangerous? ” Well, Guyana has a lot going for it, but when you first think about it, this isn’t a place that springs to mind as one of the safest in the world. That’s probably just because it’s an under-travelled place, overshadowed by more popular South American destinations.

It’s true that there are some things that may spring up when you’re there. From petty crime around the capital, Georgetown, and the remote probability of violent crime, to some seriously hair-raising road safety (or lack of it) and natural risks such as malaria and dengue fever.

Guyana isn’t the sort of place you just wander around without planning your trip, but it can totally be enjoyed – especially if you are travelling in a group, or as part of a tour.

Even then, a little common sense, keeping your wits about you, and some definitive experience of travelling off the beaten path destinations will put you in good stead of keeping safe in Guyana.

Most visits, however, are trouble-free. Even if crime rates are relatively high and the police are somewhat ineffective.

With that in mind, let’s get into the statistics and find out what makes Guyana tick.

There is no such thing as a perfect safety guide, and this article is no different. The question of “Is Guyana Safe?” will ALWAYS have a different answer depending on the parties involved. But this article is written for savvy travellers from the perspective of savvy travellers.

The information present in this safety guide was accurate at the time of writing, however, the world is a changeable place, now more than ever. Between the pandemic, ever-worsening cultural division, and a click-hungry media, it can be hard to maintain what is truth and what is sensationalism.

Here, you will find safety knowledge and advice for travelling Guyana. It won’t be down to the wire cutting edge info on the most current events, but it is layered in the expertise of veteran travellers. If you use our guide, do your own research, and practise common sense, you will have a safe trip to Guyana.

If you see any outdated information in this guide, we would really appreciate it if you could reach out in the comments below. We strive to provide the most relevant travel information on the web and always appreciate input from our readers (nicely, please!). Otherwise, thanks for your ear and stay safe!

It’s a wild world out there. But it’s pretty damn special too. 🙂

Guyana is a fascinating country made up of six distinct ethnic groups: Indian, African, Amerindian, European, Chinese and those of mixed ancestry. However much like its neighbour, Suriname, Guyana is not only rich in cultural diversity. It’s also rich in biodiversity.

As we mentioned already, 70% of the country’s natural environment remains pristine, which is awesome! There are 814 species of bird, a diverse selection of mammals and a whole ton of plant life. There are even mountains to climb here, too.

Naturally (pun intended) there is a lot to attract tourists, the numbers of which have been increasing in recent years.

From January 2017 to January 2018, the number of tourists to Guyana increased by 16% . By the end of 2018, Guyana had welcomed 286,732 arrivals, an increase on the previous year total of 247,330.

Visitors numbers, in general, are up. People are coming for business as well as tourism now, and for the first time, it is seeing significant increases in visits from the US, Europe and other Caribbean countries.

Basically tourism is growing as more and more people report back and shout about Guyana being the awesome destination that it is.

However, crime levels remain high. Armed robberies, for example, are a regular occurrence, especially in shopping areas and business districts in Georgetown.

In 2012, the murder rate in Guyana was 17 per 100,000 of the population. In 2013, that rate increased to 24 per 100,000, making it the 4th highest in South America, just behind Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil.

When we look at the Global Peace Index (a yearly study measuring a country’s stability, equality and safety) for 2019, Guyana places 92 – fairly near the bottom – with Trinidad and Tobago (93) and Cuba (91).

However, the study also praises its “marked reductions in the homicide rate”.

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When people head to Guyana, most of the time their visits are trouble-free. However, there are some safety issues currently ongoing that some visitors may face.

The crime levels, though the homicide rates have reduced, are still high. Petty crime is a big issue and a natural worry to travellers. Armed and violent robberies can regularly occur.

Muggings can take place in the middle of the day, with guns and/or knives being used as a threat. Being seen as a wealthy foreigner can make visitors a target.

Travel to and from Georgetown Cheddi Jagan International Airport while it’s dark can be a risky undertaking. Cars have been known to follow those leaving the airport and attack victims when arriving at their destinations. To avoid this, it’s best to have a safe and secure mode of transport to get you to and from the airport – especially at night.

Political unrest can be sparked easily, characterised by violence and large crowds gathering. It is important to avoid any sort of gathering for your own safety.

There are border disputes to consider, too. One is between Suriname and Guyana. Though “settled” by the UN in 2007, there remains a dispute over land in the New River Triangle area (southeast Guyana). Another is with Venezuela, with a controversial dispute over the legitimacy over the entire Venezuela-Guyana border.

Drug trafficking is a huge issue unlikely to be solved anytime soon. Staying away from any sort of drugs is imperative during your trip, as it just funds the problem.

Guyana also has natural issues. The country has two wet seasons (May-Jun. and Dec.-Jan.) and it is vulnerable to floods, with much of the coastal region being below sea level. Poorly maintained infrastructure, including drainage, means that heavy rainfall can cause flooding and travel issues.

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Though for most people, a visit to Guyana is totally trouble-free, it still pays to have a few pointers on how to travel around the country as safely as possible – so here are some safety tips.

• Leave your valuables at home – You don’t need to carry anything valuable around with you, in fact, the more you carry, the more you could lose. Carry your cash in a money belt .
• Make sure valuables in your accommodation are left in a safe place – If there’s a safe, use it, or perhaps think about leaving things you don’t want going missing in less obvious places than your baggage.
• Don’t be flashy – Avoid dressing in designer clothes, having your smartphone out constantly, or showing any obvious signs of wealth. It could make you a target.
• Do your research about areas you should avoid walking around – Places such as the Stabroek Market, Buxton, and Tiger Bay are all places where you should be particularly careful or just steer clear of altogether.
• Take care getting money out of ATMs – Guyana is largely cash-based, so you’ll need some physical cash, however, ATMs can be risky. Use ATMs inside banks rather than outside, but be careful of being followed once you leave.
• Don’t walk around Georgetown at night – Even in the daytime, walking alone away from the main areas can be risky.
• Take care when visiting the Botanic Gardens – It may be a better idea to go with an organised group instead of independently as there have been thefts.
• Don’t travel after dark – All long-distance journeys, or otherwise, should be done during daylight hours.
• Get yourself a sim card – A means of communication is important, especially if you are going to explore elsewhere in the country. You don’t want to be cut off.
• Bring a torch – Power cuts can happen and being in the dark is not good.
• Also, bring a rechargeable battery pack – Whether it’s for your phone or laptop (or both), one of these is very handy to have.
• Research your accommodation in advanc e – Quality varies in Guyana, so a good level of research into safety and security of your accommodation is important. Make sure to read reviews.
• Do not get involved in drugs – Trafficking and possession can result in lengthy prison sentences or fines.
• When leaving, pack your own luggage – Don’t leave it so anywhere can tamper with it.
• LGBT travellers take note : Homosexuality is illegal in Guyana. Public displays of affection, even holding hands, can lead to arrests. It is a good idea to seek advice and information from the LGBT travel community before travel.
• Keep away from public gatherings – Political demonstrations can turn ugly, so it’s best to avoid anything that looks like one.
• Use taxis to get around – Don’t put yourself at risk by walking everywhere. Taxis in Guyana are cheap, just make sure they’re licensed (we have a whole section on taxis later!)
• Be prepared – The “off the beaten track” areas of Guyana are really off the beaten track, so ensure you are adequately equipped.
• Protect yourself against mosquitoes – The presence of malaria and other diseases makes this imperative. Cover-up at dawn and dusk, use repellent with DEET and keep clear of standing water.
• Respect the heat – It can get super hot in Guyana, so make sure you’re hydrated and limit your time in the sun (cover-up, too).
• Know how to communicate – Guyanese people may speak English, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t things to know. The standard greeting is “Good day” (until night, when it’s “Good night”). Handshakes are normal between all genders; expect a lot of physical contact!

Although Guyana may be a very offbeat destination – that, and there may be a few safety issues to be aware of, too – visiting this seemingly far-flung country will be an adventure. Common sense very much applies, and travel experience is helpful, but if you just want to experience the country for what it is, travelling to Guyana as part of a group is a fine way to go as well.

Guyana certainly has issues when it comes to petty crime. From pickpocketing to bag snatching, your money could easily be at risk when you’re travelling in this South American nation.

This is one of those countries where a money belt really comes into its own.

Though we’d recommend a money belt for pretty much anywhere in the world, in Guyana it could really save you the stress of potentially being a victim of crime. Being a largely cash-based society and having a relatively high level of crime, a money belt in Guyana is a must.

One of the best money belts out there by far, we love how simple this thing is: it looks and acts like a belt, it’s sturdy and it’s affordable. All you do is pop your cash for the day in the hidden zipper pocket and your hard-earned money is safe.

Travelling to Guyana by yourself is going to be like experiencing travel for the first time – almost. Depending on where you go, you may be cut off from normality and away from anything familiar.

However, if adventure is what you are looking for, Guyana is just waiting to be travelled by those who have travelled to similar destinations by themselves previously.

Needless to say, it’s best to go prepared, so here are our top solo travel tips for Guyana to help you stay safe when you’re there.

• Go everywhere with precaution – The high levels of crime mean going anywhere by yourself will make you something of a target for petty crime. Some places in Georgetown are safe to explore by yourself, but you should always have awareness of your surroundings.
• Have access to cash and funds – You need more than one way to get to your money. If your wallet gets stolen in Guyana, and all your cards and cash are in it, then you’ll have no way to get to your funds. Don’t keep everything (including physical cash) in one place and consider multiple bank accounts and even an emergency credit card. Or a money belt.
• Make sure you have enough cash – It’s a cash-based society, even more so in the really out of the way places in Guyana, as ATMs will be few and far between. Keep your budget topped up.
• Pack as lightly as possible – Not only is it advisable to pack light to make yourself less of a target, but also note that if you are flying in Guyana domestically the luggage per person weight is very limited. Check out our South America Packing List to know what essentials to pack.
• Be ready for discomfort – Travel into the interior of Guyana means basic conditions. Sometimes water won’t be easily accessible, things may not be as clean as you’d want, and it gets very hot.
• Join a tour or get a guide – Although travelling solo is often refreshing, you can get a lot more out of a country like Guyana if you go with a guard. Not only is it safer, but you will also get some insight into a local perspective of life in the country from your guide. Make sure that you do thorough research on the best companies, and only use reputable guides.
• Don’t be afraid to ask a local for help – Or even stop to have a chat! Most people in Guyana are friendly and hospitable. With that in mind, take people up on their offers and invitations for food and sharing culture.
• Be on your guard – People and their invitations may seem friendly, but you should use your own discretion when it comes to trust. Not everybody is going to have your best interests in mind, so trust your gut.
• Keep in touch – You may not always be able to be connected to the internet through your phone, but you should let people know when you are scheduled to have access to the internet so you can keep them up to date with your travels.
• Be aware of the amount of alcohol you are drinking – It’s fine to have a few drinks, but it’s all too easy to have one too many. Be cautious of who you’re with and how much you’re consuming. You don’t want to be left in bad company, or not get back to your accommodation safely.

Guyana is safe to travel solo, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. You need to use the same level of common sense that you would use in so many other places in the world to stay safe as a solo traveller here.

A trip to Guyana by yourself should be well planned and thought out, which is why a group tour of the country is a nice idea because the company will do the hard work for you. You will get to meet other people too.

Guyana may not have the best reputation when it comes to crime, but that shouldn’t put female travellers off.

Of course, going it alone in a country like Guyana does come with a risk. It goes without saying that you shouldn’t go out by yourself after dark, or put yourself in risky situations. That does not mean that Guyana is a no-go for a solo female traveller, though.

It’s an incredible country that will leave you with some pretty amazing memories – and a kick-ass reputation as a traveller for going! Without further ado, here are some ways to keep yourself safe as a solo female traveller in Guyana.

• Research, research, research – Before you travel to Guyana, definitely research. You may want to travel wild and free, but knowing what lies ahead and what to expect from different destinations in the country, will help you prepare for the best and the worst.
• Do not wing it – Guyana is not the sort of place where you can just rock up and find a hostel. It’s not Brazil, it’s not even Colombia, it’s Guyana. You have to plan in advance, book accommodation and tours in advance and plan your itinerary very carefully.
• Know what to expect from accommodation – There are a selection of affordable guesthouses and hotels in Georgetown but expect to pay more money when you’re in the interior if you want to stay somewhere like a rainforest lodge. As ever, careful research on accommodation (including reading reviews) definitely pays off.
• Don’t expect to see many other tourists in Guyana – There are very few tourists in Guyana and even fewer backpackers who may be around your age. This isn’t a place to go if you want to party with other travellers or hang around in big social groups. Travel in Guyana is more about getting involved in the local wildlife and nature than anything else.
• Join a tour or hire a guide – A tour is just so much of an easier way to experience Guyana, and practically an imperative if you plan to go to the interior. They’re a nice way to meet other people, too. When it comes to guides, as a woman you should only use very reputable guides and make sure they come very well-reviewed from other people, first.
• Take a food tour of Georgetown – The capital can seem inaccessible, or at least a bit overwhelming when you first arrive, so a good way to get involved and break down the barriers is to book on something like a food tour. Backyard Cafe takes you on market tours, then will guide you through cooking up some Guyanese gastronomy.
• Know that you may be cut off sometimes – Though it is improving, some places in Guyana just won’t have internet or phone reception. With that in mind, take every opportunity to keep in touch with folks back home, let people know what you’re doing, that you’re safe and what awesome things you’re seeing and doing.
• Err on the side of modesty – Most likely you’ll stick out anyway, so avoid sticking out further by keeping your clothes simple. Covering up is probably better than not. Longer pants instead of hot pants, shirt instead of a vest top, will work better to avoid unwanted attention.
• Talk to other women who have been to Guyana before – Whether this is people you know, on travel forums or Facebook groups (like Girls Love Travel), ask people for their tips, stories and experiences of Guyana before you even decide to go it alone or not.
• Go prepared with sanitary products – It’s not nice to be caught short without any kind of sanitary products, so make sure you’ve got enough with you! It will be hard to find anything like this in some places in Guyana.

Guyana is not going to be the easiest place to travel. To be honest, you’re going to have to be a certain type of traveller in order to go it alone in this South American country. It’s not well-trodden and it’s very out of the way; doing many things by yourself just isn’t safe.

With not many other travellers to hang out with, and those safety concerns, Guyana doesn’t seem viable – but it totally is. Tours offer an amazing way to see the country (sometimes the only reasonable way) both safely and while learning about Guyana as you go.

We can’t say that Guyana is the safest destination to take your children.

Lacking both the big attractions and infrastructure of other countries, there is not going to be a lot to entertain children.

However, if you are an adventurous family with kids who like to get out and about to enjoy nature, then Guyana definitely does have nature!

From the incredible Kaieteur Falls to the Iwokrama Rainforest, and a whole lot of fun, rustic lodgings to stay in and activities like river trips, it’s fair to say that actually Guyana is a pretty cool destination for a family.

If your kids are all about running wild in the great outdoors and learning about new cultures, then Guyana could be the destination for you.

Guyana has two rainy seasons: around May to mid-August and again from December to January. The hottest months usually occur between August and October. A good time to go to escape the heat and the rain would be at the end of one of the rainy seasons; it’s during these times when Guyana’s incredible waterfalls are at their prime, too.

Food in Guyana is a big mix of cultures and there’s a lot to choose from. It shouldn’t be too tricky getting something simple cooked for your children.

Georgetown is not the best destination to travel to with children. It’s not easy to navigate, there aren’t many sidewalks and lots of traffic. Spend more time in nature.

Bear in mind also that Guyana is not a budget destination. To enjoy it fully with your children, you’re going to want to have a decent budget to have a comfortable time. It is possible to do inexpensively, but doing so as a family means you’ll miss out on eco-lodges, community-based tourism projects and some in-depth tours.

Driving is possible in Guyana, but it could be very hard work.

If you’re looking for a country to embark on your first bit of road-tripping abroad, we would not recommend Guyana – at all. There’s a lot of hazards, poorly maintained roads, inadequate street lighting, and more.

If you are someone with a lot of experience driving abroad and who is also a confident driver, then go for it. You can hire a car from a reputable company in Georgetown – you may need an international driving permit.

There are a lot of bad driving habits in Guyana, including reckless drivers, speeding, sudden turnings without any signals, breaking rules in general, and tailgating. Also, there are livestock and pedestrians on the road.

The quality of the roads will vary throughout the country. Georgetown, for example, in 2007 updated to a more modern road network In the capital, you can expect driving laws to be enforced. In rural areas, this is not so much the case. Road laws are rarely enforced in villages and towns, helping to make them especially hazardous places to drive.

If you are planning to self-drive in Guyana, it is definitely not a good idea to drive anywhere at night time. Whether it’s in Georgetown or elsewhere, just don’t do it; it can be particularly dangerous. It’s not well lit, pedestrians and livestock use roads freely, other cars blind you with full-beams and there is the risk of carjacking.

Another way to get around if you are keen on driving is Jeep rental. You can hire them out directly from lodges, and a driver will drive you around in a 4×4. Though expensive, they are a good way to get around.

All in all, we would not really say that it is safe to drive in Guyana.

Uber has not made its way to Guyana – and who knows when it will.

For now, you will have to make do with using taxis to get around…

Taxis, although sometimes a little bit risky, are probably the safest way to get around Georgetown and other places in Guyana.

You should make it a point to not hail a taxi off the street – that increases the chance of getting an unlicensed cab and being a target of crime. Instead, call to book taxis in advance; use only reputable companies recommended by your accommodation. To spot a licensed taxi, look at the numberplate: They all begin with the letter “H”.

When you arrive at the airport, be aware that you will be hassled by taxi drivers. Either make sure your accommodation has arranged transport for you in advance or – if you are relying on a taxi – use only the official licensed airport taxis. These drivers can be identified by the official IDs that will be attached to the pocket of their shirt.

Another time you may want to take a taxi is between Georgetown and another destination on the coast. It’s safer than a bus or minibus, though will cost a fair bit more.

Fares should be around G$400-500 for average trips around Georgetown and doesn’t increase with the number of people getting into the cab.

There are set prices for different destinations; for example, from the airport into the capital has a set rate.

Yellow taxis have the best reputation. Once you have found a driver that you like, and that you trust, you can ask for their number to call them directly. Tipping is welcome and usually gets you good service.

All in all, taxis are safe in Guyana. And comfortable.

Buses comprise the main mode of public transport used to get around the country. These, however, do come with a certain level of risk.

Minibuses are driven quite recklessly. In fact, according to the UK government, they are “responsible for the majority of road accidents in Guyana.” On the plus side, they’re cheap to use.

You can pick up a minibus from Georgetown and travel either out to suburbs or to further-flung destinations along the coast. You could even do a long-distance overnight on the country’s only main road from Georgetown to Lethem; it takes 15-20 hours and leaves daily.

Make sure to read up on the operators that run the long-distance buses if you do want to take one, be extra vigilant and keep your belongings close to you.

As for boats, there is a regular ferry service that crosses the Essequibo River between Charity and Bartica. If river crossing like this, research a reputable company.

If you are going to be crossing between Guyana and Suriname on the Corentine River, only use scheduled ferry services. A water taxi in this instance can actually be illegal and lead to arrest.

There are scheduled daily flights and charter services to interior locations. From Georgetown, the tickets usually have to book through a local travel agency in advance rather than online.

There is a list of airlines that have been audited by the International Air Transport Association, which you can find on their website .

Basically there are not a whole lot of options for you to choose from when considering the public transport on offer in Guyana. Research, research, research.

If, on the other hand, you have chosen to embark on a tour, then you won’t need to worry about any public transport really.

Guyana is a melting pot of a country with a selection of tasty food to match. With all that influence from different cultures, there’s British, Indian and Chinese influences as well as Caribbean, too. It is a culturally Caribbean country, after all.

While it’s true that in Georgetown you will able to enjoy a relatively varied culinary scene, it’s not quite the same as in neighbouring Suriname. However, there is still a lot on offer, with a fiery kick to many dishes here and there.

To help you navigate all Guyana’s gastronomy, here are some pointers…

• Don’t miss out on Indian cuisine – Indian food is probably some of the most popular in the country. From roadside roti  to full-on homey curries, Indian food is a great option as it will familiar to most travellers, but with a Guyanese twist. In Georgetown, one of the most popular spots in town is Shanta’s.
• Search out chow mein – The Chinese-influenced dish is pretty much a staple and can be found on most menus. It’s a great option if you are looking for something simple to eat and are worried about upsetting your stomach. Chow mein is rarely spicy, cooked at high heat and served fresh, and is often easy for vegetarians.
• Head for the hotels – If you are struggling with the more local end of the food scene spectrum in Guyana, then head to the hotels. These usually cater to business travellers and will most likely have a good selection of international dishes in their restaurants, albeit in a usually high-end setting.
• Hop on a food tour – Ones that operate around Georgetown (like Backyard Cafe we mentioned earlier) will show you the lively markets of the capital and how to cook Guyanese fare using fresh produce. The best kind of souvenir to take home, if you ask us!
• Ask for local advice – Ask the staff at your accommodation for their foodie recommendations. Discovering Georgetown through what the locals like in terms of food is a fun way to do it.
• Make sure the food you eat is fresh – If you can see the food being freshly prepared in front of you, that’s a good sign. Things that have been sitting around for a long while, or look like they have been, are best avoided if you don’t want an upset stomach.
• Don’t be afraid of street food – Street food in Guyana is a great option; it’s popular and offers an insight into varied food culture. Often there are lines for the stalls, which means a quick turnover and furiously hot cooking. There are regulations that street food vendors need to follow, so often they will be up to standard.
• Be careful of seafood – If fish or shellfish smell weird, or taste weird, then don’t eat them. Getting food poisoning from seafood is really not fun at all.
• Ease yourself in – You may want to eat everything when you’re in the capital, but you should go easy at first. A drastic change in diet can be an easy route to an upset stomach or a case of travellers diarrhoea, so take it slow at first.
• Wash your hands – Always ensure that your hands are clean before you eat; a lot of the time you will be eating with your hands anyway, so that’s all the more reason to scrub those mitts. Bring hand sanitiser, as there won’t often be somewhere to wash your hands (especially with street food).

There you have it – some of our top foodie tips for Guyana. With all that culture and an abundance of nature, it’s no wonder that Guyanese cuisine has some pretty delicious dishes waiting for you.

There may be some pretty strange things on offer – cow heel soup, for example – but there’s some wonderful stuff here too, fish dishes, rice dishes, curries and even El Dorado Rum, considered one of the best in the world.

Guyana is even famous for sugar, with Demerara sugar named after the region of the same name!

It is not a good idea to drink the water in Guyana – it is not safe.

It’s best to stick to bottled water, filtered water, or boil the water yourself (one minute, vigorously). You could also bring along a refillable water bottle , some of which come with their own built-in water purifiers, or a water purifier like the SteriPen .

Guyana is a stunning country that has a lot to offer. For us, it would mainly be for nature and the interesting culture going on here.

Laid-back and vibrant equally, Guyana is an exciting place to live full of natural beauty and warm people. However, that does mean that it’s going to be easy to live there.

Guyana has a high crime rate, corruption, poor road safety and lack of public transportation network to name just a few.

Probably the best place to base yourself is in Georgetown. There’s a lot of potential in the capital, of course, but it is also a hub for food, drink and entertainment.

Living in Guyana means having to get adjusted to a different way of life. The pace is much slower, more low-key than you’re probably used to; people take time here to hang around. Things aren’t always organised, but there’s also so much paperwork and documents for any official moves you make, like setting up a business, getting a driving license or doing a tax return.

However, what you will get is that incredible untouched nature on your doorstep, ready to be explored whenever you feel like planning a trip.

You will also get to live in a country that seems to be on its way up economically. Tourism is on the rise, but it remains to be seen what effects that will have on Guyana (and its amazing nature).

There’s not one ethnic group that makes someone Guyanese – it’s a mix of ethnicities and cultures, so people won’t really bat an eyelid at the addition of an expat.

As ever, do your research and talk to other expats and get a feel for living in Guyana.

A new country, a new contract, a new piece of plastic – booooring. Instead, buy an eSIM!

An eSIM works just like an app: you buy it, you download it, and BOOM! You’re connected the minute you land. It’s that easy.

Is your phone eSIM ready? Read about how e-Sims work or click below to see one of the top eSIM providers on the market and  ditch the plastic .

Healthcare in Guyana varies from region to region, but in general, the facilities are very limited and below Western standards of quality and care.

It is, therefore, imperative that you have comprehensive medical travel insurance for your trip to Guyana. Any serious ailment will mean you need to evacuate, and that is pricey.

If you are in Georgetown, a selection of hospitals and medical facilities can be found. The private ones are of better quality and are regulated according to strict codes.

The costs of healthcare in Guyana are generally low, and you may need to pay for medical treatment when you are there. This is because insurance may not always be accepted at first, leaving you to settle that with your insurance company at a later date.

If you have a medical emergency during your time in Guyana, you should dial 913.

Outside of the capital, especially in more remote areas, medical facilities are almost non-existent. Poor sanitation and a lack of qualified specialists mean that, beyond minor treatment, there’s not a lot that can be done in most areas outside the capital.

It is also important to note that in a 2016 report, it was estimated that approximately 8,500 people in Guyana were living in HIV. Take steps to ensure your safety, and take appropriate precautions to avoid exposure.

In Georgetown, two hospitals of note are Georgetown Hospital and St Joseph’s Mercy Hospital. In doubt, ask at your accommodation, or contact your embassy.

Though pharmacies are few and far between outside of Georgetown, you can find a fair selection in the capital. However, it is advised that you bring enough medication with you if you need it. You should also bring a well-stocked first-aid kit, including things like paracetamol and anti-diarrhoea medication.

Here are some quick answers to common questions about safety in Guyana.

Why is Guyana so dangerous?

Guyana has a relatively high crime rate, which statistically makes it a dangerous country to visit. Armed robberies, muggings, burglaries, assaults and rapes are frequent. However, most crimes are targeted towards locals and visitors can still have an amazing time without any troubles.

What should you avoid in Guyana?

To stay safe in Guyana, avoid these things during your travels: – Don’t walk around with your valuables or lots of money – Don’t flash your wealth – Don’t walk around sketchy areas and do your research beforehand – Don’t travel after dark

Is Guyana safe for expats?

Since violent crime is relatively common in Guyana, expats that are trying to live in the country will have to tale more safety precautions than normal. While short-term visitors normally face the pickpocketing and petty theft threads, long-term expats might have to worry about mot serious crimes.

Is Georgetown in Guyana safe?

Georgetown has one of the highest crime rates in the country. Since it’s the capital city, there are a lot of people who live there, which increases the risk of pickpocketing, scams and even violent crime. That being said, it can still be safe to visit if you take some precautions and do the proper research beforehand.

Guyana is not very well known, but when people first discover it for themselves they find out two things: it’s rich in wildlife, and it has a high crime rate. Still very much off the beaten track – though that may change in the next few years – the easiest way to see Guyana is through a tour.

For the adventurous, well-journeyed travellers out there looking for a challenge, however, Guyana is definitely doable.

Claire Sturzaker

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The following borders will eventually be opened: a. The Guyana-Venezuelan b. The Guyana-Brazil c. The Guyana-Suriname Since these locations will be the perfect destination for Cultural and Eco-Tourism, it’s strategic that Entrepreneurs and Nature Lovers target this niche market.

I want to go to Guyana..

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COVID-19: travel health notice for all travellers

Guyana travel advice

Latest updates: Editorial change

Last updated: June 5, 2024 06:24 ET

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Safety and security, entry and exit requirements, laws and culture, natural disasters and climate, guyana - exercise a high degree of caution.

Exercise a high degree of caution in Guyana due to high crime rates.

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Guyana Essequibo region

The security environment could deteriorate along the border between Venezuela and Guyana due to the ongoing discord over the Guyana Essequibo region.

If you choose to travel in the Guyana Essequibo region near the border with Venezuela:

• exercise caution at all times
• monitor local media to stay informed on the evolving situation
• follow the instructions from local authorities and security forces

Border with Venezuela

There are no official border crossings with Venezuela. The areas near the border can be dangerous due to cross-border, gang-related violence. 

• Avoid travelling near the border with Venezuela
• Only use the official border crossings with Brazil and Suriname

Petty Crime

Petty crime, such as pickpocketing and purse snatching, occurs. Criminals target foreigners and returning Guyanese citizens.

• Avoid showing signs of affluence.
• Ensure that your belongings, including your passport and other travel documents, are secure at all times.

Violent Crime

Violent crime is prevalent across Guyana. It is often associated with illegal drug trafficking.  Homicides, assaults, break-ins, armed robberies, theft from cars and carjackings are common.

Criminals often travel in groups of two or more and often surveille their target for days prior to any confrontation.

Foreigners have been robbed at gunpoint and attacked after withdrawing money at banks, in shopping districts and in hotels.

• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash
• Do not change money in the street with street changers

Exercise increased caution in Georgetown, particularly in the following neighbourhoods:

• the area 2 km south of Brickdam Street
• Albouystown
• East Ruimveldt
• West Ruimveldt

Criminals often target the following tourist sites:

• Stabroek Market
• Bourda Market
• Botanical Gardens
• the National Park
• the sea wall

Outside of Georgetown, violent incidents occur in the East Coast Demerara region, particularly near:

• the villages of Buxton and Friendship
• the East Bank Demerara region
• the New Amsterdam area.

To minimize the risk of violent crime:

• do not walk alone after dark
• avoid deserted or under-populated areas
• pay attention to your surroundings, especially when entering or leaving vehicles, residences and public places
• keep car doors locked and windows closed at all times
• stay in accommodations with good security
• always verify the identity of a visitor before opening the door 

Credit card and ATM fraud occurs. Be cautious when using debit or credit cards:

• pay careful attention when your cards are being handled by others
• use ATMs located in well-lit public areas or inside a bank or business
• avoid using card readers with an irregular or unusual feature
• cover the keypad with one hand when entering your PIN
• check for any unauthorized transactions on your account statements

Overseas fraud

Women’s safety

Women travelling alone may be subject to some forms of harassment and verbal abuse.

Advice for women travellers

Demonstrations

Demonstrations may occur. Even peaceful demonstrations can turn violent at any time. They can also lead to disruptions to traffic and public transportation.

• Avoid areas where demonstrations and large gatherings are taking place
• Follow the instructions of local authorities
• Monitor local media for information on ongoing demonstrations

Mass gatherings (large-scale events)

If you intend to trek:

• never practice this activity alone and always hire an experienced guide from a reputable company
• buy travel insurance that includes helicopter rescue and medical evacuation
• ensure that your physical condition is good enough to meet the challenges of your activity
• ensure that you are properly equipped and well informed about weather and other conditions that may pose a hazard
• inform a family member or friend of your itinerary, including when you expect to be back to camp
• know the symptoms of acute altitude sickness, which can be fatal
• obtain detailed information on trekking routes or ski slopes before setting out and do not venture off marked trails or slopes

Road safety

Road conditions and road safety are poor throughout the country. Roads are poorly lit and drivers do not respect traffic laws. Drinking and driving is prevalent. Roaming livestock pose further hazard. Accidents causing fatalities are common.

In the case of an accident, the law requires persons involved in a traffic accident to remain at the scene until the police arrive to take a report. Response time may be slow due to a lack of resources. Injured persons are frequently transported to hospitals or the nearest medical facility by bystanders, unless they are seriously injured. Local authorities are cooperative, but assistance is limited and may only be available during business hours.

Travel to the interior (also known as the hinterlands) is not safe due to low police presence.

• Travel in convoys, particularly when visiting the hinterlands
• Avoid driving at night

Public transportation

Avoid using public minibuses, as they tend to be overloaded, poorly maintained and badly driven. Minibuses are often involved in accidents.

Taxis are the safest means of transportation, however, robberies and assaults occasionally occur.

• Do not hail taxis from the roadside
• Only use taxis that are connected to major hotels or from a reputable company
• Make note of the vehicle’s licence plate before entering, in order to track down the driver in the event of overcharging or lost luggage

Water taxis

Avoid using water taxis to cross international waters. Use the scheduled ferry service, which has a formal border control check point.

Pirate attacks and armed robbery against ships occur in coastal waters. Mariners should take appropriate precautions.

Live piracy report - International Maritime Bureau

We do not make assessments on the compliance of foreign domestic airlines with international safety standards.

Information about foreign domestic airlines

Every country or territory decides who can enter or exit through its borders. The Government of Canada cannot intervene on your behalf if you do not meet your destination’s entry or exit requirements.

We have obtained the information on this page from the Guyanese authorities. It can, however, change at any time.

Verify this information with the  Foreign Representatives in Canada .

Entry requirements vary depending on the type of passport you use for travel.

Before you travel, check with your transportation company about passport requirements. Its rules on passport validity may be more stringent than the country’s entry rules.

Regular Canadian passport

Your passport must be valid at least 6 months beyond the date you expect to leave Guyana.

Passport for official travel

Different entry rules may apply.

Official travel

Passport with “X” gender identifier

While the Government of Canada issues passports with an “X” gender identifier, it cannot guarantee your entry or transit through other countries. You might face entry restrictions in countries that do not recognize the “X” gender identifier. Before you leave, check with the closest foreign representative for your destination.

Other travel documents

Different entry rules may apply when travelling with a temporary passport or an emergency travel document. Before you leave, check with the closest foreign representative for your destination.

Useful links

• Foreign Representatives in Canada
• Canadian passports

Ensure that authorities stamp your passport on arrival. Failure to do so could result in difficulties leaving the country or even jail time.

Tourist visa: not required for stays up to 90 days Business visa: not required Student visa: not required

If you are travelling to Guyana on business, you must bring a business letter with all pertinent information concerning the reason for your visit.

Border crossings

It is illegal to use the services of independent boaters to cross into Suriname. Foreigners have been fined and, in some cases, detained and subsequently deported.

• Cross the border only at official ports of entry
• Use only official ferry services and ensure that you receive an entry stamp in your passport
• Avoid using water taxis
• Children and travel

Learn more about travelling with children .

Yellow fever

Learn about potential entry requirements related to yellow fever (vaccines section).

Relevant Travel Health Notices

• Global Measles Notice - 13 March, 2024
• Zika virus: Advice for travellers - 31 August, 2023
• COVID-19 and International Travel - 13 March, 2024

This section contains information on possible health risks and restrictions regularly found or ongoing in the destination. Follow this advice to lower your risk of becoming ill while travelling. Not all risks are listed below.

Consult a health care professional or visit a travel health clinic preferably 6 weeks before you travel to get personalized health advice and recommendations.

Routine vaccines

Be sure that your  routine vaccinations , as per your province or territory , are up-to-date before travelling, regardless of your destination.

Some of these vaccinations include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, varicella (chickenpox), influenza and others.

Pre-travel vaccines and medications

You may be at risk for preventable diseases while travelling in this destination. Talk to a travel health professional about which medications or vaccines may be right for you, based on your destination and itinerary. 

Yellow fever   is a disease caused by a flavivirus from the bite of an infected mosquito.

Travellers get vaccinated either because it is required to enter a country or because it is recommended for their protection.

• There is a risk of yellow fever in this country.

Country Entry Requirement*

• Proof of vaccination is required if you are coming from or have transited through an airport of a country   where yellow fever occurs . 

Recommendation

• Vaccination is recommended.
• Contact a designated   Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre   well in advance of your trip to arrange for vaccination.
• Discuss travel plans, activities, and destinations with a health care professional.
• Protect yourself from mosquito bites .

About Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres in Canada

* It is important to note that  country entry requirements  may not reflect your risk of yellow fever at your destination. It is recommended that you contact the nearest  diplomatic or consular office  of the destination(s) you will be visiting to verify any additional entry requirements.

There is a risk of hepatitis A in this destination. It is a disease of the liver. People can get hepatitis A if they ingest contaminated food or water, eat foods prepared by an infectious person, or if they have close physical contact (such as oral-anal sex) with an infectious person, although casual contact among people does not spread the virus.

Practise  safe food and water precautions and wash your hands often. Vaccination is recommended for all travellers to areas where hepatitis A is present.

Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It can spread quickly from person to person by direct contact and through droplets in the air.

Anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of being infected with it when travelling internationally.

Regardless of where you are going, talk to a health care professional before travelling to make sure you are fully protected against measles.

  Hepatitis B is a risk in every destination. It is a viral liver disease that is easily transmitted from one person to another through exposure to blood and body fluids containing the hepatitis B virus.  Travellers who may be exposed to blood or other bodily fluids (e.g., through sexual contact, medical treatment, sharing needles, tattooing, acupuncture or occupational exposure) are at higher risk of getting hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all travellers. Prevent hepatitis B infection by practicing safe sex, only using new and sterile drug equipment, and only getting tattoos and piercings in settings that follow public health regulations and standards.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious viral disease. It can spread from person to person by direct contact and through droplets in the air.

It is recommended that all eligible travellers complete a COVID-19 vaccine series along with any additional recommended doses in Canada before travelling. Evidence shows that vaccines are very effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. While vaccination provides better protection against serious illness, you may still be at risk of infection from the virus that causes COVID-19. Anyone who has not completed a vaccine series is at increased risk of being infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 and is at greater risk for severe disease when travelling internationally.

Before travelling, verify your destination’s COVID-19 vaccination entry/exit requirements. Regardless of where you are going, talk to a health care professional before travelling to make sure you are adequately protected against COVID-19.

 The best way to protect yourself from seasonal influenza (flu) is to get vaccinated every year. Get the flu shot at least 2 weeks before travelling.  

 The flu occurs worldwide. 

•  In the Northern Hemisphere, the flu season usually runs from November to   April.
•  In the Southern Hemisphere, the flu season usually runs between April and   October.
•  In the tropics, there is flu activity year round. 

The flu vaccine available in one hemisphere may only offer partial protection against the flu in the other hemisphere.

The flu virus spreads from person to person when they cough or sneeze or by touching objects and surfaces that have been contaminated with the virus. Clean your hands often and wear a mask if you have a fever or respiratory symptoms.

Malaria  is a serious and sometimes fatal disease that is caused by parasites spread through the bites of mosquitoes.   There is a risk of malaria in certain areas and/or during a certain time of year in this destination. 

Antimalarial medication may be recommended depending on your itinerary and the time of year you are travelling. Consult a health care professional or visit a travel health clinic before travelling to discuss your options. It is recommended to do this 6 weeks before travel, however, it is still a good idea any time before leaving.    Protect yourself from mosquito bites at all times:  • Cover your skin and use an approved insect repellent on uncovered skin.  • Exclude mosquitoes from your living area with screening and/or closed, well-sealed doors and windows. • Use insecticide-treated bed nets if mosquitoes cannot be excluded from your living area.  • Wear permethrin-treated clothing.    If you develop symptoms similar to malaria when you are travelling or up to a year after you return home, see a health care professional immediately. Tell them where you have been travelling or living. 

In this destination, rabies is commonly carried by dogs and some wildlife, including bats. Rabies is a deadly disease that spreads to humans primarily through bites or scratches from an infected animal. While travelling, take precautions , including keeping your distance from animals (including free-roaming dogs), and closely supervising children.

If you are bitten or scratched by a dog or other animal while travelling, immediately wash the wound with soap and clean water and see a health care professional. In this destination, rabies treatment may be limited or may not be available, therefore you may need to return to Canada for treatment.  

Before travel, discuss rabies vaccination with a health care professional. It may be recommended for travellers who are at high risk of exposure (e.g., occupational risk such as veterinarians and wildlife workers, children, adventure travellers and spelunkers, and others in close contact with animals). 

Safe food and water precautions

Many illnesses can be caused by eating food or drinking beverages contaminated by bacteria, parasites, toxins, or viruses, or by swimming or bathing in contaminated water.

• Learn more about food and water precautions to take to avoid getting sick by visiting our eat and drink safely abroad page. Remember: Boil it, cook it, peel it, or leave it!
• Avoid getting water into your eyes, mouth or nose when swimming or participating in activities in freshwater (streams, canals, lakes), particularly after flooding or heavy rain. Water may look clean but could still be polluted or contaminated.
• Avoid inhaling or swallowing water while bathing, showering, or swimming in pools or hot tubs. 

Travellers' diarrhea is the most common illness affecting travellers. It is spread from eating or drinking contaminated food or water.

Risk of developing travellers' diarrhea increases when travelling in regions with poor standards of hygiene and sanitation. Practise safe food and water precautions.

The most important treatment for travellers' diarrhea is rehydration (drinking lots of fluids). Carry oral rehydration salts when travelling.

Typhoid   is a bacterial infection spread by contaminated food or water. Risk is higher among children, travellers going to rural areas, travellers visiting friends and relatives or those travelling for a long period of time.

Travellers visiting regions with a risk of typhoid, especially those exposed to places with poor sanitation, should speak to a health care professional about vaccination.  

Insect bite prevention

Many diseases are spread by the bites of infected insects such as mosquitoes, ticks, fleas or flies. When travelling to areas where infected insects may be present:

• Use insect repellent (bug spray) on exposed skin
• Cover up with light-coloured, loose clothes made of tightly woven materials such as nylon or polyester
• Minimize exposure to insects
• Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in buildings that are not fully enclosed

To learn more about how you can reduce your risk of infection and disease caused by bites, both at home and abroad, visit our insect bite prevention page.

Find out what types of insects are present where you’re travelling, when they’re most active, and the symptoms of the diseases they spread.

There is a risk of chikungunya in this country.  The risk may vary between regions of a country.  Chikungunya is a virus spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. Chikungunya can cause a viral disease that typically causes fever and pain in the joints. In some cases, the joint pain can be severe and last for months or years.

Protect yourself from mosquito bites at all times. There is no vaccine available for chikungunya.

• In this country,   dengue  is a risk to travellers. It is a viral disease spread to humans by mosquito bites.
• Dengue can cause flu-like symptoms. In some cases, it can lead to severe dengue, which can be fatal.
• The level of risk of dengue changes seasonally, and varies from year to year. The level of risk also varies between regions in a country and can depend on the elevation in the region.
• Mosquitoes carrying dengue typically bite during the daytime, particularly around sunrise and sunset.
• Protect yourself from mosquito bites . There is no vaccine or medication that protects against dengue.

Zika virus is a risk in this country. 

Zika virus is primarily spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. It can also be sexually transmitted. Zika virus can cause serious birth defects.

During your trip:

• Prevent mosquito bites at all times.
• Use condoms correctly or avoid sexual contact, particularly if you are pregnant.

If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, you should discuss the potential risks of travelling to this destination with your health care provider. You may choose to avoid or postpone travel. 

For more information, see Zika virus: Pregnant or planning a pregnancy.

American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease)   is a risk in this country. It is caused by a parasite spread by infected triatomine bugs. The infection can be inactive for decades, but humans can eventually develop complications causing disability and even death.

Risk is generally low for most travellers. Protect yourself from triatomine bugs, which are active at night, by using mosquito nets if staying in poorly-constructed housing. There is no vaccine available for Chagas disease.

Animal precautions

Some infections, such as rabies and influenza, can be shared between humans and animals. Certain types of activities may increase your chance of contact with animals, such as travelling in rural or forested areas, camping, hiking, and visiting wet markets (places where live animals are slaughtered and sold) or caves.

Travellers are cautioned to avoid contact with animals, including dogs, livestock (pigs, cows), monkeys, snakes, rodents, birds, and bats, and to avoid eating undercooked wild game.

Closely supervise children, as they are more likely to come in contact with animals.

Person-to-person infections

Stay home if you’re sick and practise proper cough and sneeze etiquette , which includes coughing or sneezing into a tissue or the bend of your arm, not your hand. Reduce your risk of colds, the flu and other illnesses by:

•   washing your hands often
• avoiding or limiting the amount of time spent in closed spaces, crowded places, or at large-scale events (concerts, sporting events, rallies)
• avoiding close physical contact with people who may be showing symptoms of illness 

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) , HIV , and mpox are spread through blood and bodily fluids; use condoms, practise safe sex, and limit your number of sexual partners. Check with your local public health authority pre-travel to determine your eligibility for mpox vaccine.  

Tuberculosis is an infection caused by bacteria and usually affects the lungs.

For most travellers the risk of tuberculosis is low.

Travellers who may be at high risk while travelling in regions with risk of tuberculosis should discuss pre- and post-travel options with a health care professional.

High-risk travellers include those visiting or working in prisons, refugee camps, homeless shelters, or hospitals, or travellers visiting friends and relatives.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)   is a virus that attacks and impairs the immune system, resulting in a chronic, progressive illness known as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). 

High risk activities include anything which puts you in contact with blood or body fluids, such as unprotected sex and exposure to unsterilized needles for medications or other substances (for example, steroids and drugs), tattooing, body-piercing or acupuncture.

Medical services and facilities

Medical facilities are limited outside of Georgetown. Care in private hospitals and clinics is better than in public hospitals.

Medical evacuation to neighbouring countries, which can be very expensive, may be necessary in the event of serious illness or injury.

Make sure you get travel insurance that includes coverage for medical evacuation and hospital stays.

Travel health and safety

Keep in Mind...

The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the traveller. The traveller is also responsible for his or her own personal safety.

Be prepared. Do not expect medical services to be the same as in Canada. Pack a   travel health kit , especially if you will be travelling away from major city centres.

You must abide by local laws.

Learn about what you should do and how we can help if you are arrested or detained abroad .

Penalties for possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs are severe. Convicted offenders can expect heavy fines and lengthy prison sentences, which must be served in Guyana. 

Pack all luggage yourself and do not carry any items that do not belong to you.

Drugs, alcohol and travel

Imports and exports

The importation/exportation of restricted items, including firearms and ammunition, without the proper permits may result in heavy fines and prison sentences.

Many birds are protected species. You may not export an exotic bird unless you have been a legal resident of Guyana for at least a year and received permission from the Ministry of Agriculture.

2SLGBTQI+ travellers

Guyana law prohibits sexual acts between individuals of the same sex and other related offences include being in a same-sex marriage and promoting homosexuality.

Those convicted can face jail sentences.

2SLGBTQI+ travellers should carefully consider the risks of travelling to Guyana.

Travel and your sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics

Dual citizenship

Dual citizenship is legally recognized in Guyana.

If you are a Canadian citizen, but also a citizen of Guyana, our ability to offer you consular services may be limited while you're there. You may also be subject to different entry/exit requirements .

Travellers with dual citizenship

International Child Abduction

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is an international treaty. It can help parents with the return of children who have been removed to or retained in certain countries in violation of custody rights. It does not apply between Canada and Guyana.

If your child was wrongfully taken to, or is being held in Guyana by an abducting parent:

• act as quickly as you can
• consult a lawyer in Canada and in Guyana to explore all the legal options for the return of your child
• report the situation to the nearest Canadian government office abroad or to the Vulnerable Children's Consular Unit at Global Affairs Canada by calling the Emergency Watch and Response Centre

If your child was removed from a country other than Canada, consult a lawyer to determine if The Hague Convention applies.

Be aware that Canadian consular officials cannot interfere in private legal matters or in another country's judicial affairs.

• International Child Abductions: A guide for affected parents
• Canadian embassies and consulates by destination
• Request emergency assistance

Vehicles drive on the left.

You should carry an international driving permit (IDP). If you cannot obtain an IDP before leaving Canada, you may apply for a local permit based on a valid Canadian driver’s licence.

Penalties for drivers responsible for an accident causing injury or death are severe and may include imprisonment. Ensure you have sufficient insurance coverage to drive in Guyana.

International Driving Permit

The currency is the Guyanese dollar (GYD). The U.S. dollar is widely accepted.

Only major hotels accept credit cards. There are a few ATMs that accept international bank cards.

• Carry enough cash to cover anticipated expenses
• Exchange foreign currency only at banks, hotels and established money exchange bureaus (cambios)

Rainy seasons

There are two rainy seasons in Guyana: from May to July and from November to January. However, flooding occurs year round and can hamper overland travel and reduce the provision of essential services, particularly in coastal areas. Roads may become impassable and bridges damaged.

The coast of Guyana is below sea level and protected by a sea defence and dam system. Infrastructure, including drainage systems, is poorly maintained.

Monitor regional weather forecasts and plan accordingly.

Tornadoes, cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons and monsoons

Local services

Emergency services exist but may be subject to certain limitations. In case of emergency, dial:

• police: 911 or +592-225-8196
• medical assistance: 913
• firefighters: 912 or +592-226-2411

Consular assistance

For emergency consular assistance, call the High Commission of Canada in Guyana, in Georgetown, and follow the instructions. At any time, you may also contact the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa.

The decision to travel is your choice and you are responsible for your personal safety abroad. We take the safety and security of Canadians abroad very seriously and provide credible and timely information in our Travel Advice to enable you to make well-informed decisions regarding your travel abroad.

The content on this page is provided for information only. While we make every effort to give you correct information, it is provided on an "as is" basis without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied. The Government of Canada does not assume responsibility and will not be liable for any damages in connection to the information provided.

If you need consular assistance while abroad, we will make every effort to help you. However, there may be constraints that will limit the ability of the Government of Canada to provide services.

Learn more about consular services .

Risk Levels

  take normal security precautions.

Take similar precautions to those you would take in Canada.

  Exercise a high degree of caution

There are certain safety and security concerns or the situation could change quickly. Be very cautious at all times, monitor local media and follow the instructions of local authorities.

IMPORTANT: The two levels below are official Government of Canada Travel Advisories and are issued when the safety and security of Canadians travelling or living in the country or region may be at risk.

  Avoid non-essential travel

Your safety and security could be at risk. You should think about your need to travel to this country, territory or region based on family or business requirements, knowledge of or familiarity with the region, and other factors. If you are already there, think about whether you really need to be there. If you do not need to be there, you should think about leaving.

  Avoid all travel

You should not travel to this country, territory or region. Your personal safety and security are at great risk. If you are already there, you should think about leaving if it is safe to do so.

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Guyana Traveler View

The 2024 ICC Men’s T20 (Cricket World Cup) will take place in the U.S. and several countries in the Caribbean June 1 through June 29, 2024. Large crowds are expected at these events and are associated with unique health risks.  If you plan to travel to Guyana for these events, visit a travel health specialist at least 4–6 weeks before you go to make sure you are up to date on  routine and any vaccines recommended for your destination. Monitor travel warnings and alerts  from the U.S. Department of State and consider signing up for the Smart Travelers Enrollment Program .

Travel Health Notices

Vaccines and medicines, non-vaccine-preventable diseases, stay healthy and safe.

• Packing List

After Your Trip

Be aware of current health issues in Guyana. Learn how to protect yourself.

Level 1 Practice Usual Precautions

• Global Dengue June 25, 2024 Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Destination List: Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Ecuador, including the Galápagos Islands, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana (France), Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Laos, Mali, Martinique (France), Mauritius, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Samoa, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uruguay

⇧ Top

Check the vaccines and medicines list and visit your doctor at least a month before your trip to get vaccines or medicines you may need. If you or your doctor need help finding a location that provides certain vaccines or medicines, visit the Find a Clinic page.

Routine vaccines

Recommendations.

Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip. Some of these vaccines include

• Chickenpox (Varicella)
• Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis
• Flu (influenza)
• Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR)

Immunization schedules

All eligible travelers should be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines. Please see  Your COVID-19 Vaccination  for more information. 

COVID-19 vaccine

Hepatitis A

Recommended for unvaccinated travelers one year old or older going to Guyana.

Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against Hepatitis A. The dose does not count toward the routine 2-dose series.

Travelers allergic to a vaccine component or who are younger than 6 months should receive a single dose of immune globulin, which provides effective protection for up to 2 months depending on dosage given.

Unvaccinated travelers who are over 40 years old, immunocompromised, or have chronic medical conditions planning to depart to a risk area in less than 2 weeks should get the initial dose of vaccine and at the same appointment receive immune globulin.

Hepatitis A - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Hep A

Hepatitis B

Recommended for unvaccinated travelers younger than 60 years old traveling to Guyana. Unvaccinated travelers 60 years and older may get vaccinated before traveling to Guyana.

Hepatitis B - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Hep B

CDC recommends that travelers going to certain areas of Guyana take prescription medicine to prevent malaria. Depending on the medicine you take, you will need to start taking this medicine multiple days before your trip, as well as during and after your trip. Talk to your doctor about which malaria medication you should take.

Find  country-specific information  about malaria.

Malaria - CDC Yellow Book

Considerations when choosing a drug for malaria prophylaxis (CDC Yellow Book)

Malaria information for Guyana.

Cases of measles are on the rise worldwide. Travelers are at risk of measles if they have not been fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to departure, or have not had measles in the past, and travel internationally to areas where measles is spreading.

All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, including an early dose for infants 6–11 months, according to  CDC’s measles vaccination recommendations for international travel .

Measles (Rubeola) - CDC Yellow Book

Rabies presence in dogs is not well understood in Guyana.

Rabies is present in bats.

If rabies exposures occur while in Guyana, rabies vaccines are typically not readily available.

Rabies pre-exposure vaccination considerations include whether travelers 1) will be performing occupational or recreational activities that increase risk for exposure to potentially rabid animals and 2) might have difficulty getting prompt access to safe post-exposure prophylaxis.

Please consult with a healthcare provider to determine whether you should receive pre-exposure vaccination before travel.

For more information, see country rabies status assessments .

Rabies - CDC Yellow Book

Recommended for most travelers, especially those staying with friends or relatives or visiting smaller cities or rural areas.

Typhoid - CDC Yellow Book

Dosing info - Typhoid

Yellow Fever

Required for travelers ≥1 year old arriving from countries with risk for YF virus transmission; this includes >4-hour airport transits or layovers in countries with risk for YF virus transmission. 1

Recommended for all travelers ≥9 months old.

Yellow Fever - CDC Yellow Book

Avoid contaminated water

Leptospirosis

How most people get sick (most common modes of transmission)

• Touching urine or other body fluids from an animal infected with leptospirosis
• Swimming or wading in urine-contaminated fresh water, or contact with urine-contaminated mud
• Drinking water or eating food contaminated with animal urine
• Avoid contaminated water and soil
• Avoid floodwater

Clinical Guidance

Avoid bug bites, chagas disease (american trypanosomiasis).

• Accidentally rub feces (poop) of the triatomine bug into the bug bite, other breaks in the skin, your eyes, or mouth
• From pregnant woman to her baby, contaminated blood products (transfusions), or contaminated food or drink.
• Avoid Bug Bites

Chagas disease

• Mosquito bite

Leishmaniasis

• Sand fly bite
• An infected pregnant woman can spread it to her unborn baby

Airborne & droplet

• Breathing in air or accidentally eating food contaminated with the urine, droppings, or saliva of infected rodents
• Bite from an infected rodent
• Less commonly, being around someone sick with hantavirus (only occurs with Andes virus)
• Avoid rodents and areas where they live
• Avoid sick people

Tuberculosis (TB)

• Breathe in TB bacteria that is in the air from an infected and contagious person coughing, speaking, or singing.

Learn actions you can take to stay healthy and safe on your trip. Vaccines cannot protect you from many diseases in Guyana, so your behaviors are important.

Eat and drink safely

Food and water standards around the world vary based on the destination. Standards may also differ within a country and risk may change depending on activity type (e.g., hiking versus business trip). You can learn more about safe food and drink choices when traveling by accessing the resources below.

• Choose Safe Food and Drinks When Traveling
• Water Treatment Options When Hiking, Camping or Traveling
• Global Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
• Avoid Contaminated Water During Travel

You can also visit the Department of State Country Information Pages for additional information about food and water safety.

Prevent bug bites

Bugs (like mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas) can spread a number of diseases in Guyana. Many of these diseases cannot be prevented with a vaccine or medicine. You can reduce your risk by taking steps to prevent bug bites.

What can I do to prevent bug bites?

• Cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats.
• Use an appropriate insect repellent (see below).
• Use permethrin-treated clothing and gear (such as boots, pants, socks, and tents). Do not use permethrin directly on skin.
• Stay and sleep in air-conditioned or screened rooms.
• Use a bed net if the area where you are sleeping is exposed to the outdoors.

What type of insect repellent should I use?

• FOR PROTECTION AGAINST TICKS AND MOSQUITOES: Use a repellent that contains 20% or more DEET for protection that lasts up to several hours.
• Picaridin (also known as KBR 3023, Bayrepel, and icaridin)
• Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para-menthane-diol (PMD)
• 2-undecanone
• Always use insect repellent as directed.

What should I do if I am bitten by bugs?

• Avoid scratching bug bites, and apply hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to reduce the itching.
• Check your entire body for ticks after outdoor activity. Be sure to remove ticks properly.

What can I do to avoid bed bugs?

Although bed bugs do not carry disease, they are an annoyance. See our information page about avoiding bug bites for some easy tips to avoid them. For more information on bed bugs, see Bed Bugs .

For more detailed information on avoiding bug bites, see Avoid Bug Bites .

Stay safe outdoors

If your travel plans in Guyana include outdoor activities, take these steps to stay safe and healthy during your trip.

• Stay alert to changing weather conditions and adjust your plans if conditions become unsafe.
• Prepare for activities by wearing the right clothes and packing protective items, such as bug spray, sunscreen, and a basic first aid kit.
• Consider learning basic first aid and CPR before travel. Bring a travel health kit with items appropriate for your activities.
• If you are outside for many hours in heat, eat salty snacks and drink water to stay hydrated and replace salt lost through sweating.
• Protect yourself from UV radiation : use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, wear protective clothing, and seek shade during the hottest time of day (10 a.m.–4 p.m.).
• Be especially careful during summer months and at high elevation. Because sunlight reflects off snow, sand, and water, sun exposure may be increased during activities like skiing, swimming, and sailing.
• Very cold temperatures can be dangerous. Dress in layers and cover heads, hands, and feet properly if you are visiting a cold location.

Stay safe around water

• Swim only in designated swimming areas. Obey lifeguards and warning flags on beaches.
• Practice safe boating—follow all boating safety laws, do not drink alcohol if driving a boat, and always wear a life jacket.
• Do not dive into shallow water.
• Do not swim in freshwater in developing areas or where sanitation is poor.
• Avoid swallowing water when swimming. Untreated water can carry germs that make you sick.
• To prevent infections, wear shoes on beaches where there may be animal waste.

Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that can be spread in fresh water, is found in Guyana. Avoid swimming in fresh, unchlorinated water, such as lakes, ponds, or rivers.

Keep away from animals

Most animals avoid people, but they may attack if they feel threatened, are protecting their young or territory, or if they are injured or ill. Animal bites and scratches can lead to serious diseases such as rabies.

Follow these tips to protect yourself:

• Do not touch or feed any animals you do not know.
• Do not allow animals to lick open wounds, and do not get animal saliva in your eyes or mouth.
• Avoid rodents and their urine and feces.
• Traveling pets should be supervised closely and not allowed to come in contact with local animals.
• If you wake in a room with a bat, seek medical care immediately. Bat bites may be hard to see.

All animals can pose a threat, but be extra careful around dogs, bats, monkeys, sea animals such as jellyfish, and snakes. If you are bitten or scratched by an animal, immediately:

• Wash the wound with soap and clean water.
• Go to a doctor right away.
• Tell your doctor about your injury when you get back to the United States.

Consider buying medical evacuation insurance. Rabies is a deadly disease that must be treated quickly, and treatment may not be available in some countries.

Reduce your exposure to germs

Follow these tips to avoid getting sick or spreading illness to others while traveling:

• Wash your hands often, especially before eating.
• If soap and water aren’t available, clean hands with hand sanitizer (containing at least 60% alcohol).
• Don’t touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. If you need to touch your face, make sure your hands are clean.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Try to avoid contact with people who are sick.
• If you are sick, stay home or in your hotel room, unless you need medical care.

Avoid sharing body fluids

Diseases can be spread through body fluids, such as saliva, blood, vomit, and semen.

Protect yourself:

• Use latex condoms correctly.
• Do not inject drugs.
• Limit alcohol consumption. People take more risks when intoxicated.
• Do not share needles or any devices that can break the skin. That includes needles for tattoos, piercings, and acupuncture.
• If you receive medical or dental care, make sure the equipment is disinfected or sanitized.

Know how to get medical care while traveling

Plan for how you will get health care during your trip, should the need arise:

• Carry a list of local doctors and hospitals at your destination.
• Review your health insurance plan to determine what medical services it would cover during your trip. Consider purchasing travel health and medical evacuation insurance.
• Carry a card that identifies, in the local language, your blood type, chronic conditions or serious allergies, and the generic names of any medications you take.
• Some prescription drugs may be illegal in other countries. Call Guyana’s embassy to verify that all of your prescription(s) are legal to bring with you.
• Bring all the medicines (including over-the-counter medicines) you think you might need during your trip, including extra in case of travel delays. Ask your doctor to help you get prescriptions filled early if you need to.

Many foreign hospitals and clinics are accredited by the Joint Commission International. A list of accredited facilities is available at their website ( www.jointcommissioninternational.org ).

In some countries, medicine (prescription and over-the-counter) may be substandard or counterfeit. Bring the medicines you will need from the United States to avoid having to buy them at your destination.

Malaria is a risk in Guyana. Fill your malaria prescription before you leave and take enough with you for the entire length of your trip. Follow your doctor’s instructions for taking the pills; some need to be started before you leave.

Select safe transportation

Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 killer of healthy US citizens in foreign countries.

In many places cars, buses, large trucks, rickshaws, bikes, people on foot, and even animals share the same lanes of traffic, increasing the risk for crashes.

Be smart when you are traveling on foot.

• Use sidewalks and marked crosswalks.
• Pay attention to the traffic around you, especially in crowded areas.
• Remember, people on foot do not always have the right of way in other countries.

Riding/Driving

Choose a safe vehicle.

• Choose official taxis or public transportation, such as trains and buses.
• Ride only in cars that have seatbelts.
• Avoid overcrowded, overloaded, top-heavy buses and minivans.
• Avoid riding on motorcycles or motorbikes, especially motorbike taxis. (Many crashes are caused by inexperienced motorbike drivers.)
• Choose newer vehicles—they may have more safety features, such as airbags, and be more reliable.
• Choose larger vehicles, which may provide more protection in crashes.

Think about the driver.

• Do not drive after drinking alcohol or ride with someone who has been drinking.
• Consider hiring a licensed, trained driver familiar with the area.
• Arrange payment before departing.

Follow basic safety tips.

• Wear a seatbelt at all times.
• Sit in the back seat of cars and taxis.
• When on motorbikes or bicycles, always wear a helmet. (Bring a helmet from home, if needed.)
• Avoid driving at night; street lighting in certain parts of Guyana may be poor.
• Do not use a cell phone or text while driving (illegal in many countries).
• Travel during daylight hours only, especially in rural areas.
• If you choose to drive a vehicle in Guyana, learn the local traffic laws and have the proper paperwork.
• Get any driving permits and insurance you may need. Get an International Driving Permit (IDP). Carry the IDP and a US-issued driver's license at all times.
• Check with your auto insurance policy's international coverage, and get more coverage if needed. Make sure you have liability insurance.
• Avoid using local, unscheduled aircraft.
• If possible, fly on larger planes (more than 30 seats); larger airplanes are more likely to have regular safety inspections.
• Try to schedule flights during daylight hours and in good weather.

Medical Evacuation Insurance

If you are seriously injured, emergency care may not be available or may not meet US standards. Trauma care centers are uncommon outside urban areas. Having medical evacuation insurance can be helpful for these reasons.

Helpful Resources

Road Safety Overseas (Information from the US Department of State): Includes tips on driving in other countries, International Driving Permits, auto insurance, and other resources.

The Association for International Road Travel has country-specific Road Travel Reports available for most countries for a minimal fee.

Traffic flows on the left side of the road in Guyana.

• Always pay close attention to the flow of traffic, especially when crossing the street.
• LOOK RIGHT for approaching traffic.

Maintain personal security

Use the same common sense traveling overseas that you would at home, and always stay alert and aware of your surroundings.

Before you leave

• Research your destination(s), including local laws, customs, and culture.
• Monitor travel advisories and alerts and read travel tips from the US Department of State.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) .
• Leave a copy of your itinerary, contact information, credit cards, and passport with someone at home.
• Pack as light as possible, and leave at home any item you could not replace.

While at your destination(s)

• Carry contact information for the nearest US embassy or consulate .
• Carry a photocopy of your passport and entry stamp; leave the actual passport securely in your hotel.
• Follow all local laws and social customs.
• Do not wear expensive clothing or jewelry.
• Always keep hotel doors locked, and store valuables in secure areas.
• If possible, choose hotel rooms between the 2nd and 6th floors.

Healthy Travel Packing List

Use the Healthy Travel Packing List for Guyana for a list of health-related items to consider packing for your trip. Talk to your doctor about which items are most important for you.

Why does CDC recommend packing these health-related items?

It’s best to be prepared to prevent and treat common illnesses and injuries. Some supplies and medicines may be difficult to find at your destination, may have different names, or may have different ingredients than what you normally use.

If you are not feeling well after your trip, you may need to see a doctor. If you need help finding a travel medicine specialist, see Find a Clinic . Be sure to tell your doctor about your travel, including where you went and what you did on your trip. Also tell your doctor if you were bitten or scratched by an animal while traveling.

If your doctor prescribed antimalarial medicine for your trip, keep taking the rest of your pills after you return home. If you stop taking your medicine too soon, you could still get sick.

Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness. If you become ill with a fever either while traveling in a malaria-risk area or after you return home (for up to 1 year), you should seek immediate medical attention and should tell the doctor about your travel history.

For more information on what to do if you are sick after your trip, see Getting Sick after Travel .

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Travel Advisory July 17, 2023

Guyana - level 3: reconsider travel.

Reissued with obsolete COVID-19 page links removed.

Reconsider travel to Guyana due to  crime .

Country Summary : Violent crime, including murder and armed robbery, is common, especially at night. Local police often lack the resources to respond effectively to serious criminal incidents.

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to Guyana.

If you decide to travel to Guyana:

• Be extra vigilant when visiting banks or ATMs.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Avoid walking or driving at night.
• Do not physically resist any robbery attempt.
• Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry.
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter .
• Review the  Country Security Report  for Guyana.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .
• Visit the CDC page for the latest  Travel Health Information  related to your travel.

Embassy Messages

View Alerts and Messages Archive

Quick Facts

One page required for entry stamp

Failure to declare funds in excess of $10,000 USD can result in prosecution and possible forfeiture.

Embassies and Consulates

U.S. Embassy Georgetown

100 Young & Duke Streets Georgetown, Guyana Telephone: +(592) 225-4900/9 Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +(592) 623-1992 Fax: (592)-225-8497 Email: [email protected]

Destination Description

Learn about the U.S. relationship to countries around the world.

Entry, Exit and Visa Requirements

U.S. citizens must have a valid U.S. passport to enter Guyana.

Visit the  Embassy of Guyana website  and the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs website  for the most current visa information.”

The U.S. Department of State is unaware of any HIV/AIDS entry restrictions for visitors to or foreign residents of Guyana.

Find information on dual nationality , prevention of international child abduction and customs regulations on our websites.

Safety and Security

Crime: Criminal activity, including murder and armed robbery, is common in Guyana.

Exercise increased situational awareness in certain areas of Georgetown due to increased reports of robberies, sexual assaults and homicides. The neighborhoods of Agricola, Tiger Bay and Albouystown as well as Stabroek Market should be avoided at all times. During the day, exercise increased situational awareness at the National Park, Seawall and Bourda Market. At night, avoid the seawall east of Vlissengen Road, the National Park, and Bourda Market. Avoid walking in Georgetown after dark.

Sexual Assault: Verbal sexual harassment is common and usually takes the form of catcalling and using lewd and sexually suggestive language to describe women’s dress and appearance. This can occur anywhere groups of men congregate, for instance, bars, seawalls, construction sites, bus and car parks, and market areas. Reports of rape have increased within past year. Most victims knew their attacker. U.S. citizen victims of domestic violence should call the domestic and sexual violence hotline, 914, and contact the Embassy.

Domestic Violence:  Domestic violence, especially against women, is common in Guyana. Some police stations may have a domestic violence unit; however, not all police officers are trained to handle these cases. U.S. citizen victims of domestic violence should call the domestic and sexual violence hotline, 914, and contact the Embassy.

Border Dispute:   The ongoing dispute about the western border between Guyana and Venezuela has reportedly resulted in assaults, robberies, extortion, and murders in towns on both sides of the border. Fishing villages and mining camps are the most victimized. The Guyanese military and law enforcement lack the capacity to adequately face the challenges in this region.

International Financial Scams:  See the  Department of State  and the  FBI   pages for information.

Victims of Crime: Report crimes to the local police at (+592) 225-2700, 226-4585 or (+592) 227-6123, and contact the U.S. Embassy at (+592) 225-4900/9. The local equivalent to the "911" emergency line in Guyana is 911.

See our webpage on help for U.S. victims of crime overseas .

• Help you find appropriate medical care
• Assist you in reporting a crime to the police
• Contact relatives or friends with your written consent
• Provide general information regarding the victim’s role during the local investigation and following its conclusion
• Provide a list of local attorneys
• Provide our information on victim’s compensation programs in the U.S.
• Provide an emergency loan for repatriation to the United States and/or limited medical support in cases of destitution
• Help you find accommodation and arrange flights home
• Replace a stolen or lost passport

Local Laws & Special Circumstances

Criminal Penalties: You are subject to local laws. If you violate local laws, even unknowingly, you may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Furthermore, some laws are also prosecutable in the United States, regardless of local law. For examples, see our website on crimes against minors abroad and the Department of Justice website.

Arrest Notification: If you are arrested or detained, ask police or prison officials to notify the U.S. Embassy immediately. See our webpage for further information.

Illegal Drugs: U.S. citizens should only carry items they personally purchase and pack. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs are strict, pre-trial detention can last for years, heavy fines are leveraged, and final sentences are lengthy.

Changing Currency and Credit Card Use:  Credit cards are accepted in limited locations. Counterfeit U.S. currency is prevalent in Guyana. U.S. citizens should only exchange currency with banks, hotels or licensed money exchange houses.

Firearms:  Do not enter Guyana with firearms or ammunition without prior express consent from the Guyana Police Force. Visit the Guyana Police Force ’s and U.S. Customs and Border Protection website for more information.

Wildlife:  An export permit is required by the Ministry of Agriculture to take an exotic animal or plant out of Guyana, and an import permit is required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to bring an exotic animal or plant into the United States.

Faith-Based Travelers:  See the following webpages for details:

• Faith-Based Travel Information
• International Religious Freedom Report – see country reports
• Human Rights Report – see country reports
• Hajj Fact Sheet for Travelers
• Best Practices for Volunteering Abroad  

LGBTQI+ Travelers: Consensual same-sex sexual relations between men are criminalized in Guyana. It is not uncommon for local police to use the law to intimidate men known or perceived to be gay. There are no laws concerning same-sex sexual relations between women. There is no legal protection from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity under Guyanese law. See our LGBTQI+ Travel Information page and section 6 of our Human Rights report for further details.

Women Travelers: See our travel tips for Women Travelers .

Travelers Who Require Accessibility Assistance: Guyanese law prohibits discrimination against disadvantaged persons and persons with disabilities. Social acceptance of persons with disabilities in public is not as prevalent as in the United States. Access to buildings, pedestrian paths, and transportation is difficult for persons with mobility issues. Sidewalks are often unevenly paved. Buses and taxis do not have special accommodations. Newer buildings/ buildings in the city are more likely to have ramps, reserved parking, and accomodating sanitary facilities.

Students:   See our Students Abroad page and FBI travel tips .

The Government of Guyana requires all non-Guyana citizens ages 18 and over entering the country to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

The quality of medical care in Guyana remains low and inconsistent. Emergency care and hospitalization for major medical illnesses or surgery are limited due to lack of trained specialists and poor sanitation.

The tourism industry is unevenly regulated, and safety inspections for equipment and facilities do not commonly occur. Hazardous areas and activities are not always identified with appropriate signage, and staff may not be trained or certified either by the host government or by recognized authorities in the field. Almost 80 percent of Guyana’s territory is covered by forest, beyond the area of paved roads. In the event of an injury, appropriate medical treatment is typically available only in or near major cities. First responders are generally unable to access areas outside of major cities and to provide medical treatment.

Purchase medical evacuation insurance in advance of travel. See our webpage for more information on insurance providers for overseas coverage .

For emergency services in Guyana, dial 913.

Health facilities in general:  Hospitals and doctors often require payment “up front” or proof of insurance prior to service or admission. Most hospitals and medical professionals require cash payment.  Psychological and psychiatric services are limited.

Ambulance Services:   Are not widely available, especially in remote parts of the country. Training and availability of emergency responders may be below U.S. standards. Ambulance services are not equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and are not staffed with trained paramedics and/or often have little or no medical equipment. Injured or seriously ill travelers are often taken to nearest hospital by taxi or private vehicle.

Medical Insurance:  Make sure your health insurance plan provides coverage overseas. See our webpage for more information on insurance providers for overseas coverage. Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information on type of insurance you should consider before you travel overseas. We strongly recommend supplemental insurance to cover medical evacuation.

Prescriptions:   If traveling with prescription medication, check with the government of Guyana to ensure the medication is legal in Guyana. Always carry your prescription medication in original packaging with your doctor’s prescription.

Vaccinations: Be up to date on all vaccinations recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Further health information:

• World Health Organization
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

General Health Language

The following diseases are present:

• Chikungunya
• Chagas disease (American Trypanosomiasis)
• Leishmaniasis
• Yellow Fever

Use the CDC recommended insect repellents and sleep under insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets. Chemoprophylaxis is recommended for all travelers, even for short stays.

Water Quality:  In many areas, tap water is not potable. Bottled water and beverages are generally safe.

The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of doctors and hospitals . We do not endorse or recommend any specific medical provider or clinic.

Travel and Transportation

Road Conditions and Safety:   Road conditions in Guyana differ significantly from those in the United States. Main roads are generally marked, though they often have potholes. Secondary rural roads tend to be narrow, are sometimes inadequately marked, and have potholes. Exercise caution when driving in Guyana and avoid driving after dark. Road accidents are common and sometimes severe. Drivers, especially those who drive public transportation, can be erratic and display disregard for road safety laws.

If an accident occurs, call 911 for the police and 913 for an ambulance. These numbers may not always be operational, that the police may be slow to respond. An ambulance may not always be available.

For more information about traveling in Guyana, visit the Guyana Tourism Authority website .

Tourism Safety: All travelers visiting Guyana should use only Guyana Tourism Authority approved tour companies and ensure any sub-contracted company or guide is also approved by the Guyana Tourism Authority.  A list of approved operators is published on the website of Ministry of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce at Approved Tour Operators – MINTIC . Travelers should be diligent and closely follow the safety protocols administered by the tour operators and take reasonable steps to protect safety.  We highly recommend travelers wear a personal flotation device that meets U.S. Coast Guard standards and carry appropriate  communication equipment when engaging in water activities (link:  https://www.nrs.com/learn/is-your-life-jacket-safe ).  U.S. embassy personnel are required to use only tour companies approved by the Guyana Tourism Authority and to follow their administered safety protocols.

Travel in the Interior: The interior of Guyana is under-policed, emergency services are generally not available, and there is no cellular phone reception in many places. Dirt roads in the interior may be impassable during the rainy season. Travelers visiting the interior should consider bringing their own safety gear, such as life jackets, first aid kits, and communications equipment (e.g., a satellite phone).

Traffic Laws:   The use of seatbelts is required by law. There are no laws concerning the use of child car seats. Anyone on a motorcycle must wear a protective helmet. Talking on the cellular telephone while driving without using a hands-free set is illegal.

Public Transportation:  Small buses, called “mini-busses” are privately owned, often crowded and tend to travel at excessive speeds. Avoid privately owned minibuses, as drivers frequently drive erratically. Taxis are generally safer to use. Use taxis that are connected to major hotels or that are painted yellow, which indicates they are registered with the Guyana Taxi Association.

See our Road Safety page for more information. The entity responsible for road safety in Guyana is within the Guyana Police Force . They can be reached at (+592) 227-2349.

Private roadside assistance is available through local Guyanese insurance companies. For travel outside of Georgetown, roadside assistance may be delayed or unavailable.

Aviation Safety Oversight: As there is no direct commercial air service to the United States by carriers registered in Guyana, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed the government of Guyana’s Civil Aviation Authority for compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards. Further information may be found on the FAA’s safety assessment page .

Airlines typically operate based on demand and can therefore delay, reroute, or cancel flights without notice. U.S. citizens should carry medication, valuables, and perishables in carry-on luggage.

Maritime Travel: Mariners planning travel to Guyana should also check for U.S. maritime advisories and alerts . Information may also be posted to the  U.S. Coast Guard homeport website , and the NGA broadcast warnings .

For additional travel information

• Call us in Washington, D.C. at 1-888-407-4747 (toll-free in the United States and Canada) or 1-202-501-4444 (from all other countries) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
• See the  State Department’s travel website  for the  Worldwide Caution  and  Travel Advisories .
• Follow us on  Twitter  and  Facebook .
• See  traveling safely abroad  for useful travel tips.

Review information about International Parental Child Abduction in Guyana . For additional IPCA-related information, please see the International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act (ICAPRA) report.”

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Guyana Travel Restrictions

Traveler's COVID-19 vaccination status

Traveling from the United States to Guyana

Open for vaccinated visitors

COVID-19 testing

Not required

Not required for vaccinated visitors

Restaurants

Not required in public spaces and public transportation.

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Can I travel to Guyana from the United States?

Most visitors from the United States, regardless of vaccination status, can enter Guyana.

Can I travel to Guyana if I am vaccinated?

Fully vaccinated visitors from the United States can enter Guyana without restrictions.

Can I travel to Guyana without being vaccinated?

Unvaccinated visitors from the United States can enter Guyana without restrictions.

Do I need a COVID test to enter Guyana?

Visitors from the United States are not required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test or antigen result upon entering Guyana.

Can I travel to Guyana without quarantine?

Travelers from the United States are not required to quarantine.

Do I need to wear a mask in Guyana?

Mask usage in Guyana is not required in public spaces and public transportation.

Are the restaurants and bars open in Guyana?

Restaurants in Guyana are open. Bars in Guyana are .

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Exercise a high degree of caution in Guyana due to the threat of violent crime. 

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Local emergency contacts

Fire and rescue services, medical emergencies, advice levels.

Exercise a high degree of caution in Guyana. 

• Violent crime such as armed robberies, kidnapping, shootings and carjackings are a risk. These can result in injury or death. Risks increase after dark. 
• Tension between Guyana and Venezuela has increased. The security situation may deteriorate in the area near the Venezuelan border. 
• Border disputes occur on the Suriname–Guyana and Venezuela–Guyana borders. Only use official crossing points. 

Avoid protests and large public gatherings. These can turn violent.

• Hotels may not meet fire safety standards. Know your hotel's evacuation plans and talk to hotel staff.
• Rainy seasons can cause flooding, particularly in coastal areas. Roads may not be safe. Follow the advice of local authorities.

Full travel advice: Safety

• Malaria is a risk at all times of the year. Risk of other insect-borne diseases increases during the rainy seasons. Make sure your accommodation is insect-proof. Use insect repellent.
• HIV/AIDS is common. Take precautions to protect yourself from the risk of infection.
• Waterborne, foodborne and other infectious diseases are common. This includes typhoid, hepatitis, leptospirosis, and rabies. Boil drinking water or drink bottled water. Avoid undercooked food.
• Medical facilities have poor hygiene standards and lack equipment and trained staff. You may need to seek treatment outside of Guyana.

Full travel advice: Health

• Drug offences can lead to long prison terms in local jails. Conditions are harsh, and pre-trial detention can last for years.
• Guyana doesn't recognise same-sex marriage. Same-sex relationships are illegal. There's no legal protection from discrimination.
• Serious crimes, such as murder, can attract the death penalty.

Guyana recognises dual nationality.

Full travel advice: Local laws

• Australians visiting Guyana don't need a visa to enter.
• Entry and exit conditions can change at short notice. You should contact the nearest high commission or consulate of Guyana for the latest details.
• You'll need a yellow fever vaccination certificate. You'll have to present one when you arrive in Guyana if you're travelling from a country with widespread yellow fever. Some airlines require one before you can board flights out of Guyana.
• Border disputes occur on the Suriname–Guyana and Venezuela–Guyana borders. Only use official crossing points. If you travel to the border area, the security situation may deteriorate quickly. Monitor media and follow the advice of local authorities.
• Road travel can be dangerous due to aggressive drivers and poor-quality roads and cars. Crime increases at night, especially between Georgetown and the international airport. Avoid travelling at night. Don't use minibuses: these are involved in most road accidents, including fatal ones.

Full travel advice: Travel

Local contacts

• The  Consular Services Charter tells you what the Australian Government can and can't do to help when you're overseas.
• You can access consular help from the  Australian High Commission in the Port of Spain .
• To stay up to date with local information, follow the High Commission’s social media accounts.

Full travel advice: Local contacts

Full advice

Violent crime.

Violent crime resulting in serious injury or death is a problem, particularly in Georgetown. Incidents include:

• armed robbery

Armed robberies and  assaults  can occur in:

• shopping areas
• private cars
• other businesses

Law enforcement is generally cooperative but can't respond effectively to serious crimes.

Hotspots for crime include:

• the Stabroek Market, South Georgetown, the Botanical Gardens and the Tiger Bay areas of Georgetown
• East Coast Demerara, particularly near the villages of Buxton, Lusignan Friendship and Annadale
• the East Bank Demerara region
• New Amsterdam
• Essequibo River tourist resorts

To protect yourself from crime:

• watch your belongings on buses and taxis, especially at night.
• avoid Georgetown sea wall after dark
• always keep your vehicle and accommodation locked
• be alert to suspicious behaviour

Personal safety

Avoid travelling or walking alone.

Security risks increase after dark. Be careful:

• on the road from the Cheddi Jagan Airport to Georgetown
• on the Timerhi-Linden Highway
• in East Coast Demerara region
• in the East Bank Demerara region

Muggings  and shootings have occurred in these areas.

Hotel safety

To protect yourself in case of an emergency, if you stay at a hotel in Georgetown:

• find the hotel emergency procedures
• know your evacuation route
• speak to hotel staff

Kidnapping can happen anywhere, anytime, including in destinations that are typically at lower risk. 

Kidnapping is not common in Guyana. Most incidents in Guyana occur in Georgetown. Armed ‘pirate’ attacks against fishing boats in and around the waters of Guyana have occurred. 

The Australian Government's longstanding policy is that it doesn't make payments or concessions to kidnappers.

More information:

Cyber security

You may be at risk of cyber-based threats during overseas travel to any country. Digital identity theft is a growing concern. Your devices and personal data can be compromised, especially if you’re connecting to Wi-Fi, using or connecting to shared or public computers, or to Bluetooth.

Social media can also be risky in destinations where there are social or political tensions, or laws that may seem unreasonable by Australian standards. Travellers have been arrested for things they have said on social media. Don't comment on local or political events on your social media.

• Cyber security when travelling overseas

Civil unrest and political tension

Border areas.

Tension between Guyana and Venezuela has increased. The security situation may deteriorate in the area near the Venezuelan border. 

If you choose to travel in this area, you should:

• monitor media to stay informed on the situation
• follow the advice of local authorities.

Demonstrations and protests

Monitor the media for news on possible civil unrest. Avoid crowds and demonstrations.

Demonstrations and civil unrest

Terrorism is a threat worldwide.

Climate and natural disasters

Severe weather risks.

Guyana has 2 rainy seasons:

• May to August
• November to January

Serious flooding can occur, particularly in low-lying coastal areas. River levels can rise very quickly. Roads may not be safe.

If severe weather occurs:

• follow the advice of local authorities
• monitor local media and other sources

Travel insurance

Get comprehensive  travel insurance  before you leave.

Your policy needs to cover all overseas medical costs, including medical evacuation. The Australian Government won't pay for these costs.

If you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel. This applies to everyone, no matter how healthy and fit you are.

If you're not insured, you may have to pay many thousands of dollars up-front for medical care.

• what activities and care your policy covers
• that your insurance covers you for the whole time you'll be away (including if stopovers on the way to your destination are covered)

Physical and mental health

Consider your physical and mental health before you travel, especially if you have an existing medical condition. 

See your doctor or travel clinic to:

• have a basic health check-up
• ask if your travel plans may affect your health
• plan any vaccinations you need

Do this at least 8 weeks before you leave.

If you have immediate concerns for your welfare or the welfare of another Australian, call the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 or contact your  nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate  to discuss counselling hotlines and services available in your location.

• General health advice
• Healthy holiday tips  (Healthdirect Australia)

Medications

Not all medication available over the counter or by prescription in Australia is available in other countries. Some may even be considered illegal or a controlled substance, even if prescribed by an Australian doctor.

If you plan to bring medication, check if it's legal in Guyana. Take enough legal medicine for your trip.

Carry a copy of your prescription or a letter from your doctor stating:

• what the medication is
• your required dosage
• that it's for personal use

Check if you need DFAT to certify your medical documents.

Don't bring medicine without these documents. If you do, you risk refusal of entry or prosecution.

Health risks

Insect-borne diseases.

Insect-borne diseases are also widespread. These include:

• dengue chikungunya
• yellow fever
• leishmaniasis

Risk of these diseases increases during the wet seasons

To protect yourself from disease:

• ​​​make sure your accommodation is insect-proof
• use insect repellent
• wear long, loose, light-coloured clothing
• consider taking medicine to prevent malaria
• get vaccinated for yellow fever before you travel

Other health risks

HIV/AIDS  is common. Take precautions before you do anything that exposes you to the risk of infection.

Waterborne, foodborne and other  infectious diseases  are common. These include:

• leptospirosis
• COVID-19  

More severe outbreaks sometimes occur.

To protect yourself from illness:

• ​​drink boiled water or bottled water with sealed lids
• avoid ice cubes
• avoid raw and undercooked food, such as salads
• avoid contact with dogs and other mammals

If you're bitten or scratched by an animal, get medical help straight away.

Seek urgent medical help if you have a fever or diarrhoea.

Medical care

Medical facilities.

Medical facilities in Guyana are very limited. They lack trained specialists and medical equipment. Hygiene standards are poor.

If you become seriously ill or injured, you'll be evacuated to a place with better facilities, such as the US. Medical evacuation can be very expensive.

You're subject to all local laws and penalties, including those that appear harsh by Australian standards. Research local laws before travelling.

If you're arrested or jailed, the Australian Government will do what it can to help you under our Consular Services Charter . But we can't get you out of trouble or out of jail.

Penalties for drug offences are severe and include long prison sentences in local jails.

Prison conditions are harsh. Pre-trial detention can last for years.

Carrying or using drugs

• LGBTQIA+ travellers

Guyana doesn't recognise same-sex marriage.

You'll have no legal protection from discrimination based on:

• sexual orientation
• gender identity

Same-sex relationships are illegal. If convicted, you'll face up to 10 years in prison.

Advice for LGBTQIA+ people

Serious crime, such as murder, may attract the death penalty.

Australian laws

Some Australian criminal laws still apply when you’re overseas. If you break these laws, you may face prosecution in Australia.

Staying within the law and respecting customs

Dual citizenship

Always travel on your  Australian passport .

• Dual nationals

Visas and border measures

Every country or territory decides who can enter or leave through its borders. For specific information about the evidence you'll need to enter a foreign destination, check with the nearest embassy, consulate or immigration department of the destination you're entering. 

Visa conditions

Australians visiting Guyana don't require a visa to enter. 

Visitors are generally given 30 days to remain in Guyana, and extensions can be requested from the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation  in Georgetown. The Guyanese authorities are very severe on visitors who overstay or abuse the conditions of their stay. 

Entry and exit conditions change regularly. Contact the  High Commission of Guyana  for details about visa, currency, customs and quarantine rules.

Departure tax

Departure tax is incorporated into your ticket, so you are no longer required to make this payment at the airport.

Yellow fever vaccination

You'll need a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter Guyana. Some airlines may want to see one when you leave.

Find out about returning to Australia  after exposure to yellow fever .

Travel via the United States

If you travel through the US, you must meet US entry or transit requirements.

Check our  US travel advice  for entry conditions.

Travel via Canada

If you transit or travel via Canada by air, you'll need a Canadian eTA (electronic Travel Authorisation).

Check our  Canada travel advice  for entry conditions.

Some countries won’t let you enter unless your passport is valid for 6 months after you plan to leave that country. This can apply even if you’re just transiting or stopping over.

Some foreign governments and airlines apply the rule inconsistently. Travellers can receive conflicting advice from different sources.

You can end up stranded if your passport is not valid for more than 6 months.

The Australian Government does not set these rules. Check your passport’s expiry date before you travel. If you’re not sure it’ll be valid for long enough, consider getting a new passport .

Lost or stolen passport

Your passport is a valuable document. It's attractive to people who may try to use your identity to commit crimes.

Some people may try to trick you into giving them your passport. Always keep it in a safe place.

If your passport is lost or stolen, tell the Australian Government as soon as possible:

• In Australia, contact the Australian Passport Information Service .
• If you’re overseas, contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate .

Passport with ‘X’ gender identifier 

Although Australian passports comply with international standards for sex and gender, we can’t guarantee that a passport showing 'X' in the sex field will be accepted for entry or transit by another country. Contact the nearest  embassy, high commission or consulate of your destination  before you arrive at the border to confirm if authorities will accept passports with 'X' gender markers.

The Guyanese dollar is the official currency of Guyana.

Declare money you're carrying if it's more than US$10,000, or equivalent. Do this on arrival and departure. This covers all forms of currency, not only cash.

Local travel

The interior regions of Guyana can be dangerous. Hazards include:

• dense jungle or savannah
• sparse population
• poor access to services, including emergency services
• unreliable mobile phone reception

Take safety gear if travelling to interior regions. This may include:

• all-weather jackets
• first aid kits
• a satellite phone

Border crossings

Border disputes take place along:

• the Suriname to Guyana border
• the Venezuela to Guyana border

If you need to cross the Guyana border:

• only use official border crossing points between countries
• take scheduled ferry services at official river crossings

Road travel

You're more likely to be killed in a motor vehicle accident in Guyana than in Australia.

Driving in Guyana can be dangerous. Hazards include:

• poorly maintained roads and vehicles
• aggressive driving
• inadequate street lighting
• flooding on roads

Pedestrians are often killed on roads.

Crime increases at night on the road from Georgetown to Cheddi Jagan International Airport. This includes armed robbery.

If you plan to drive in Guyana:

• book flights that arrive or depart during the day
• keep doors locked and windows up, even when driving
• Driving or riding

Taxis are generally safe if you use a reputable company.

Ask airport and hotel staff about official taxi services.

Don't hail taxis from the roadside. Robberies and assaults have occurred.

Public transport

Buses are often overcrowded and poorly maintained.

Avoid using minibuses. They:

• drive dangerously
• are involved in most road accidents, including fatal ones
• Transport and getting around safely

It's illegal to use an independent boater to enter Suriname. You may be fined, detained or deported.

Piracy  occurs on Guyana's coastal waters.

To protect yourself while travelling by sea:

• avoid using water taxis to travel to other countries
• get an entry stamp in your passport if you travel into another country
• Travelling by boat

DFAT doesn't provide information on the safety of individual commercial airlines or flight paths.

Check  Guyana's air safety profile  with the Aviation Safety Network.

Emergencies

Depending on what you need, contact your:

• family and friends
• travel agent
• insurance provider

Always get a police report when you report a crime.

Your insurer should have a 24-hour emergency number.

Consular contacts

Read the Consular Services Charter for what the Australian Government can and can't do to help you overseas.

Australia doesn't have an embassy or consulate in Guyana. Consular assistance is available from the Australian High Commission in Trinidad and Tobago.

Australian High Commission, Port of Spain

18 Herbert Street, St. Clair Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago

Phone: +1 868 235 7950 Website: trinidadandtobago.highcommission.gov.au Email: [email protected] Facebook:  AusHighComTT

Check the High Commission website for details about opening hours and any temporary closures.

24-hour Consular Emergency Centre

In a consular emergency, if you can't contact an embassy, call the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on:

• +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas
• 1300 555 135 in Australia

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Safety Guide: Is Guyana Safe?

Introduction

When planning a trip to a foreign country, safety is always a top concern. If you’re considering a visit to Guyana, you may be wondering about the safety situation in this South American nation. Guyana is a country known for its rich biodiversity, vibrant culture, and stunning natural landscapes. However, it’s important to be informed about safety precautions and understand the potential risks before you travel.

With this safety guide, we aim to provide you with insights and practical tips to help you make informed decisions and have a safe and enjoyable trip to Guyana. We’ll discuss the crime rate, safety tips for travelers, transportation safety, health and medical facilities, emergency preparedness, and cultural considerations to keep in mind during your visit.

Guyana is a country with a diverse population, warm and welcoming people, and a wealth of natural beauty. From the lush rainforests and pristine waterfalls to the unique wildlife and vibrant cities, there is no shortage of attractions to explore. However, like any other country, it also has its share of challenges and potential risks that travelers need to be aware of.

By arming yourself with knowledge and taking necessary precautions, you can minimize the risks and experience the wonders that Guyana has to offer. Whether you’re planning to explore Georgetown, embark on a wildlife adventure in the interior, or immerse yourself in the local culture, this safety guide will provide you with the information you need to make the most of your trip while prioritizing your well-being.

So, let’s delve into the details and learn more about the safety situation in Guyana, along with essential tips to ensure a memorable and secure journey.

Overview of Guyana

Situated on the northeastern coast of South America, Guyana is bordered by Venezuela to the west, Brazil to the south, and Suriname to the east. With a population of approximately 800,000 people, it is the third-smallest country on the continent. Guyana is known for its incredible biodiversity and natural wonders, including the Kaieteur Falls, one of the highest single-drop waterfalls in the world.

The country has a rich cultural heritage, with influences from its Indigenous peoples, African, Indian, Chinese, and European communities. This diversity is reflected in the vibrant festivals, music, and cuisine that define Guyanese culture.

Georgetown, the capital city, is a bustling metropolis with a mix of colonial and modern architecture, local markets, and museums showcasing the country’s history. Other popular tourist destinations include the Essequibo River, the rainforests of the interior, and the Rupununi savannah.

It’s important to note that Guyana is a developing country with varying levels of infrastructure and public services, particularly outside of major urban centers. While this adds to the country’s charm for many adventurers, it also requires travelers to exercise caution and be prepared for certain challenges.

Now that we have a brief overview of Guyana, let’s delve into the safety situation in the country and the precautions you should take while visiting.

Crime Rate in Guyana

Like any other country, Guyana has its share of crime, and it’s essential for travelers to be aware of the situation and take necessary precautions. The overall crime rate in Guyana is relatively high, particularly in urban areas such as Georgetown. Crimes such as pickpocketing, purse snatching, and theft are common, especially in crowded places and tourist areas.

Violent crimes, including armed robbery and assault, can occur, although they are less frequent. Visitors are advised to stay vigilant, especially at night and in poorly-lit or isolated areas. It’s recommended to avoid wearing expensive jewelry or openly displaying valuable possessions, as it may attract unwanted attention.

It’s also worth noting that the drug trade is a significant issue in Guyana, and drug-related crimes can occur. It is essential to steer clear of any involvement or associations with illegal drugs, as the penalties for drug offenses can be severe.

When exploring Georgetown, be cautious in certain neighborhoods, particularly those located in the outskirts of the city. Consult with locals or your accommodation staff to get information about safe areas to visit and areas to avoid. It’s advisable to use reliable transportation options, such as registered taxis or reputable car hire services, to minimize the risk of incidents.

While the crime rate may sound concerning, many visitors to Guyana have had safe and enjoyable experiences. By exercising common sense and following basic safety guidelines, you can significantly reduce the chances of encountering any issues.

Next, we’ll discuss some essential safety tips to keep in mind while traveling in Guyana.

Safety Tips for Travelers

When traveling to Guyana, it’s important to prioritize your safety and take necessary precautions. By following these safety tips, you can minimize risks and ensure a smooth and enjoyable journey:

• Stay informed: Before your trip, research and stay updated on the current safety situation in Guyana. Check travel advisories issued by your government or reliable sources, and be aware of any potential risks or areas to avoid.
• Secure your belongings: Keep your valuables, including passports, cash, and electronics, in a secure place such as a hotel safe or a hidden pouch worn under your clothing. Avoid leaving belongings unattended or visible in vehicles.
• Blend in with the locals: Try to dress modestly and avoid wearing flashy jewelry or displaying expensive items that may attract attention. It’s also beneficial to learn a few phrases of the local language to better navigate and connect with the locals.
• Be cautious in crowded areas: Pickpocketing and theft can occur in crowded places, so be mindful of your surroundings and keep a close eye on your belongings. Avoid carrying large amounts of cash and consider using a money belt or a secure travel wallet.
• Use reliable transportation: Opt for registered taxis or reputable car hire services for transportation, especially at night. Avoid unmarked taxis or accepting rides from strangers.
• Be cautious with strangers: While Guyanese people are generally friendly and welcoming, exercise caution when interacting with strangers, especially at night. Trust your instincts and avoid situations that feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
• Stay connected: Ensure you have a reliable means of communication, such as a working mobile phone, and share your itinerary with a trusted family member or friend. Stay connected to your accommodation and have emergency contact numbers readily available.
• Follow local laws and customs: Familiarize yourself with the laws and customs of Guyana to avoid any misunderstandings or legal issues. Respect the local culture, traditions, and religious practices.
• Stay updated on weather conditions: Guyana is prone to heavy rainfall and occasional flooding. Stay updated on weather forecasts and be prepared for any changes or natural disasters by having necessary supplies and a contingency plan.
• Trust your instincts: If a situation feels unsafe or uncomfortable, trust your instincts and remove yourself from the situation. It’s always better to prioritize your safety and well-being.

By following these safety tips and using good judgment, you can have a safe and enjoyable trip to Guyana. Now, let’s move on to discussing transportation safety in the country.

Transportation Safety

When it comes to transportation in Guyana, it’s essential to prioritize safety and choose reliable options. Here are some transportation safety tips to keep in mind:

• Use registered taxis: Opt for registered taxis with visible identification and meters. Avoid using unmarked taxis or accepting rides from strangers, as it can pose potential risks.
• Research reputable car hire services: If you prefer to drive, research and choose reputable car hire services. Ensure the vehicle is in good condition and familiarize yourself with local driving laws and customs.
• Be cautious on public transportation: While Guyana has a public transportation system, including buses and minibusses, it’s important to use caution. Avoid overcrowded vehicles and be mindful of your belongings.
• Consider hiring a driver: If you’re not comfortable with driving in Guyana, consider hiring a driver who is familiar with the local roads and traffic conditions. This can reduce the stress and potential risks of navigating unfamiliar areas.
• Be cautious on the roads: Exercise caution when traveling on the roads, especially in rural areas. Some roads may be poorly maintained or lack proper signage. Observe local traffic laws, be aware of other drivers, and drive defensively.
• Plan your routes: Before embarking on any journey, plan your routes and familiarize yourself with the destinations. Use reliable maps or GPS systems to navigate and minimize the chances of getting lost.
• Be aware of wildlife: Guyana is home to diverse wildlife, including animals that may cross roads. Exercise caution, especially in rural areas, and be prepared to encounter animals on or near the roads.
• Avoid traveling at night: If possible, avoid traveling at night, especially on remote or poorly lit roads. Nighttime driving can be challenging and increase the risk of accidents.
• Keep emergency supplies: Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle, including a first aid kit, flashlight, extra batteries, bottled water, non-perishable snacks, and a spare tire. This will help you be prepared in case of any unforeseen situations.
• Stay updated on road conditions: Check for any road closures, construction, or other potential hazards before setting out on a journey. Stay updated on the current road conditions to ensure a safe and smooth drive.

By following these transportation safety tips, you can minimize the risks and ensure a secure and comfortable journey while exploring Guyana. Next, let’s discuss the availability of health and medical facilities in the country.

Health and Medical Facilities

Prioritizing your health is crucial when traveling to any destination, including Guyana. While the country has made progress in improving its healthcare system, it’s important to be prepared and informed about the available medical facilities:

1. Vaccinations: Before traveling to Guyana, consult with your healthcare provider to ensure you are up to date on routine vaccinations. Additionally, certain vaccines, such as yellow fever, may be required for entry. It is also recommended to consider getting vaccines for diseases such as typhoid, hepatitis A and B, and tetanus.

2. Travel Health Insurance: Get comprehensive travel health insurance that covers medical expenses and emergency medical evacuation. Ensure that the policy includes coverage for adventure activities and any pre-existing conditions if applicable.

3. Prescription Medications: If you require prescription medications, ensure you have an adequate supply for the duration of your trip. Carry them in their original, labeled containers and carry a copy of the prescription with you.

4. Medical Facilities: Major urban centers in Guyana, like Georgetown, have medical facilities that can provide basic healthcare services. However, medical infrastructure and facilities in rural areas may be limited. It’s advisable to research and locate the nearest medical facilities to your destination before your trip.

5. Mosquito-borne Diseases: Guyana is located in a region where mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria are prevalent. Take necessary precautions such as using mosquito repellent, wearing long-sleeved clothing, and staying in accommodations with screened windows and doors. Consult with your healthcare provider for appropriate antimalarial medications.

6. Food and Water Safety: To prevent gastrointestinal illnesses, drink bottled or filtered water and avoid consuming raw or undercooked food. Stick to cooked and hot food from reputable establishments. Remember to wash your hands regularly, especially before eating.

7. Sun Safety: Guyana is close to the equator, so it’s important to protect yourself from the strong sun. Apply sunscreen with a high SPF, wear a hat, and seek shade during peak hours of sunlight.

8. Seek Medical Assistance: In case of a medical emergency, dial the local emergency number or seek assistance from your accommodation. They can guide you to nearby medical facilities for appropriate care.

By taking these precautions and being proactive about your health, you can minimize health risks and enjoy your time in Guyana to the fullest. Now, let’s move on to discussing natural disasters and emergency preparedness.

Natural Disasters and Emergency Preparedness

Guyana, like any country, is susceptible to natural disasters. Being aware of potential risks and knowing how to prepare for emergencies can be crucial for your safety. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

1. Flooding: Guyana experiences heavy rainfall, particularly during the rainy season from May to August. This can lead to flooding, especially in low-lying areas. Stay updated on weather forecasts and avoid traveling to flood-prone regions during this period.

2. Tropical Storms and Hurricanes: Guyana lies within the hurricane belt. From June to November, tropical storms and hurricanes can occur. Stay informed about weather alerts, follow instructions from local authorities, and have a contingency plan in place.

3. Familiarize Yourself with Emergency Procedures: Before your trip, familiarize yourself with emergency procedures at your accommodation, such as evacuation routes and assembly points. Listen to guidance from hotel staff or local authorities in case of emergencies.

4. Travel Insurance: Make sure your travel insurance covers natural disasters and emergency evacuations. Understand the terms and conditions of your policy and keep a copy of it easily accessible.

5. Keep Emergency Supplies: It’s advisable to keep a basic emergency kit that includes essentials such as flashlights, extra batteries, a first aid kit, non-perishable food, bottled water, and any necessary medications. These supplies can be invaluable during periods of disruption or emergencies.

6. Stay Informed: Monitor local news, weather forecasts, and official announcements. Information from reliable sources such as the local meteorological service or emergency authorities can help you make informed decisions and stay safe.

7. Follow Instructions: During extreme weather events or emergencies, it’s crucial to follow instructions from local authorities and emergency services. This might involve sheltering in place, evacuating to safe areas, or taking specific actions to ensure your safety.

8. Communicate Your Whereabouts: Inform a trusted person, such as your family member or friend, about your travel plans and itinerary. Provide them with contact details of your accommodation and regularly communicate with them to keep them updated on your whereabouts.

By being prepared, staying informed, and following guidance from local authorities, you can minimize risks and ensure your safety during natural disasters or emergencies in Guyana. Finally, let’s explore some cultural and social considerations to keep in mind during your visit.

Cultural and Social Considerations

When visiting Guyana, it’s important to respect the local culture and customs. Here are some cultural and social considerations to keep in mind during your trip:

1. Dress Modestly: Guyana is a conservative country, and it’s advisable to dress modestly, especially when visiting religious sites or interacting with locals. Avoid wearing revealing or inappropriate clothing that may offend or disrespect cultural norms.

2. Greetings and Respect: Guyanese people are generally friendly and polite. When meeting locals, a simple greeting and handshake are customary. Show respect and courtesy in your interactions, and address people by their titles or surnames unless invited to use their first names.

3. Religious Sites: If you plan to visit religious sites, such as temples or mosques, dress appropriately and remove your shoes before entering if required. Observe and respect any customs or practices related to the religious sites you visit.

4. Photography and Permissions: Always ask for permission before taking photographs of individuals, especially in rural areas and Indigenous communities. Some places may have restrictions on photography, and it’s important to respect people’s privacy and cultural beliefs.

5. Cultural Sensitivity: Guyana is a multicultural country with diverse ethnic groups. Show respect for the various cultures and traditions by learning about and appreciating their customs, festivals, and art forms. Be open-minded and embrace cultural differences.

6. Language: English is the official language of Guyana, but several other languages, including Guyanese Creole and Indigenous languages, are widely spoken. Learning a few basic phrases in the local language can be appreciated by the locals and enhance your interactions.

7. Tipping: Tipping is not mandatory in Guyana but is appreciated for good service. A general guideline is to tip 10% of the bill at restaurants and give a small tip to hotel staff, tour guides, and drivers if the service has been satisfactory.

8. Environmental Respect: Guyana is known for its pristine natural beauty. Practice responsible tourism by respecting the environment, avoiding littering, and following established guidelines for visiting protected areas and wildlife habitats.

By showing respect for the local culture, customs, and traditions, you can have a more immersive and enriching experience in Guyana. Now, let’s conclude our safety guide with some final thoughts.

In conclusion, Guyana is an intriguing destination with its breathtaking natural beauty, diverse culture, and warm hospitality. While it’s important to be aware of the safety situation in the country, with proper precautions and responsible travel practices, you can have a safe and memorable trip.

Understanding the crime rate in Guyana and taking necessary precautions such as securing your belongings and being cautious in certain areas can significantly reduce the risk of incidents. Following safety tips like staying informed, using reliable transportation, and trusting your instincts will enhance your overall safety and security.

When it comes to health and medical facilities, ensuring you have the necessary vaccinations, travel insurance, and knowledge of local healthcare services will help you handle any medical needs that may arise during your trip. Being prepared for natural disasters and emergencies by staying informed, having emergency supplies, and following local authorities’ guidance will ensure your safety during any unexpected situations.

Finally, respecting the local culture and customs, dressing modestly, being mindful of religious sites, and showing cultural sensitivity will enhance your interactions with the locals and contribute to a positive cultural exchange.

As with any travel destination, it’s important to remember that no place is entirely risk-free. However, by arming yourself with knowledge, practicing caution, and using common sense, you can minimize potential risks and fully enjoy the wonders and experiences that Guyana has to offer.

We hope this safety guide has provided you with valuable insights and practical tips for your trip to Guyana. With proper planning and awareness, your journey to this beautiful country can be both safe and rewarding. Now, pack your bags, embrace the adventure, and create lasting memories in Guyana!

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What’s It Really Like to Travel Guyana?

Adventurous Kate contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

When I knew I was traveling to Guyana, I had no idea what to expect. Even for the girl who grew up constantly reading about other countries , I knew very little about Guyana and never really had a desire to visit.

Then in November, I received an opportunity to visit Guyana on one of the Guyana Tourism Authority’s very first press trips. At the time,  I was in Kenya on another press trip. One of the writers with me was Guyanese-American, and I excitedly told her I got invited to her home country.

“Why?” she said. “There’s nothing there.”

There’s nothing there. Quite the endorsement!

The trip was an instant yes for me, though. Lately I’ve been craving trips to lesser-known destinations. My mission this year and beyond is to visit and write about emerging destinations that don’t get a lot of tourism yet. Even when I go to Italy, I’m planning to visit cities that don’t get a lot of attention.

Guyana, I learned, would be all about waterfalls and wildlife and traveling in a way. It would be an adventure.

And BOY, did Guyana deliver. There is QUITE a bit there.

I know nothing about Guyana. What’s it like?

When I said I was traveling to Guyana, I was surprised at how many of my friends — even some very well-traveled friends — told me, “Have fun in Africa!”

Not quite! It’s Guyana — not Ghana or Guinea or Gabon — and it’s located in the northeast of South America, bordering Brazil, Venezuela, and Suriname.

Guyana is unique among South American countries in that it’s an anglophone country, thanks to its years as a British colony. Guyana gained independence in 1966. Guyanese tend to consider themselves a Caribbean country rather than a Latin American country and they’re part of CARICOM, the Caribbean country organization. The interior is defined by its Amerindian culture. English is the primary language, but Guyanese Creole is spoken on the coast and a variety of Amerindian languages are spoken in the interior.

Guyana has six distinct ethnic groups. As of 2012, 40% are of East Indian descent, 30% are of African descent, 20% are of mixed ethnicity, 10.5% are Amerindian, 0.3% are white, and 0.2% are Chinese. The East Indians came to Guyana as indentured laborers; the Africans came to Guyana as slaves. After multiple slave rebellions, slavery was abolished in 1838.

East Indian culture dominates. Even when out in the most isolated parts of Guyana, Amerindian families listen to Hindi music as their children throw colored powders at each other to celebrate Holi (called Phagwa in Guyana).

I was surprised to learn that the Guyanese are the fifth largest immigrant group in New York City. The heart of the Guyanese community is in Richmond Hill, Queens. I once ended up in the neighborhood by accident and assumed I was in an Indian neighborhood — little did I know it was actually Indo-Caribbean!

In Guyana, you’ll be traveling extremely off the beaten path.

When I traveled in Guyana, I felt like I was experiencing travel in a way I hadn’t for years. Zero reliance on technology, because there was none. Few countries having flights to Guyana added to the feeling of being cut off from the world (though you can fly direct from New York and Miami). One of the properties where I stayed, Saddle Mountain Ranch, was so remote that it didn’t even have a website.

Guyana is, without a doubt, the most off the beaten path destination I’ve ever visited. While Antarctica or Hawaii or Easter Island may technically be more geographically isolated, each receives loads of tourists — far more than what Guyana gets. (It’s hard to isolate tourism numbers because most Guyana visitors are business travelers.)

Anecdotally, among my travel blogger friends, I can name well over two dozen who have been to Antarctica or Hawaii or Easter Island. I can name only two who have been to Guyana — neither of whom have been to the Rupununi.

I saw very few tourists in Guyana — less than half a dozen in the interior and about a dozen at Kaieteur Falls. At this point in time, many of Guyana’s tourists come for wildlife and birdwatching in particular. According to Brian Mullis, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Guyana’s tourists tend to be affluent, North American or European, and age 35-60.

This utter lack of tourism added to Guyana’s charm for me. Multiple times I heard people in the Rupununi say something along the lines of, “We don’t care if you come to our lodge or another lodge, we’re just happy people are coming here.” Imagine hearing that in Venice or Barcelona.

You will eat well in Georgetown — and everywhere.

I’ll be honest — the capital of Georgetown is a necessary landing pad, and that’s about it. It’s not a terrible city, but it has little in terms of attractions, and the true beauty of Guyana is in the interior. That being said, you’ll probably arrive early on an overnight flight, and it’s smart to give yourself a little buffer of time before your plans begin, just in case your flight is delayed or canceled.

The vast majority of Guyanese live in Georgetown and its environs. This city is a crash course on contemporary Guyanese culture.

And so there is one activity that I highly recommend in Georgetown: a food tour with Backyard Cafe . Run by Delven Adams and Mailini Jaikarran, this is quite literally a backyard cafe in the heart of a residential neighborhood in Georgetown. They run market tours where they take you around the market, then bring you back to the cafe to cook lunch with the food you picked out!

Bourda Market is colorful, organized chaos. Delven weaves us in and out of the stalls, treating us to samples of fruits. Delven spent most of his life in New York but felt the pull to come home to Guyana. At one point he beckons for us to follow and we’re in a rum shop — a bar — at 9:30 in the morning, surrounded by locals in various levels of intoxication.

Would we like a beer? Why not?!

After securing our provisions, we go back to the Backyard Cafe itself, hidden within a residential neighborhood. We drink passionfruit juice and sit back, listening to the music, and it’s hard to think of a place that could be more chilled out than this.

The piece de resistance is a giant fish called a snook — enormous and impossibly delicious. When the fish is that fresh and delicious, all you need to do is put some garlic and salt on it and let it cook away. One of the best fish I have ever tasted.

With it we had those long green beans, called bora , beef curry, and bitter melon.

While that was just the first showcase of Guyanese food, plenty more awaited over the next week.

Guyanese food is delicious. It has a lot of Indian, Chinese, British, and Caribbean influences. And the Guyanese love their hot sauces, ranging from roughly “Wow, that’s got a kick to it” to “This could strip the paint off a car.”

Some of the most popular dishes? Curry is the standard home cooking dish. Chow Mein is surprisingly popular — you’ll find it on tons of menus. Pepper pot is a delicious Amerindian dish of stewed meat with spices. I couldn’t get enough of bakes — the giant fried pieces of bread.

Most of the nicer hotels in Guyana tend to favor international cuisine over Guyanese specialties; I suspect this is related to Guyana catering to business travelers rather than leisure travelers.

You’ll Have to Pack Light

If you’re flying domestically within Guyana, you will be flying on a tiny plane and limited to 20 lbs/9 kg of luggage per person. That’s a REALLY small amount of luggage, especially if you’re carrying photography equipment.

You’ll have to pack extremely light — and forget hard-sided bags, which add a lot of weight. You’ll have to pack only the essentials. (You also have the option of leaving your excess luggage at your hotel in Georgetown while you fly into the interior.)

Alternatively, it’s possible to travel from Georgetown to Lethem by bus. The journey takes about 13 hours and costs around $75 USD.

What to Pack for Guyana’s Interior Sun protection — sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, light long-sleeved shirts and long pants Insect repellent (ideally insect repellent for clothing ) — especially when you’re near water Closed-toe shoes for the outdoors. A hiking shoe/sneaker hybrid is ideal. Photography equipment, including long lenses if you’re photographing wildlife Portable charger and power strip (you might be sharing a single outlet with everyone at the lodge) Kindle Paperwhite (you’ll have downtime for reading in the afternoons, and this is much lighter than bringing books) All the toiletries you’ll need, including menstrual products (I recommend a DivaCup ) Extra underwear, because you will sweat A LOT Bathing suit, just in case there’s a creek to swim in!

The Rupununi is Isolated and Breathtaking

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’ve never heard of the Rupununi before. This part of southwest Guyana is home to savannah — endless plains mixed in with forested areas called bush islands, mountains in the distance, the Rupununi River winding throughout the region.

This is where the magic begins in Guyana.

We arrived on a dirt airstrip near Karanambu. Waiting there to pick us up were three aged SUVs caked in dirt. They took us on a dirt road — and occasionally drove through burning sections of forest!

By the time we arrived in Yupukari, my phone, my luggage, and I were covered in dirt that didn’t leave for days.

The people who come to the Rupununi tend to be “the generation that grew up with David Attenborough,” according to Melanie McTurk, Director of Karanambu Lodge. Attenborough wrote extensively about Guyana and Karanambu Lodge featured heavily in his books.

One of the nice things about staying at Caiman House is that it’s right in the town of Yupukari — you get to experience Amerindian life here in a way you don’t at more isolated lodges. I loved getting to visit the school, seeing the local library (with a HUGE collection of Baby-Sitters Club books!!) and learn about how locals are building a local enterprise where they design housewares for IKEA!

Guyana’s Wildlife Will Thrill You

Forget lions, elephants and giraffes — you can see those all over Africa. You come to Guyana to see the weird wildlife.

Ever heard of the Giants of Guyana? Guyana is home to several giant species. Giant river otters, giant anteaters, giant lilies, and the world’s largest spider, the South American Goliath Birdeater (BOY, AM I GLAD I MISSED THAT GUY).

At Caiman House, they’ve been running a long-term scientific study about the black caimans that dwell in the nearby Rupununi River. For nearly a decade, they’ve been capturing the lizards, recording their measurements, and releasing them.

In fact, if you stay at Caiman House, you can join in the project! Just before sunset, you head down to the river, and you spend the next few hours cruising along as the naturalists look for the lizards. It can be a bit tedious (it took us a few hours to see anything), but once they captured them, it was worth every minute of waiting.

This black caiman, which looked much more like a crocodile, was about six feet long — but he was considered rather puny as far as caimans go! The team measured it, weighed it, checked for the sex (“It’s a boy!”) and tagged it before letting it run back into the river.

And then there are the giant otters. This is the major project of Karanambu Lodge. The late Diane McTurk, affectionately known as “Auntie D” by locals, was known as the Jane Goodall of giant river otters. She devoted her life to the conservation of these creatures in the Rupununi and earned international recognition for her efforts.

See that picture above? Those are Sandy and Dwayne, two six-month old river otters. The adults can grow to be over six feet long!

You can join the otters for their noon feeding. It’s remarkable how much like dogs they are — they get out of their pen and trot along down to the water in excitement, flashing their teeth and awaiting that delicious fish! Never has something so adorable been so ferocious.

The babies don’t live in confinement forever — they are eventually released.

I got to see a few full-sized giant river otters, albeit from a great distance.

For me, one of the biggest highlights was seeing an anteater. Anteaters are so funny — not only do they look completely ridiculous, from their long nose to their bushy tail, but when they run they bounce up and down!

Jaguars can often be seen in Guyana, sometimes near Karanambu and often in the Iwokrama Rainforest; capybara are more elusive. Sadly, I didn’t get to see either on our trip.

And believe it or not, one of the craziest wildlife sightings was in Georgetown! There’s a national park in the middle of the city, and they have a little lake that’s home to manatees. If you grab some of the nearby straw and put it on the surface, the manatees will come up to nibble it.

You will be cut off from the internet — and that’s a good thing.

The internet is fine in Georgetown, if not at the excellent speeds of Romania or Hong Kong.  But once you get into the interior, most places are subsisting on satellite wifi, which is both painfully slow and expensive. Other places have no internet at all, the nearest connection a 90-minute drive away.

How slow is satellite internet? It took me 15 minutes and five attempts to send my sister a single text. (The message? “This internet isn’t worth it. Tell Mom and Dad I’m alive and I’ll email them Sunday night.”)

However, some lodges including Caiman House and Karanambu Lodge offer faster wifi from 11:00 PM until 5:00 AM. While it’s not fast, my friend described it as “night and day” compared to the daytime wifi.

My advice? Plan to be completely offline.  Don’t plan to do work. Tell your office you’ll be unreachable. Tell your family you’ll email them as soon as you get back to Georgetown.

And the added bonus is that a digital detox is SO good for your brain. When I go completely offline, I realize that I have a constant tic directing me to my phone. That tic is gone within 24 hours.

You will have moments of discomfort.

When you’re traveling as far off the beaten path as Guyana, you’ve got to be ready for discomforting moments. Traveling in Guyana’s interior is extremely basic. Sometimes the water will stop running and you’ll need to tell the staff so they can pump from a well. You might be dealing with toilets that refuse to flush or showers where the shutters don’t completely close (I had to wedge my toiletries underneath it to keep the whole lodge from seeing me naked).

One time, we got on our tiny plane and an alarm kept sounding as we began to taxi, so we had to get off and wait for the crew to fix it. “We’d get you another plane, but there is no other plane, so we’ll just fix it,” one of the employees told us with a smile. Not exactly reassuring when you’re already nervous about flying in tiny planes in developing countries. (It turned out to be fine. The flights were excellent and the pilots were incredibly professional.)

But the worst instance happened in the Rupununi. On our last night at Caiman House, I came back to my room and spotted a small spider on the toilet seat and a tiny frog on the shower curtain. I giggled at the frog and swept the spider away. Then I got to the sink and saw a three-inch cockroach inside it.

Gross . But not the worst. I swept it aside, smiling at the memory of doing the same thing in Laos eight years ago. So many of my friends would freak out at that. Not me.

But then it got worse. I suddenly realized that part of the bathroom was COVERED in mouse droppings — droppings that surely I would have noticed the day before. Then a mouse dropping suddenly fell onto my foot from above. I looked up and saw a mouse on one of the beams, sticking its tiny foot out and KICKING ITS TINY POOPS ONTO ME FROM ABOVE.

And that moment, my friends, was when I nearly lost my temper. I’m usually easygoing on my travels (yo, I took my first steps in a tent!) but that just set me off .

Luckily, the bathroom and the bedroom had different kinds of ceilings, and there were no beams where the mice could push their droppings onto me while I was sleeping. Plus, the beds had mosquito nets. You could hear the mice scurrying in the roof, but there was no risk of droppings falling onto you in the middle of the night.

I slept fine — but the next morning, I lifted up my jeans and realized a cockroach had hatched her babies underneath them. GROSS, GROSS, GROSS.

Is this indicative of what Guyana is like? Not necessarily; I think I had bad luck.  Additionally, Saddle Mountain Ranch was immaculate and had no pest issues; though I didn’t stay overnight at Karanambu Lodge, it seemed to be a few levels nicer than Caiman House.

The important thing is that you shouldn’t travel to Guyana unless you can handle a little discomfort now and then. I look back now and laugh, but at the time, it wasn’t funny.

You will be even more cut off in the South Rupununi.

The Rupununi is isolated and fairly new to tourism — but most lodges are in the northern part of the region, including Karanambu Lodge and Caiman House. If you want to be even more isolated, head to the South Rupununi.

Saddle Mountain Ranch was an intriguing stop in the South Rupununi — and for me, it ended up being one of the highlights of the whole trip. This lodge was a mystery to us all — it was extremely isolated, it didn’t have a website, and even our well-traveled guide Leon had never been there.

On the journey from Lethem, we had to stop as the engines overheated. That Rupununi crust of sweat and dirt settled over us again as the men worked to get the cars working. Soon enough, we were on the road again, and a little oasis appeared in the savannah. Two green creeks. Blue mountains in the background. Golden plains as far as the eye could see.

Saddle Mountain is a working ranch. You can watch the cowboys carry out their duties, including the branding of cattle (difficult to watch, but a legal requirement in Guyana). We were offered the chance to watch castrations done by knife and all of the guys promptly noped out of there.

Here we were free to do whatever we wanted. Ride an ATV? Sure. Climb a mountain? Yep, but you’ll be scooting down on your butt for much of it. Horseback riding? Of course!

This was the most basic place of all. There were two lightbulbs hanging in the building, one in the kitchen and one in the main room, and the bedrooms were in darkness. There was a single electrical outlet for guests. (Thankfully, our guide Leon wisely packed a power strip.) Absolutely no internet, not even slow satellite internet. And doing a supply run meant a three-hour round-trip journey to Lethem.

Life was simple and beautiful here. We slept with the doors wide open to catch the breeze. We played Scrabble by the light of that single bulb. And we spent a glorious afternoon in the creek.

You will have the best time ever in the creek.

With its equatorial location, Guyana is sweltering year-round. It’s wise to do your activities in the Rupununi just after sunrise and before sunset, when temperatures are milder.

So at Saddle Mountain, that means horseback riding and ATV-riding just before sunset, when the colors turn shades of violet. And that means going on an anteater safari and climbing Saddle Mountain in the early hours when the landscape reverberates in shades of gold.

That leaves a lot of extra time in the afternoon, though. And so we went to the creek.

The creek is near the entrance to the property — green and glassy, filled with tiny fish, and surrounded by slabs of rock.

The water was warm, but it was SO nice that we got in and stayed in for two hours nonstop, pruniness be damned.

The staff drove by us on their return from the Lethem supply run, and we started yelling, “Beeeeeeer!” as a joke. Well, our guy heard us and stopped to give us beers to drink in the creek.

Oh, except that nobody has a bottle opener. Nor anything that could do the trick.

“Wait a second,” I tell my friends. “Didn’t Leon open beers with a plastic water bottle?”

He did. The guys tried their hand at his method and sure enough, it worked!

And back into the creek we went, now with Banks beers in hand. A perfect afternoon.

You will gawk at Kaieteur Falls.

Kaieteur Falls should be up there with Niagara and Victoria and Iguazu — but Guyana is so untouristed, few people have heard of it. It’s the highest single-drop waterfall in the world and the surrounding scenery is gorgeous.

Kaieteur Falls is incredibly isolated — you need to arrive by plane directly at the falls, and that’s literally all that is around — no hotel or anything, just a simple lodge with bathrooms and a shop. (You can also do a seven-day jungle trek to the falls .)

I marveled at the fact that there was nothing around. Most national parks are chock full of tours, trails, and places where you can spend your money. Not here. There are a few different viewing platforms…and that’s literally it. In a twisted way, Kaieteur Falls is functioning like an Instagram hotspot!

Keep in mind that we visited during the dry season, when the waterfall is at its weakest. In the rainy season, the falls will be much bigger and more robust.

If you’re EXTREMELY lucky, you’ll see Roraima on a scenic flight.

I’ve heard of Mount Roraima before — but I thought it was part of Venezuela and it never occurred to me that I’d be able to see it on this trip. Well, Roraima is actually on the Venezuela-Guyana border, though if you’re hiking it, you’ll need to start in Venezuela.

I’ve seen so many images of Roraima online — the table mountain rising above layers of clouds — and thought I knew what to expect. And then as we flew closer and closer, Roraima began to take shape.

My jaw fell open. It was so much more beautiful than I ever imagined. Nothing I had seen online was even close.

Does this image above compare to seeing it in real life? HELL NO. I feel bad that this picture doesn’t show you JUST HOW AMAZING it is.

How special was this? The pilot was literally taking photos to send to his pilot friends.  “You’re very lucky,” he told us. “Most Guyanese pilots fly across the country for decades and never get the opportunity to see Roraima.”

Hearing that from him, I knew we were incredibly fortunate.

Things You Must Know Before Traveling to Guyana

Guyana is not a place where you can book a last-minute flight and wing it.  You can get away with that in Colombia or Brazil, but a trip to Guyana should be planned meticulously in advance if you want to avoid disappointment.

First off, do not even think of visiting during the rainy season of May through July. Rainy season in Guyana doesn’t simply mean it will be rainier — it means key roads will be impassible, lodges will shut down, and you won’t be able to do many of the things that make Guyana special.

Secondly, Guyana is very tough for planning a DIY trip; you need to rely on tourism companies here. Even eating at the Backyard Cafe must be booked in advance. While in most destinations you can just rent a car and drive if you want to, you can’t do that in Guyana because there isn’t a single agency renting cars that are outfitted to drive the road from Georgetown to Lethem, the center of the Rupununi. The cars literally don’t exist. Your only options are to fly or take the bus.

Additionally, keep in mind that lodges in the Rupununi and isolated parts of Guyana have extremely poor satellite internet. Others have no internet at all. You won’t receive timely responses to your inquiries — some places wait several days between checking emails. For that reason I recommend reserving your accommodation as far in advance as possible.

Finally, there are so few lodges and they have limited capacity. Saddle Mountain Ranch barely had enough room to sleep eight of us, and we all doubled up. Book early to make sure there will be a spot for you.

Solo Female Travel in Guyana

Women can absolutely travel solo in Guyana and stay safe. I did not travel solo on this trip to Guyana, but I did keep my eyes out for what I would look for as a solo traveler and how I would evaluate the destination.

There are no special precautions that women need to take in Guyana beyond the precautions you would take elsewhere. I would recommend not walking around Georgetown at night.

So is Guyana a good destination for solo female travelers? It depends what kind of traveler you are. Frankly, I don’t think I would rank it highly for solo female travelers in general, only the kinds of travelers who enjoy doing isolated wildlife trips solo. For me personally, this is the kind of trip I’d prefer to do with others rather than by myself. But that’s just me.

Another issue — once you get into the Rupununi, the pricey transfers between lodges and the airport in Lethem can quickly drive up the cost of a trip for a solo traveler. Costs can vary quite a bit, so contact the lodge and make sure you have accurate pricing information.

But if everything you’ve read in this post so far has excited you about doing this alone, it sounds like solo female travel in Guyana could be right for you! In fact, I would recommend Karanambu Lodge in particular. Speaking to Director Melanie McTurk, she told me that they love hosting solo female travelers, they’ll make sure you always have a member of the senior team with you, and all meals are communal, so you’ll get to know the other guests.

If you’re interested in traveling Guyana with a guide, I highly recommend my guide, Leon Moore . You can see more about him in the “Essential Info” section at the bottom.

Top Ten Travel Safety Tips for Women 

Planning a Guyana Travel Itinerary

I felt like my Guyana itinerary was excellent — a weeklong stay bookended with nights in Georgetown, and two-night stays both in the North Rupununi (Caiman House with a day trip to Karanambu Lodge) and the South Rupununi (Saddle Mountain Ranch) with a scenic flight over Roraima and several waterfalls, plus two hours on the ground at Kaieteur Falls.

I do wish that I had had the chance to see more rainforest, especially since Guyana is 80% rainforest. I’ve heard that Rewa Lodge is a great place to experience the rainforest in the Rupununi, and it’s not obscenely far from Lethem and the other Rupununi lodges. If I went back to Guyana, I would definitely stay there.

I’ve never said this for any other country, but the Guyana Tourism Authority’s website is an excellent place for researching and booking your trip. So many vendors in Guyana are offline that the GTA acts as a travel agent.

The Takeaway

I had a blast in Guyana and highly recommend it for adventure travelers who can go with the flow, function without internet, and tolerate a little discomfort now and then. If you’re able to put up with the challenges from traveling in a country new to tourism, you’ll find it extremely rewarding.

Guyana is on the verge of exploding in recognition. Everyone is always looking for the next big thing in travel, and I think Guyana is going to be it. In fact, I would bet my monthly rent that Guyana is going to be on many of the major publications’ “Where to Go in 2020” posts at the end of this year. Guyana Tourism is investing in bloggers and writers, and that’s what happens — we create the initial buzz that snowballs into wide-ranging coverage.

So what do I say? The same thing I always say — go now. It’s not always going to be like this. It’s not always going to be so beautiful, so remote, so cut off from mainstream tourism. Once money and investment finds its way to tourism in Guyana, the best interests of the Guyanese and their environment will no longer be prioritized.

Go now, and enjoy a truly special and unusual destination.

Essential Info:   The Guyana Tourism Authority’s website is a good place to book accommodation and packages, especially places that have little to no internet. In Georgetown I stayed in three different hotels: King’s Hotel  (rates from $145), Duke Lodge  (rates from $120), and Cara Lodge  (rates from $142). All are good hotels and you’d be fine staying in any of them — they’re all fairly equal. I found King’s Hotel had the best internet and food, Duke Lodge had the nicest rooms, and Cara Lodge had a gorgeous courtyard that was perfect for working. The Backyard Cafe does market tours and serves meals, but they’re open by appointment only. Contact them through their Facebook page. Caiman House in Yupukari in the North Rupununi has an all-inclusive rate of $115 that includes three meals a day and activities including joining the caiman research team in the river at night. Karanambu Lodge in the North Rupununi has an all-inclusive rate of $200 that includes three meals a day and activities including otter feeding, wildlife safaris, and hikes. Caiman House and Karanambu Lodge are very friendly with each other and happy to send you to do activities at the other place — for example, if you’re staying at Caiman House but want to see the otters, or if you’re staying at Karanambu Lodge but want to go on the caiman tagging excursion. Saddle Mountain Ranch in the South Rupununi doesn’t have a website. They have an all-inclusive rate starting at $68 that includes three meals a day and activities including horseback riding, hiking, and ATV riding. Properties in the Rupununi charge for transfers from Lethem and other airstrips, and these fees can be quite costly. Contact the properties for a quote. Evergreen Adventures offers day trips to Kaieteur Falls from Georgetown. The trip to the falls including a scenic flight to Orinduik Falls is $285. Roraima is so difficult to see ordinarily that most scenic flights will not include it. If you’re looking for a private guide in Guyana, I highly recommend our guide, Leon Moore. If you’re interested in wildlife or photography, he’s the guide for you, and if you’re interested in birds, his knowledge and enthusiasm is unparalleled. You can contact him through his Facebook page. Guyana requires evidence of a yellow fever vaccine, though I was never asked for proof. I recommend getting the vaccine anyway even if you don’t have travel plans, as it’s good for life and a requirement for visiting many countries . Malaria is present in parts of Guyana. Speak to your doctor about whether or not you should take anti-malarial pills. Travel insurance is necessary for Guyana. If you trip and break an ankle in the Rupununi, or if you get appendicitis while in Georgetown, or if you have a death in the family and need to return home immediately, travel insurance can save your life and finances. I use and recommend World Nomads  for trips to Guyana.

This post is brought to you by the Guyana Tourism Authority , who invited me on a media visit and covered all expenses. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Does Guyana look like your kind of destination? Share away!

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Future Travel Rebooking Options:

• A fare difference may apply when the waiver is class to class restrictive and the original booking class is not maintained in the rebooked itinerary.
• When rebooked travel occurs after July 04, 2024, a difference in fare may apply.
• If travel is not able to be rescheduled within these guidelines, customers may cancel their reservation and apply any unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket for a period of one year from the original ticket issuance.  Applicable fare difference may apply for new travel dates. Final travel must be completed by end of ticket validity.

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Entry requirements

This advice reflects the UK government’s understanding of current rules for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK, for the most common types of travel.

The authorities in Guyana set and enforce entry rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the Guyana High Commission in the UK .

COVID-19 rules

There are no COVID-19 testing or vaccination requirements for travellers entering Guyana.              

Passport validity requirements

To enter Guyana, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.

Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.

You will not be able to enter Guyana if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.

Visa requirements

You do not need a visa to visit Guyana. Visitors can normally stay for 30 days, but you can apply for one-month extensions from Guyana’s immigration and support services . 

The Guyanese authorities can arrest visitors who overstay or abuse the conditions of their stay. You could get a one-year prison sentence, a fine of up to 50,000 Guyana dollars (about 250 US dollars) and deportation – at your own expense – upon your release.

Check the requirements for work or student visas with the  Guyana High Commission in the UK  well before you travel.

Vaccination requirements

You must have a certificate to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination if you’re coming from a country listed as a transmission risk .

For full details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, including yellow fever, see TravelHealthPro’s Guyana guide .  

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of Guyana. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

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Unpack these cybersecurity tips for a stress-free vacation

No one would ever mistake me for chill, but come vacation time, my anxiety ramps up, not down. Is three hours enough time to get to the airport three miles away? Did I pack my earbuds? Did I pack my back-up earbuds? My back-up back-up earbuds? Is the tip included in the service charge? Is the service charge the same thing as a cover charge? Does sunscreen come in 1,000 SPF?

This is precisely the mental state that scammers seek to exploit — when we’re overwhelmed, distracted and on the move. So as summer travel season gets underway, I asked Mastercard’s cybersecurity experts for tips on protecting my money, my data and my identity before I leave and while I’m on the go.  

01 Book on reputable websites

When booking your flights, hotels or experiences abroad, interact only with reputable, established vendors. Before you snag yourself a deal, read the reviews and examine their site to ensure it is secure. Make sure the company you are booking with has a phone number or physical mailing address that you can verify before you proceed.

02 Use your own device and secure Wi-Fi networks

Never book or shop on a device you don’t own, or on public Wi-Fi networks, such as those in airports, train stations or cafés. Keep in mind that your information and financial accounts may be at risk if you use an unsecure network. Use your mobile data or, better yet, wait until you can use your home network. And keep your devices’ operating systems up to date — they contain critical security updates that protect you from vulnerabilities.

03 Know your rights

Check what travel benefits and insurance you have in place for your booking and while you are abroad, via your bank or your credit card provider. Familiarize yourself with the chargeback process. This can help prepare you for when you find yourself in a tricky situation — for example, if there are fraudulent or unauthorized charges on your account, damaged or defective goods or incorrect charges. 

04 Protect your tech

Setting up multifactor authentication — a combination of a unique, hard-to-guess passcode and biometrics like your face or fingerprint — means that if your passcode is compromised, fraudsters won’t be able to meet the second authentication requirement, which stops them from gaining access to your accounts. In addition, pack a charging cord with a traditional plug. USB and USB-C cables can transfer data, which could occur when you plug the cable into a public USB/USB-C port. Using a traditional plug removes the risk of data transfer.

05 Back up to the cloud and carry hard copies

Set your phone or device so that data is backed up to the cloud: If you lose your device, you will still be able to access your travel documentation. As an extra precaution, carry hard copies of all your travel documents.

06 Know your card's PIN and check contactless limits

Knowing your credit card and daily debit card limits and PINs can help make travel easier. The PIN assigned to your card is required at ATMs and at some payment terminals abroad. Some countries also have limits on how much you can spend per contactless transaction.

07 Set up account alerts

Setting up alerts can help you monitor your accounts easily and quickly identify transactions that you don’t recognize. Should you suspect fraudulent activity, contact the financial institution that issued your card immediately. 

08 Have multiple payment options

Keep an alternate form of payment in a different bag in case your wallet is lost or stolen. Add your eligible debit and credit cards to a digital wallet so you can pay with your mobile device wherever digital payments are accepted — in stores, online and in apps. 

09 Don't overshare

Avoid posting your location or travel agenda on social media. Sharing these details allows potential thieves to keep track of where you are, making it easier for them to time a crime. The same goes for your out of office email message — be careful which personal details you share, as it could prove useful to fraudsters.

10 Report your lost card quickly

If your debit or credit card is lost or stolen while you’re traveling, report it to your bank right away. If you previously added your card to a digital wallet and you are still in possession of your device, your card issuer may be able to update your digital wallet with your new card information so that you can continue using it while you wait for your new card to arrive.

Travel trends 2024: Breaking boundaries

Through March 2024, consumer spending on travel remains strong, and passenger traffic has soared. In its annual report, the Mastercard Economics Institute anticipates this momentum will continue as consumers prioritize meaningful experiences and allocate more of their budgets to travel. 

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Travel tips for a Fourth of July that's set to break records

Luke Garrett

Airports around the United States are preparing for what could be the busiest Fourth of July travel season on record. The nation's roads are no different. Traffic could reach never-before-seen volumes over the Independence Day holiday.

“With summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a press release. “We anticipate this July 4th week will be the busiest ever.”  

Nearly 71 million people are expected to make trips for the Independence Day travel period, AAA predicts.

Here's what to know about traveling for the holiday this week.

The TSA sets a new record and readies for another

Last week, a record-breaking 2.99 million passengers went through U.S. airports in a single day, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The agency said it's expecting a new travel record this week.

At Philadelphia International Airport, Gerardo Spero, the TSA’s federal security director for the airport, is dealing with an 8% passenger increase this year and is cautioning travelers to give themselves extra time.

“The best advice that I can offer is to get to the airport well before your ticketed departure time,” Spero said in a news release . “Now more than ever it is vital to give yourself plenty of time to park or return a rental car, check in with your airline to check bags and prepare for the security checkpoint."

There's usually no need to panic when planes make emergency landings. Here's why

Spero also said travelers can help each other out by being "efficient" in the security lines: take off shoes and belts preemptively, empty your pockets into your carry-on, and grab a bin early.

Over at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — where travel volumes are up 5% — the TSA wants travelers to double-check their carry-on bags before they get to the airport.

“We are asking travelers to be good partners with TSA and ensure that they are prepared for the screening process," TSA Federal Security Director for Washington Greg Hawko said in a release . "Please don’t bring prohibited items in your carry-on luggage."

The busiest airport days are expected to be July 3, 7 and 8, according to flight website Hopper . The company projects Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver airports to be the ones with the most travelers.

This rise in summer air travel comes amid heightened attention on aircraft maker Boeing's quality control practices after a door plug blew out on a 737 Max jet in midair at the start of the year. Still, flying is the safest way to travel .

On the road

Nearly one in five Americans are set to drive more than 50 miles this Fourth of July travel season, according to an AAA forecast .

If you want to beat the traffic, drive early. INRIX, a transportation data provider, said driving on Monday should save travelers time. Any day after that, the best time to drive is before 10 a.m.

“Drivers in large metro areas can expect the worst traffic delays on Wednesday, July 3, as they leave town, and Sunday, July 7, as they return,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX , said in a statement. “Road trips over the holiday week could take up to 67% longer than normal.” 

When driving on the wrong side of the road is the right way to speed up traffic

If you are preparing for a longer road trip with family and friends, AAA recommends running through this checklist: check kids' car seats, bring an emergency pack (first aid, jumper cables, snacks and water) and map the route.

At the pump, drivers can expect lower gas prices than last year with a gallon costing an average of $3.50. In 2023, gas cost $3.53 per gallon and in 2022, it cost nearly $5.

This year, the states with the most expensive gas are California ($4.80), Hawaii ($4.71), Washington ($4.21), Oregon ($4.07), Nevada ($4.04), Alaska ($3.90), Illinois ($3.88), Michigan ($3.70), Washington, D.C. ($3.66), and Indiana ($3.65).

Another cost to consider is tolls. Not all states have them, but check your route on Toll Guru to see how much change you might need on hand or how much money to have loaded on the E-ZPass.

The weather factor

High temperatures and a few thunderstorms are in the forecast for much of the country, according to AccuWeather . Both can cause travel delays.

The worst heat is expected in California.

Heat wave safety tips from the world's first chief heat officer

"It's going to be downright hot across the Southwest, especially in California and the Desert Southwest where record highs will be challenged," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Joseph Bauer told the website.

The Southern Plains and Southeast regions are also expected to feel the heat over the Independence Day weekend with higher than average temperatures.

High temperatures can slow down travel. When temperatures get too high, railway tracks can start to bend — forcing trains to slow down or stop completely. And planes may face weight restrictions during severe heat.

Traveling during the morning or evening can help offset the risk of heat-related delays.

While much of the country will face high temperatures on the Fourth of July, the Northern Plains, Midwest and portions of the Northeast may see thunderstorms, according to AccuWeather.

Flight delays and cancellations

As a rule, airlines are required to offer travelers a refund or book them another flight if they cancel a passenger's flight. The rules surrounding flight delays are more complicated.

Airlines are ordered to give full refunds instead of vouchers and to stop hiding fees

This U.S. Department of Transportation chart offers a full list of specific airline cancellation and delay policies.

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Planning on traveling for the Fourth of July holiday? Here’s how to avoid the rush

FILE - Motorists head southbound in the local and express lanes on Interstates 90-94 in slow and thickening traffic as a CTA train enters a station on the first day of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, July 1, 2022, in Chicago. Millions of Americans are preparing to get out of town sometime in the coming Fourth of July holiday week, which will likely mean busy roads as well as packed airports and train stations. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

FILE - Travelers walk with their luggage through Union Station in Washington ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, July 1, 2023. Millions of Americans are preparing to get out of town sometime in the coming Fourth of July holiday week, which will likely mean busy roads as well as packed airports and train stations. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

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NEW YORK (AP) — The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and the travel rush is already heating up.

Millions of Americans are preparing to get out of town sometime in the coming holiday week. That will likely mean busy roads, as well as packed airports and train stations.

Motor club AAA projects that some 70.9 million travelers will head 50 miles (80 kilometers) or more from their homes over a nine-day Independence Day travel period — surpassing pre-pandemic numbers for the U.S. holiday. And the Transportation Security Administration expects to screen over 32 million individuals in airports from this Thursday through July 8, up 5.4% from last year’s numbers.

Are you traveling for the Fourth? Here’s a rundown of what you need to know.

When is the best time to hit the road for July Fourth?

Smooth sailing for travel around any holiday is never a given. But avoiding the most hectic times, when others are rushing out of town, is a good way to start.

If you’re traveling by car for the Fourth of July, it’s best to hit the road in the morning, according to transportation data and insights provider INRIX. Peak traffic congestion varies by location, INRIX data published by AAA shows, but the worst times to drive on, or leading up to, the holiday are generally between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Either way, be prepared for the roads to be jammed.

“Road trips over the holiday week could take up to 67% longer than normal,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a prepared statement.

July Fourth falls on a Thursday this year, and many travelers will likely take Friday July 5th off to extend their trip into a four-day weekend. Drivers in large metro areas can expect the biggest delays on Wednesday July 3 and Sunday July 7 — as travelers leave and return to town, Pishue added.

And if you’re renting a car ahead of July Fourth, the busiest pickup days will be Friday, Saturday and Wednesday before the holiday, AAA notes.

When will airports be busiest?

Airports will also likely be packed all week long — but the TSA expects most people will take to the skies on Friday.

It anticipates that it will screen more than 3 million individuals Friday. That would surpass the agency’s current record for most people screened on a single day, which reached just under 3 million last Sunday.

“We expect this summer to be our busiest ever,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said, adding that travel typical peaks around Independence Day.

Last year, the busiest day for Fourth of July air travel was also the Friday ahead of the holiday, TSA data shows. If past trends hold, travel will likely be higher on the days before and after the Fourth — particularly closer to the weekend. In 2023, for example, more than 2 million people were screened on the Fourth, which landed on a Tuesday last year, down from 2.88 million the Friday before.

What should I do if my flight is delayed or canceled?

Flights can be delayed or canceled for an array of reasons — from plane-specific mechanical problems to major storms impacting popular travel paths.

If your flight is canceled, airlines are required to provide refunds for customers, even if the cancellation is due to weather . Delays are trickier, because they typically have to meet certain criteria for relief, such as refunds or compensation — but carriers will often give customers to chance to switch to alternative flights, if available, at no cost.

In April, the Biden administration issued final rules that include requiring airlines to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled flights and “significant” delays. Those rules are set to take effect over the next two years, but the Department of Transportation has a site that lets consumers see the commitments each airline has made for refunds and covering other expenses when flights are canceled or significantly delayed.

Always check your itinerary before leaving home

It’s better to be stuck at home than locked in hourslong traffic or stranded in an airport terminal. Before heading out the door this holiday week, do yourself a favor and check the status of your travel plans.

Was your flight, train or bus ride delayed? Are there are traffic incidents set to disrupt your drive? And what about the weather? A quick look through your itinerary — such as trip updates on a carrier’s website — checking weather forecasts and monitoring traffic safety through services like the 511 hotline or your phone’s navigation apps can go a long way toward avoiding travel misery.

Here are a few more tips to keep in mind:

— Leave early: There are more people everywhere during a holiday week, so lines will be longer and roads will be busier. Give yourself more time to get to your destination or to make your way through airport security.

— Keep an eye on the weather — and not just for your destination: Look at the weather for your entire travel path. Even if it’s sunny skies both at home and the place you’re headed, it’s important to keep an eye out for any storms in between. You may need to do some rerouting.

— Be kind: A trip delay or cancellation can be really frustrating — but if you’re running into disruptions, chances are others are too. Customer service agents have a lot on their plate at this time of year, and it’s important to be patient and respectful as they try to help you.

Travel influencers detail moments they encounter Hurricane Beryl's path in Grenada while boating

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Hurricane Beryl is now barreling through the Caribbean, becoming the fastest Category 4 storm in the Atlantic on record.

With the summer months here, this is the peak time for traveling and boating, especially in the Caribbean.

Cole and Emily Crews, known online as The Adventure Crews first set sail out of Kemah two years ago when they bought their boat.

Nearly 9,000 nautical miles later, the Florida couple found themselves in Grenada during Hurricane Beryl's passage.

On Monday, they told Eyewitness News they were thankful they were safe after encountering several scary moments as Hurricane Berly began to land.

"You can see the wind blowing across the water," Emily Crews said.

The Crews are content creators who love the open sea and sailing, making videos as they adventure worldwide.

RELATED: Hurricane Beryl makes landfall on Grenada's Carriacou Island as life-threatening Category 4 storm

"It is south of the traditional hurricane belt," Cole said.

The Crews say they're in Grenada on Egmont Bay in their sailboat, an area they say is usually referred to as a hurricane-safe zone.

The Crews say their boat insurance requires them to be in Grenada this season under their hurricane emergency plan. They planned to store their boat there and return to Florida for a few months throughout the projected busy season.

The record breaking earliness of this category 4 hurricane caught many by surprise.

"These islands aren't prepared for stuff like this down here," said Emily Crews.

SEE ALSO: NOAA predicts above-normal 2024 Atlantic hurricane season

"A lot of these islands aren't used to it. We don't see them intensify that quickly and that far out in the ocean," ABC meteorologist Rachel Briers said.

Emily tells Eyewitness News that life at sea comes with these challenges.

"For every beautiful destination and every beautiful sunset, there's a cost for it, and this is it," Emily said.

For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook , X and

Instagram .

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