Georgetown - Post Report Question and Answers
What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Some of the eco-lodges look nice. I wasn't able to visit any of them because I couldn't get anyone to answer my food allergy questions in a timely manner, but my friends had fun. - Jun 2022
Lots of trips into the interior, and to neighboring islands, but these are hard during Covid. Go to the National Park in town for a 1-mile flat running loop. - Aug 2021
My favorite trip was a day trip: birding and wildlife watching on the Mahaica river. i saw river otters, monkeys, and tons of birds. - Sep 2020
Manage expectations accordingly: the highlight of most weekends will be a trip to the movies or a child’s birthday party. That said, there are a handful of decent restaurants in Georgetown, although the food and service quality doesn’t usually match the price you’re paying for a meal. There are three movie theaters, all featuring first-run movies from the US (and sometimes India) for half the ticket price. If you’re into sports, there is a decent golf course, a surprisingly well-maintained go-kart track, and a few places to play tennis. Georgetown also regularly hosts pro cricket matches, which are popular and reasonably safe if you go with a group. If you’re trying to escape the city, there are several wilderness lodges within a 2-hour trip – day trips are usually best as an overnight stay will set you back US$400/night minimum. There are also spectacular opportunities for birding, fishing, and wildlife viewing, but nearly all of them require a prohibitively expensive and/or lengthy trip into the interior. Regional travel is also very expensive, given the lack of flights out of Guyana. If you’re dying for a Caribbean beach vacation (Guyana has no white sand beaches of its own), the most affordable options are Tobago or Barbados, but even these will set you back $300 per person for the flight. Another alternative - although the border ferry service was temporarily suspended as of this writing – is driving to Paramaribo (Suriname). This trip takes a long weekend, as the drive is 8-10 hours each way, but provides some unique perspective on the different colonial and post-colonial experiences in this part of the world. Driving to Brazil is also theoretically possible during the dry season, but you’ll need a convoy of high-clearance 4WD vehicles to survive the journey. - Aug 2019
There are some neat places in the interior such as Kaiteur Falls but once you have seen them, you have seen them. There are some overpriced eco-tourism places but again, their charm is that they are not Georgetown and they generally are small in scope and get overrated as they are the only game in town so to speak. - Apr 2014
There are interesting/fun things to do, but costs can vary wildly. For example, travel into the interior can be quite expensive, fun to do, but... In town, I enjoyed the rum distillery tour and the sugar cane processing tour. - Nov 2013
There are a few restaurants, a coffee shop, and some people walk on the sea wall or around the national park. If you are willing to drive, there are some river and creek areas people go to enjoy swimming and a picnic. - May 2012
Several "black water" creeks (water that has lots of tanins from leaves) abound right outside the city. These are shallow and generally safe for kids. Be aware that there are no lifeguards on duty! Driving to Suriname is pretty easy and a good "long weekend" trip. - Mar 2012
There are creeks and one-star resorts along the rivers that help pass the time. There are trips to the interior which are unreasonably expensive (It costs the same to fly to Trinidad or Barbados for the weekend). Despite being part of the Caribbean, there are no beaches as the rivers empty into the ocean and give the water a brown tint and the beaches are full of mud and sediments. There is an active night life. The Caribbean concept of "LIME" or happy hour is well known here. There are NO movie theaters despite what prior posts state, although one is planned for 2013 (The ground-breaking on a Marriott hotel was supposed to happen over 3 years ago, I'll believe the promised movie theater when I see it) - Feb 2012
Lots of nature excursions, some that can be done on a weekend, most take three days or more. Good cultural opportunities and they are highly affordable (for instance, good dance or live music performances are rarely more than $5usd). - Feb 2010
