Guyana Where and What 2023-2024 for website_compressed

Gem Madhoo-Nascimento

Editor & Publisher

Cover Design: Raphael James

Cover Description: Headed up the Kako

River, Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region, on a fishing

trip with Toby performing bowman duties.

Photographer: Candecy Peterson submitted

to the Ministry of Tourism, Industry &

Commerce, SnapNShare 57 competition.

Contributors to Photographs:

Ministry of Tourism, Industry & Commerce

SnapNShare Independence Anniversary

Competition, Gem Madhoo, National Trust

of Guyana and Guyana Tourism Authority.

Print run: 20,000 copies

Printed by: F & H Printing Establishment Inc.

Produced by: General Executive

Management Services Inc (G.E.M.S. Inc.)

168 Century Palm Gardens

Durban Backlands,

Greater Georgetown, Guyana.

Tel: +1(592) 624-8694

E: gemmadhoo@gmail.com

FB: Guyana Where and What

W: www.guyanawhereandwhatonline.com

ISBN: 978-976-97166-0-5

CONTENTS

Welcome to Guyana 4-5

National Assembly/Government 6-7

Guyana/Venezuela Controversy 8-15

Where and What

- Climate, Economy, Tax, Media 17-24

- Health 24-27

- Water, Driving, Telephone 27-28

- Getting Here 30-33

- Getting Around 35-40

Art 41-44

Calendar of Events & Festivals 45-55

Dining Out 57-69

Eco Wonders 70-74

Entertainment 75

Fishing 76

Guyana’ s Natural Resources 77-78

Guyana Administrative Regions 79-110

Guyanese Proverbs 111-112

Hotels & Guest Houses 113-123

Music 124-126

Recreational Spots 127-129

Resorts, Eco Lodges &

Tour Operators 130-135

Shopping 136

Sports 137-138

Plaisance Village Toucan

by Michael Lovell

SnapNShare57

Welcome to Guyana

Guyana is undoubtedly one of Earth’s

last great tropical regions and frontier.

Where else can you experience

untouched nature teeming with extraordinary

wildlife and captivating

birding experiences intertwined with

a vibrant cultural heritage and the unmistakable

warmth of Guyanese hospitality?

Located where the Atlantic

Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Amazonia

meet, Guyana is the only country in

South America where English is the

official first language. Adding to its

allure, most of Guyana’s population resides

along its coastlands, leaving the

lush interior untouched and brimming

with opportunities for exploration.

Guyana boasts pristine landscapes

and authentic cultural experiences,

which lend to more socially distanced,

safe travel experiences that are ideal

for travel in a post-pandemic world. Its

unspoiled rainforests, countless waterfalls,

expansive open spaces, majestic

mountain ranges, and sprawling river

systems harbour an unparalleled richness

of biodiversity found nowhere

else on Earth. Referred to as “The Land

of the Giants,” Guyana is home to a remarkable

array of wildlife, including

jaguars, giant anteaters, giant otters,

black caimans, anacondas, and the

impressive arapaima. Furthermore,

with over 820 bird species, including

the awe-inspiring Harpy Eagle, vibrant

Sun Parakeet, striking Guianan Cockof-the-rock,

and the unique Hoatzin,

Guyana emerges as an excellent paradise

for bird enthusiasts.

Guyana is home to nine Indigenous

Peoples, each proud to share their rich

traditions and knowledge with visitors

who choose to stay at their community-led

and owned eco-lodges. By doing

so, they preserve their natural and

cultural heritage and generate economic

benefits for the entire community.

Travellers have the extraordinary

opportunity to embark on river trips,

nature hikes, sport fishing, wildlife

observation, and birding expeditions

led by Indigenous People, whose way

of life is rooted in their ancestral lands’

sustainable, long-term utilisation.

Among the Indigenous villages offering

these exceptional and secure cultural

experiences is Paruima Village,

Region 7, which the Guyana Tourism

Authority awarded tourism community

of the year in 2022.

4

Welcome to Guyana

The warmth of Guyana’s hospitality

resonates through the vibrant tapestry

of its people. The cultural mosaic

of the population encompasses Indigenous

Peoples and individuals of

African, East Indian, European, Portuguese,

and Chinese heritage. These

diverse influences come alive in the

annual festivals and events held

across the country and, more notably,

in the delightful fusion of flavours that

define the distinct taste of Guyanese

cuisine. Many culinary delicacies await

exploration, from the renowned pepperpot

to the tantalising seven-curry,

metemgee, and the comforting cookup

rice. Adding to the culinary experiences,

an exciting addition to the array

of activities for travellers is the unique

seven-curry tour with a twist, offering

an immersive, hands-on encounter

with the culinary traditions of Guyana.

Due to its longstanding commitment

to sustainable development, Guyana

was recognised as the world’s #1

Eco-Tourism Destination, Best in Sustainable

Tourism and one of the Top 10

Sustainable Destinations in 2019. Guyana

was also presented the #1 Best in

Destination Stewardship award at the

CTO’S Sustainable Tourism Awards

programme in 2019 and Silver Place

in Best of Adventure from the International

Travel & Tourism Awards. More

recently, in March 2021, Guyana again

secured first place at the International

“Golden City Gate” Award for a video

contributor in the “Stay Safe.” In 2019,

Guyana also secured first place after

submitting a video in the ‘Destination”

category. It must also be noted that

Rewa Eco-lodge, with the support

of the Guyana Tourism Authority, secured

2nd place in the ‘Communities

& Culture’ category at the 2022 Green

Destinations Story Awards.

Being recognised as a leading sustainable

destination is a great honour

and a responsibility. Sustainability, like

travel, is not about the destination;

it is all about the journey. Guyana is

fully committed to ensuring tourism

benefits an increasing number of host

communities, supports biodiversity

conservation, and helps to protect our

heritage. Guyana’s future is bright as

we continue this journey of sustainability

and recovery. If the natural and

cultural attractions alone are not enticing

enough, knowing your visit will

make a difference should be!

Now that you have had just a tiny

glimpse of what South America’s bestkept

secret has to offer, we welcome

you to Guyana - a place where our

wealth of natural and cultural heritage

is celebrated.

Welcome to your next big adventure!

5

National Assembly

Guyana is the only English speaking

country in South America, located

on its northeastern coast, with an

area of 214,969 square kilometers or

83,000 square miles, and comprising

four distinct geographical areas: the

coastal belt, the forested region, the

savannahs and the sandy zone.

The name Guyana is an Amerindian

word meaning “Land of Many Waters.”

Guyana is often referred to as the

bridge between South America and

the Caribbean, bordering Brazil to its

south, Venezuela to its west, Suriname

to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to

its north. A member of the Caribbean

Community of nations, Englishspeaking

Guyana shares its history

and heritage with the former British

West Indies. Georgetown, the chief

port and capital, is situate on the right

bank of the Demerara River estuary,

which is the smallest of our three main

rivers, Essequibo being the largest and

Berbice, the second largest.

Guyana achieved the status of a

Cooperative Republic on February

23rd, 1970, four years after gaining

6

independence from Great Britain on

May 26th, 1966.

Its citizens are known as Guyanese

and comprise a population of in

excess of 700,000 people. Guyana

is multi-ethnic with its people

originating from Africa, Madeira,

China, India and Europe, along with

the native Amerindians. The majority

of the population is of Indian descent

followed by those of African descent

with a smaller percentage of the other

races.

Elections are held every five years. The

next is slated for November 2025.

Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are

the main religions practiced in Guyana

which functions under a British

influenced legal system that includes

a Supreme Court of Judicature. This

encompasses the Court of Appeal, the

High Court and a series of Magistrates’

courts.

GOVERNMENT

The National Assembly is one of the

two components of the Parliament

National Assembly

of Guyana. Under Article 51 of

the Constitution of Guyana, the

Parliament of Guyana consists of the

President and the National Assembly.

The National Assembly has 65

elected members using the system

of proportional representation.

Twenty-five members are from the

ten geographical constituencies and

forty members are awarded at the

national level based on block votes

secured, using the LR-Hare Formula

as prescribed by the Elections Laws

(Amendment) Act 15 of 2000 (Sections

11 and 12).

The Eleventh Parliament was

dissolved by a Proclamation issued

by President Brig, David A. Granger,

on 30th December, 2019, and General

and Regional Elections were held on

2nd March, 2020.

Following an attempt to rig the

National and Regional Elections,

fostered by the incumbent

government and overturn by a series

of legal challenges, the Guyana

Elections Commission ordered a

Recount of the election results and

a new government of the People’s

Progressive Party/Civic was formed

under President Mohamed Irfaan

Ali and the Twelfth Parliament was

summoned by Proclamation issued

by President Mohamed Irfaan Ali on

1st September 2020. The present

composition of the Twelfth Parliament

is the Peoples Progressive Party/

Civic has 33 seats, A Partnership For

National Unity/Alliance For Change

(Coalition Party) has 31 seats and A

New and United Guyana, Liberty and

Justice Party and The New Movement

(Coalition Party) has 1 seat. The

President has appointed 3 Technocrat

Ministers and 2 Parliamentary

Secretaries. The Hon. Manzoor Nadir,

M.P., is the Speaker of the National

Assembly, who is also a non-elected

Member. Dr. Asha Kissoon, M.P.,

Member of the New Movement, is

the Deputy Speaker of the National

Assembly.

Mr. Aubrey Norton, leader of the

People’s National Congress was

appointed to be a member of the

National Assembly on 6th April, 2022,

and elected Leader of the Opposition

on 13th April, 2022. Dr. Nicolette Henry

a Member of the APNU/AFC resigned

from the National Assembly on 30th

March, 2022 and Mrs. Volda Lawrence,

former Minister of Health in the APNU/

AFC government, was appointed to be

a member of the National Assembly

on 6th April, 2022.

Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, the

sittings of the National Assembly

are being held at the Arthur Chung

Conference Centre.

7

Produced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

If borders had brands, that title

would be the marque of

Guyana’s border with Venezuela:

Full – Perfect – Final! They are

words of perfection, of

completion, of eternity. And

they are words that have

stamped their character on the

line that forms Guyana’s western

boundary from Punta Playa to

the Summit of Mount Roraima.

The boundaries of the ancient

‘Wild Coast’ of the Guianas were

the Orinoco and the Amazon

Rivers. The first real occupiers of

the land between the Orinoco

and the Essequibo were the

Dutch. The Dutch presence

there goes back to the 17th

Century when Holland had

placed their stamp on the

Essequibo Region. As early as

1679, a Dutch postholder had

been stationed on the

Pomeroon and occupation

continued thereafter. Today,

throughout the Essequibo

Region, Dutch names ring out

in memory of Dutch Governors,

administrators of many kinds, of

settlors and traders from the

Netherlands.

It was from the Dutch that

Britain acquired those lands,

between the Essequibo and the

Orinoco Rivers. The Treaty of

Munster, 1648, had confirmed

Dutch ownership of the Region,

and, as the Century ended in the

wake of European wars, the

future ownership of the Guianas

was settled.

The end result of the Treaty of

Amiens of 1802, the Convention

of London of 1814 and the

Peace of Paris, the next year, was

that Suriname was Dutch, while

the colonies of

Essequibo-Demerara and

Berbice were confirmed as


British - colonies that were

united in 1831 as British Guiana.

Spain and Venezuela were

nowhere on the ‘wild’ Guiana

coast.

But that scene would draw

admirers. As British Guiana

began the century long process

of unification and development,

Venezuela, in particular, cast

aspiring eyes beyond the

Orinoco. In the 1840s it took

issue with a worthy British effort

to identify and ultimately

demarcate the Colony’s

boundaries. They had

commissioned a distinguished

German geographer and

naturalist, Robert Schomburgk,

to begin the process of survey.

Venezuela’s reaction was one of

hostility , not welcome. –

hostility that has reached – with

rising intensity – nearly 200

years: despite what, in totality,

follows.

Why? It was the second half of

the 19th Century and Venezuela

was spreading its national wings

– west with Colombia and east

with Essequibo. Its credo was

expansion. It failed with

Colombia, but got the US to be

its patron with ‘BG’ – because of

the ‘Monroe Doctrine’- and US

politics. Under threat of ‘war’, no

less, the United States forced

Britain to have the border

settled by a ‘treaty-based

Commission’ – as Venezuela

wanted.

It would be a Commission – an

Arbitral Tribunal - on which

Venezuela’s choice of Member

would be the Chief Justice of the

Supreme Court of the United

States. His fellow arbitrators

were from the pinnacle of the

British and American judiciaries

– the very apex of the ‘Common

Law’ world - and they chose as

their Chairman, a Russian


international lawyer, F.de

Martens – of world-wide

acclaim.

It was all ‘treaty based’ – as

Venezuela wanted–The Treaty of

Washington 1897]–signed on

behalf of the President of

Venezuela by Senor Jose Andrade

and ratified by the Venezuelan

Congress on the basis of its

commendation by President

Joaquin Crespo as “an effort of

intelligence and good will worthy

of praise and thanks from us”. As

the formalities were scrupulous,

so too the substance was

fundamental. Article XIII of the

Treaty of Washington could not

be more explicit and exact:

Article XIII

The High Contracting Parties

engage to consider the result of

the proceedings of the Tribunal

of Arbitration as a full, perfect,

and final settlement of all the

questions referred to the

Arbitrators.

So, too, in due course, was the

Award of the Tribunal delivered

by the Chairman on 3rd

October, 1899. It was a

unanimous Award. It was hailed

by Venezuela:

“Greatly, indeed, did justice

shine forth,”

proclaimed Venezuela’s

Ambassador to Britain a few

days later and, as late as 1949,

the law firm handling

Venezuela’s case would write in

the American Journal of

International Law:

“The Award secured to

Venezuela the mouth of the

Orinoco and control of the

Orinoco basin, these being the

most important questions at

issue.”


Two months after the Award,

the new American President

(McKinley) summed up the

situation in his Union Message

to Congress (5.12.99) thus:

“The Award,…while not

meeting the extreme

contention of either

party,….appears to be equally

satisfactory to both parties.”

And for a while, Venezuela did

all the right things. They

participated fully in the

demarcation (1900-05) of the

boundary as awarded by the

Tribunal. They joined in marking

the trijunction border point –

between Venezuela, Brazil and

British Guiana - on the summit

of Roraima (1931). They insisted

on precise adherence to the

boundary line as awarded by

the Arbitral Tribunal in 1899

despite inconvenience (1931).

But, throughout, there were

other voices yearning to be

heard and other ambitions

reaching beyond lawful

perimeters.

The post-war years presented a

new world scene and the onset

of the ’cold war’ within them.

Together, they amplified the

voices of expansionism within

Venezuela, and, infamously,

shattered

Venezuela’s

anti-colonial inheritance.

President Betancourt even

floated the outrageous idea of a

cordon sanitaire in the

Essequibo region under

Venezuelan sovereignty. In the

UN’s Hall of self-determination

itself, Venezuela drew up

barricades to the full freedom of

British Guiana, stoking fears of

‘another Cuba’. Eventually, as a

Judge of the International Court

of Justice has recently declared,

“at the time of Guyana’s

independence in 1966, the right

to self-determination had


already become a rule of

customary international law.”

Venezuela’s effort to deny that

right to Guyana was firmly and

unconditionally thwarted.

As independence dawned,

British Guiana (with Britain still

in the wings) joined in an effort

to settle for all time the

concerns that had bedevilled

Venezuela about its eastern

border. What emerged was the

Geneva Agreement of 1966

allowing for the resolution of

Venezuela’s new found dispute

over the validity of the Arbitral

Tribunal’s Award of 1899 – fixing

their border with the then

British Guiana. Under the

Geneva Agreement, if the

parties were unable to resolve

this dispute between

themselves, it would fall to the

Secretary-General of the United

Nations to determine the means

by which the dispute would be

finally settled. On 30 January

2018, Secretary-General

Antonio Guterres sent a letter to

Guyana and Venezuela advising

them that he had determined, in

the exercise of his authority

under the Geneva Agreement,

that the dispute must be settled

by International Court of Justice

in The Hague.

In accordance with the

Secretary-General’s

determination, on 29 March

2018, Guyana filed its

Application to the International

Court of Justice - the ICJ.

Unfortunately, when a final

resolution came in sight,

Venezuela rejected the decision

of the Secretary-General and

challenged the jurisdiction of

the ICJ. The Court determined

that it would first decide on the

question of Jurisdiction, and

following oral hearings on 30

June 2020, issued its decision on


18 December 2020 that it had

jurisdiction to hear the case on

the merits of Guyana’s

application concerning the

validity of the Arbitral Award of

1899 and the related question of

the definitive settlement of the

land boundary between the two

countries.

Venezuela

condemned that decision as

‘biased and irregular’. However,

it is binding on both Parties

under international law.

On 8 March 2022, Guyana filed

its Memorial on the merits of its

case against Venezuela. On 7

June 2022, Venezuela filed

preliminary objections to the

admissibility of Guyana’s claims,

urging the Court to exercise its

discretion to refuse to rule on

them.

In accordance with the rules of

the Court, the proceedings on

the merits were suspended until

the determination by the Court

of the matter of Venezuela’s

preliminary objections. Guyana

submitted its response to the

preliminary objections on 15

July 2022.

The Court heard oral pleadings

from both Guyana and

Venezuela on Venezuela’s

objections over the period 17 to

22 November 2022.

On 6 April 2023, the Court gave

its judgement on Venezuela’s

objections, which is final,

without appeal and binding on

the Parties, as follows:

(1) Unanimously,

Finds that the preliminary

objection

raised by the Bolivarian

Republic of

Venezuela is admissible.

(2) By fourteen votes to one,

Rejects the preliminary


objection raised by

the Bolivarian Republic of

Venezuela.

(3) By fourteen votes to one,

Finds that it can adjudicate

upon the

merits of the claims of the

Co-operative

Republic of Guyana, in so far as

they fall

within the scope of paragraph

138,

subparagraph 1, of the

Judgement of 18

December 2020.

In votes (2) and (3) above, the

single vote against was that of

the Judge ad hoc appointed by

Venezuela.

In welcoming the Court’s

decision, the President of

Guyana, H.E. Dr. Mohamed

Irfaan Ali, underlined: “that this

means the Court will now

proceed to decide the dispute

between the two States on the

merits, and ultimately issue a

final and binding determination

on the validity of the 1899

Arbitral Award that fixed the

land boundary between

Venezuela and the then British

Guiana.”

President Ali emphasised that

this was the second time the

International Court of Justice

had rejected jurisdictional

objections raised by Venezuela.

He added that Guyana

remained confident that its

longstanding international

boundary would be confirmed

by the Court.

President Ali further

underscored that “all Member

states of the United Nations,

including Guyana and

Venezuela, are obligated

under the United Nations

Charter to comply with the

Court’s binding Judgements.”


Where & What

TIME ZONE

4 Hours behind GMT. 1 hour ahead of

EST.

CLIMATE

Guyana’s climate is equatorial; hot but

pleasant for most of the year. The heat

is tempered by the sea breezes on the

coast. An umbrella is useful during

the two wet seasons, extending

roughly through May and June and

from December to the end of January.

Rainfall approximates at 2,300mm per

year in Georgetown. The temperature

on the coastland ranges from 20

degrees to 33.8 degrees centigrade

with a mean temperature of 26.8

degrees centigrade. In the interior it is

between 18.3 degrees centigrade and

39.4 degrees centigrade with a mean

of 28.3 degrees centigrade. Due to the

effects of climate change our weather

pattern is not normal.

CLOTHING

The tropical climate enjoyed by

Guyana generally allows for apparel

made of light, breathable fabric,

whether you decide to dress up or go

informal. Government offices, used to

have strict dress-codes when visiting.

These have now been relaxed. Just

be sure that you are dressed fairly

decent when visiting these offices. The

National Cultural Centre (2262172)

17

also has a dress code; please check

before you attend.

ECONOMY

There has been, in recent years, a

thrust towards diversification of the

Guyana economy, but traditional

sectors still dominate. Agriculture,

forestry and fishing accounted for

approximately 24.85% of Guyana’s

Gross Domestic Product, while mining

and quarrying, accounting for 66.3%,

have increased in importance

with crude oil maintaining the largest

share of export receipts accounting

for 71% of total exports in 2022.

Manufacturing retains its importance

to the Guyana economy averaging

almost 5.13% of GDP, but the Services

Sector, responsible for more than 40%

of Guyana’s GDP in 2022, have grown

in importance and significantly

contributed to job creation. The

country continues to actively seek

foreign direct investment, and foreign

investors are, by law, afforded equal

treatment with local investor.

BANKING, CAMBIOS & CREDIT

CARDS

The currency is the Guyana Dollar

with a fluctuating exchange rate

depending on whether you are buying

or selling and ranges from:

Guy $208 to $210.00 to US $1.00

Where & What

Guy $172 to $174.00 to Can $1.00 Guy

$295 to $298.00 to £1.00 Guy $253 to

$257.00 to € 1,00

* All our national banks are authorized

to deal in foreign exchange. However,

there may be a slight dollar difference

in the exchange offered by the banks

compared with what is offered

by private cambio operators. The

following is a list of the Central Bank

& the 6 commercial Banks. Persons

with international debit and credit

cards bearing the Visa, Maestro, Cirrus

or MasterCard signs can obtain cash

advances at any Scotia Bank ATM for a

small fee. Maximum withdrawal from

credit card at the ATM is G$75,000

daily.

BANK OF GUYANA

(CENTRAL BANK)

P.O. Box 1003

1 Church St. & Ave. of the Republic

Tel: (592) 226-3250-9

BANK OF BARODA

Head Office

Avenue of the Republic

Tel:+592-226-4005

Branch

Mon Repos ECD

Tel:+592-220-8608

18

BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA

Head Office

104 Carmichael St. Georgetown

Tel:+592-225-9222

Robb Street Branch

63 Robb St. Georgetown

Tel:+592-226-4031

New Amsterdam Branch

12 Strand, NA, Berbice

Tel:+592-333-4154

Parika Branch

S1/2 Lot 299 Parika Highway

Tel:+592- 260-4205

CITIZENS BANK

Head Office-Georgetown

231- 233 Camp St. & South Rd

Tel: + 592 226 1705-6

Bartica

Lot 16 First Avenue

Tel: +592 455 3012-5

New Amsterdam

Lot 18 Main & Kent Sts

Tel: +592 333 4475

Linden

11-12 Republic Avenue

& Crabwood St.

Tel: + 592 444 2362

Monday- Friday 8:00am – 1:00pm

Saturday: 8:00am – 12:00pm

Parika

Lot 298 Parika Highway

Tel: + 592 260 4005

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday:

8:00am – 1:00pm

Where & What

Sunday: 8:00am – 12:00pm

Thirst Park

Banks DIH Complex, Mandela Avenue

Tel: + 592 226 2100

DEMERARA BANK

Head Office & Corporate Banking

Branch

214 Camp Street, North

Cummingsburg, Georgetown

Tel: 226-0601/ 226-0605/ 226-0609/

226-0629/ 226-0632

E: banking@demerarabank.com

Camp Street Branch

Lacytown

Tel: (592) 225-0610-8

Rose Hall Branch

Corentyne, Berbice

Tel: (592) 337-4441/52

Corriverton Branch

Springlands

Tel: (592) 335-3551/89

Essequibo Branch

Henrietta

Tel: (592) 771-5402/3

Diamond Branch

EBD

Tel: (592) 265-5706-8

Le Ressouvenir Branch

ECD

Tel: (592) 220-6460/6483

Mahaica Branch

Tel: (592) 228-5663/5/5674

OPENING HOURS

Week days - 8:00am to 1:00pm

Week-days & Saturdays at Diamond,

Le Ressouvenir & Mahaica Branches

8:00am to 11:30am.

Bank accepts only VISA credit cards.

GUYANA BANK FOR TRADE &

INDUSTRY

CORPORATE OFFICE

High & Young Streets, Georgetwon

Tel: (592) 231-4400-8

Website: www.gbtibank.com

Branches

Anna Regina-

+592 771 4830-4

Bartica-

+592 455 2011-2

Corriverton-

+592 335 3399-3404

Diamond-

+592 265 3936

Lethem-

+592 772 2241/2270

Parika-

Tel: +592 260 4400-5

Port Mourant-

+592 336 6585-6, 592-336-6652-3

Port Kaituma-

+592 777 4087-9

Providence-

C/o Ramada Georgetown Princess

+592 265 7064

Regent Street, Georgetown

Tel: +592 225 5291-5

Vreed-En-Hoop

+592 264 2194

20

Where & What

Water Street Branch

+592 226 8430-9

REPUBLIC BANK

Head Office

New Market Street

Tel: (592) 225-6005/223-5016

Water Street

Tel: (592) 226-4091

Camp Street

Tel: (592) 227-1958

Alexander St., Kitty

Tel: (592) 225-8150

Public Rd., Triumph

Tel: (592) 220-1549

D’Edward Village, WBB

Tel: (592) 330-2660

21 Old Road, Cotton Tree

Tel: (592) 327-5619

Public Road, Rosignal

Tel: (592) 330-2624

15 Strand, NA

Tel: (592) 333-5664

29 Public Rd., Rose Hall

Tel: (592) 337-4300

Port Mourant

Tel: (592) 336-6256

(592) 265-7064/5

Regent St. Branch

+(592) 225-5291-5

Vreed-en-Hoop

+(592) 264-2191-4

Water Street

+(592) 226 8430-9

Springlands, Corentyne

21

Tel: (592) 335-2021

Diamond, EBD

Tel: (592) 265-5744

Timehri, EBD

Tel: (592) 261-3066

Linden

Tel: (592) 444-4449

Lethem

Tel: (592) 772-2308

Vreed en Hoop, WBD

Tel: (592) 264-3108

Parika

Tel: (592) 260-4492

Anna Regina, Essequibo

Tel: (592) 771-4171

Offsite ATM Locations

• Pegasus Hotel Guyana, Kingston,

Georgetown

• Courtyard Mall, Robb St, G/town

• Ogle Airport, Ogle, ECD

• Cheddi Jagan International Airport,

Timehri, EBD

• Harbour Bridge Mall, Bagotstown,

EBD

• Marriott Hotel, Kingston, G/town

• Giftland, Movietowne & Amazonia

Malls

CAMBIOS

Guyana has a floating foreign

exchange policy hence the foreign

exchange rate fluctuates depending

on variations in supply and demand.

General Cambio hours are:

Mon to Fri - 8:00am – 5:00pm

Saturdays: 8:00am – noon

Where & What

CREDIT CARDS

Scotia Cards, Master Cards, Visa and

American Express are accepted by

major businesses. They can be used

to obtain cash from the Bank of

Nova Scotia 24 hours ATM machines

in Georgetown, Parika, the Pegasus

Hotel ATM machine, Marriott Hotel

and Malls. American Express can be

used similarly at the Demerara Bank.

TAX

There is no longer an exit tax at either

airport. It is incorporated in the airline

ticket.

Value Added Tax (VAT) has been

introduced since January 2007 at a

rate of 14% on most items.

NOTICE TO VISITORS: VAT

REFUNDS FOR NON- RESIDENT

VISITORS TO GUYANA.

Most goods sold in Guyana are subject

to a value added tax (VAT) of 14% of

their selling price.

However, as a non-resident visitor you

may qualify for a refund of the tax you

have paid on goods which you export

in your personal baggage when you

leave Guyana, provided that the total

amount of VAT you have paid exceeds

GY$20,000.

For further information please uplift

copies of the information leaflet ‘VAT

refunds for non-resident visitors to

Guyana’ and the vat refund application

form (VAT 31).

These documents are available at

the Airport or the VAT and Excise Tax

Department of the Guyana Revenue

Authority in Camp Street (between

Middle & Quamina Streets) or from

any of the GRA Branch Offices. Tel:

227-7310.

MEDIA

There are 4 daily newspapers,:

Stabroek News –

www.stabroeknews.com,

Kaieteur News -

www.kaieteurnewsgy.com,

The Guyana Times -

www.guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana Chronicle –

(state-owned)

www.guyanachronicle.com.

There are a few weekly newspapers-

The Mirror produced by the PPP

political party, The Catholic Standard

by the Catholic Church and the Palm

Tree by the PNC political party.

There are about 20 radio stations,

most of them operating on the FM

transmission.

NCN Radio, which is state-owned has

3 Stations in Georgetown (98.1FM,

100.1FM & 102.5FM) plus 7 in the

interior locations and one state owned

22

23

Where & What

Where & What

TV station NCN11 which transmits in

Linden, Berbice and Region 9. There

are 19 other TV stations; most of them

are located in Georgetown while

the rest are along the coastline from

Charity to Corriverton & Linden.

HEALTH & SAFETY

While there is some risk of contracting

malaria in certain sections of Guyana’s

interior, Georgetown and the coast

are generally free of malaria. As a

precaution, consult your doctor before

travelling to Guyana to ensure that

you are adequately protected against

malaria. Medical facilities include one

public and several private hospitals in

Georgetown.

While face masks are optional at this

time, it is being encouraged along

with proper hand hygiene to prevent

the spread of COVID-19 and other

diseases.

Please check the travel and airline

websites or the CDC.

Further information can be obtained

from the Vaccination Division of the

Ministry of Health on telephone

numbers: (592) 226 7338 or (592) 226

1366.

HOSPITALS

Region 1

PORT KAITUMA DISTRICT

HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 777-4047

MABARUMA HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 777-5057

Region 2 & 3

CHARITY HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 771-4243

SUDDIE HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 774-4227/4627/8

FORT ISLAND MEDEX

Tel: (592) 681-6536

WAKENAAM MEDEX

Tel: (592) 774-5009

WAKENAAM COTTAGE HOPSITAL

Tel: (592) 774-5019

LEGUAN HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 772-2206/2006

Region 4

DAVIS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 227-2041/3

24

Where & What

DR. BALWANT SINGH’S HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 226-4279 or 227-1087

GEORGETOWN PUBLIC HOSPITAL

CORPORATION

Tel: (592) 227-8204/7 or 227-8241/7

MEDICAL ARTS

Tel: (592) 225-7402 or 226-2556

GEORGETOWN MEDICAL CENTRE

Middle & Thomas Sts.

Tel: (592) 226-7214-9

ST. JOSEPH’S MERCY HOSPITAL

Parade St. Kingston

Tel: (592) 227-2072-9

WOODLANDS HOSPITAL

Carmichael St., C/burg

Tel: (592) 226-2024

5G DYALSIS CENTRE

David Rose St,

South Ruimveldt Gardens

Tel: (592) 231-2207

CC NICHOLSON HOSPITAL

Nabaclis, E.C.D. Tel: (592) 229-2965

DOOBAY MEDICAL CENTRE

Annandale, E.C.D. Tel 220-9757

25

Where & What

Region 5

FORT WELLINGTON HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 232-0294 / 0304

MAHAICA HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 259-3290/1

MAHAICONY HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 221-2209

Region 6

NAMAYAH MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Hampshire, Corentyne

Tel: (592) 333-6263

FORT CANJE HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 333-2141/3

NEW AMSTERDAM REGIONAL

HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 333-2381 or 333-2591

PORT MOURANT OPTHAMOLOGY

CENTRE

Tel: (592) 336-6095 / 6758

PORT MOURANT HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 336-6376

SKELDON HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 339-2211

26

Where & What

Region 7

BARTICA HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 455-2339

WISMAR HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 442-0811/2

KWAKWANI HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 444-6127/6137

Region 9

LETHEM HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 772-2206

KATO HOSPITAL

Frequency 5300 by radio

Region 10

LINDEN HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 444-6127 / 6137

WISMAR HOSPITAL

Tel: (592) 442-0811 / 2

PHARMACIES

MEDICARE PHARMACY

18 Hincks St, Robbstown

Tel: (592) 223-1762, 231-6455

267 New Market ST.

Tel: (592) 225-9349, 231-6947

22 Public Rd, Mon Repos

Tel: (592) 220-5449, 220-5314

WOODLANDS HOSPITAL

PHARMACY

110-111 Carmichael St. G/town.

Tel: (592) 226-2024, 223-7023

WATER

Visitors to Guyana are advised to

use bottled water or water available

from any of the certified water stores

using the reverse osmosis system.

There are several brands available

at affordable prices. Our tap water is

safe for washing and bathing. There

is no shortage of water stores in

Georgetown and countrywide. Most

of them apply the reverse osmosis

process to purify their water.

DRIVING

Visitors can now drive in Guyana for

sixty (60) days without a Guyanese

drivers’ licence once that person has

in their possession, a valid drivers’

licence from their country of residence

and the necessary documents to show

the date of entry into Guyana.

Driving is on the left. Seat belts are

compulsory, and driving under the

influence of alcohol and using cell

phones while driving are offences

punishable by law.

VOLTAGE

Throughout the country, electrical

appliances with 110v connections are

27

Where & What

operable with some rural communities

using 220v.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS &

INTERNET SERVICE

Guyana’s country code is 592,

followed by a seven-digit number for

all areas (see the Guyana Telephone

and Telegraph (GTT) directory for

local area codes and other related

information including instructions on

direct dialing overseas).

Free ‘Wi-Fi’ services are available to

guests at most hotels, restaurants,

cafes, bars, and fast food outlets.

The Guyana Telephone and

Telegraph Company (GTT) is the

largest provider of telecommunication

services in Guyana with a subscriber

base exceeding three hundred

thousand in a country with an

average population of seven hundred

thousand. GTT provides mobile,

internet (DSL and Fibre) and business

solutions to Guyana.

GTT provides wireless GSM services,

postpaid and prepaid mobile services

with cards available at any of GTT’s

retail stores (www.gtt.co.gy/store-list)

Corporate Office

79 Brickdam, G/town, Guyana, S.A.

Tel: (592) 225-1315

Website: gtt.co.gy

Digicel Guyana is part of Digicel

Group which is a total communications

and entertainment provider with

operations in 31 markets throughout

the Caribbean, Central America

and Asia Pacific. Digicel also runs a

host of community-based initiatives

across its markets, including Digicel

Foundations in Haiti, Jamaica, Papua

New Guinea and Trinidad and Tobago

which focus on educational, cultural

and social development programs.

Visit www.digicelgroup.com for more

information.

Digicel Guyana

Barrack Street, Kingston, Georgetown,

Guyana, S.A

Customer Care:

592-669-DIGI (3444)

ENET is Guyana’s fastest internet

provider (20-60 megabits per second)

and cable television service in Guyana

providing wifi services on the coastline

as far as Essequibo Coast and in some

remote locations. It is now providing

cell phone services with 4-5G network.

ENET Inc.

Camp & Lamaha Streets, Georgetown

Tel: 231-3890 / 624-5153 (Whatsapp)

28

Where & What

Rockstone Plunge

by Shazam Somwar

SnapNShare57

29

Getting Here

Getting Here

Visitors to Guyana mainly travel

by air, but travel to Guyana is

also possible by a ferry crossing via

Suriname/Guyana border and the

Takutu Bridge in the Rupununi area.

All visitors require a valid passport.

Guyana’s international airport (Cheddi

Jagan International Airport - CJIA)

is located 25 miles/40 km south of

Georgetown. Flights from Europe are

routed through St. Lucia, Barbdos, or

Trinidad & Tobago. There are direct

flights from New York, Suriname,

Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados and

Brazil. Flights from Miami and Canada

are either direct or through Trinidad &

Tobago, Panama or Curacao. Outward

flights should be reconfirmed prior to

departure.

The suburban Eugene F. Correia

International Airport (EFCIA)

provides direct flights to Barbados,

Suriname and the Hinterland.

A listing of the various airlines, access

points, and necessary documents

is provided below according to the

mode of transportation.

Official language is English, often

spoken with a creole flavour. Guyana

is also the only English speaking

country in South America. Spanish

and Portuguese are often heard

because of the influx of neighbouring

Venezuelans and Brazilians in Guyana.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

All visitors require a passport which

must be valid for at least 6 months.

Those arriving by plane are required

to have an onward plane ticket. Visas

30

Getting Here

are necessary for all visitors except

nationals of the certain countries:

Visitors to Guyana are advised to check

with the nearest Guyana Embassy,

Consulate or their travel agent.

Residents of countries who need or do

not need visas to enter Guyana can be

found on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

website, ‘Visa entry Requirements

(Countries) www.minfor@gov.gy

Only the holders of Diplomatic,

special and official passports of the

following countries – Bolivia, Chile,

China, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, Haiti,

India, Iran, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and

Venezuela are allowed.

BY AIR

Air transportation is readily available

for travelling to several parts of the

hinterland, whether for business or

pleasure. Several local airlines depart

from Eugene F. Correia International

Airport on the East Coast of Demerara

and from Cheddi Jagan International

Airport, Timehri. Information on their

availability and movement is easily

obtainable from their office and from

tour operators. For more information

click on the airline of choice. The

newly expanded airport at Eugene F.

Correia can accommodate Dash 8, ATR

42s and ATR 82s, from the Caribbean

Region and neighbouring countries.

Among the private charter Companies

operating flights from Eugene F.

Correia International Airport to the

interior are:

AIRPORTS & AIRLINES

CHEDDI JAGAN INT’L AIRPORT

Timehri

Tel: (592) 261-2300

Flight Information:

Tel: (592) 261-2245

AMERICAN AIRLINES

Tel: (592) 231-1027

BRITISH AIRWAYS

Tel: 1-888-278-6024

CARIBBEAN AIRLINES

Robb St.

Georgetown.

Tel: 1-800-538-2942

COPA AIRLINES

Camp & New Market Streets

Tel: (592) 231-2491/2

FLY ALWAYS

Tel: (592) 698-6103

31

Getting Here

GUM AIR

Eugene F. Correia Int. Airport

Tel: (592) 222-2525

INTER CARIBBEAN

Tel: 222-7422

JET BLUE

www.jetblue.com

SURINAM AIRWAYS

Barrack Street,

Kingston.

Tel: (592) 225-4249

DOMESTIC AIRLINES

-operating out of Eugene F. Correia

International Airport

AIR SERVICES LTD

Tel: (592) 222-1234/4357 Ext.4

E: reservations@aslgy.com

W: www.aslgy.com

JAGS AVIATION INC.

Tel:(592) 222-2460/1

Jags.aviation@yahoo.com

RORAIMA AIRWAYS

Tel: (592) 222-2337/4032

32

Getting Here

TRANS GUYANA AIRWAYS

Tel: (592) 222-2525

Fax: (592) 222-5462

www.transguyana.com

TRAVEL AGENCIES

ANGELLINA’S TRAVEL

Parika Highway

Tel: (592) 260-4536

FRANDEC TRAVEL SERVICE

Tel: (592) 227-2098

MUNESHWERS TRAVEL

Water Street, G/town

Tel: (592) 227-6992

RORAIMA TRAVEL SERVICE

Eping Avenue,

Bel Air Park

Tel: (592) 225-9646/7

SURVIVAL TRAVEL

Vlissengen Rd, Newtown

Tel: (592) 225-1658/9

WORLDWIDE TRAVEL SERVICES

64 D Middle Street, Georgetown

Tel: (592) 226-6007/226-3032/

226-4099 / Fax: 592-226-4866

world@networksgy.com

Mango Landing, Essequibo

by Taaj de Rushe

SnapNShare57

33

Getting Around

Getting Around

Guyana’s capital city, Georgetown,

was renamed after the British

conquered the Dutch in 1812. The

name originates from Fort St. George

which was established at the mouth of

the Demerara River as a signal station

for the purpose of observing and

controlling incoming and outgoing

traffic.

Like all capitals, the city is the centre

of government administration and

a wide range of economic activity.

Most of the streets of Georgetown are

laid out in almost perfect rectangles,

a legacy of our Dutch heritage. This

design therefore makes it relatively

easy for the stranger to wend his/her

way around town.

The larger concentration of

35

commercial houses is found

‘downtown’. This area is bounded by

Vlissengen Road in the east, Water

Street in the west with Lamaha Street

and Brickdam being the northern and

southern extremities respectively.

Now greater Georgetown extends to

Houston on South, Eastern Highway

on the East.

BY ROAD

Transportation around the city is

provided by privately owned mini

buses. These operate in allocated

zones for which there is a wellregulated

fare structure. This

arrangement extends to all mini bus

routes throughout the country. Taxis

move freely around the city. One

Getting Around

can easily locate a yellow cab almost

anywhere in the city; however, some

hotels offer a private taxi service and

would arrange one for you at your

request. A trip anywhere within the

city will cost approximately G$500 to

$1000 (US$2.50 to $5.00). A new taxi

service similar to Uber ‘Book a Ride’

is in service now and bookings can

be made online. to travel by minibus

within the city, would cost G$120. The

minibus fares for traveling outside

of Georgetown vary from G$200 to

about $700 depending on how far

outside the city you are going.

In other parts of Guyana, taxis are

easily available. In Corriverton the

popular ‘tapir’ ply the roads regularly.

Car rentals usually range between

US$35-$50 per day with a security

deposit of US$200-$250.

A few companies offer 4x4 vehicles for

rental. Check with Ansa McAl for this

service.

TAXI SERVICES

AMBASSADOR TAXI

Tel: (592) 227-3200

BAYRIDGE

Tel: (592) 226-7009

BOOK-A-RIDE

Tel: (592) 223-9988/624-2177

CHOW POW TAXI

Tel: (592) 626-1420

CITY TAXI

Tel: (592) 225-6222

CONWAY’S TAXI

Tel: (592) 231-4720

CROWN CABS

Tel: (592) 231-4545

DIPLOMATIC CABS

Tel: (592) 231-5999, 231-7277

EDDIE’S

Tel: (592) 226-0606

GR TAXI

Tel: (592) 231-7300

VICK’S TAXI SERVICE

Tel: (592) 256-3333

AUTO RENTALS

ANSA RENTALS

Tel: (592) 220-0505

Lorenzo.persaud@ansamcal.com

Tel:(592)623 4975

Anton.john@ansamcal.com

Tel:(592)624 5656

36

Getting Around

COMFORT SUITES CAR RENTAL

108 Barima Ave. Bel-Air-Park

Tel: (592) 225-0595/225-0585/

225-4816

www.comfortsuitesgy.com

EUROPECAR - CARS & 4X4

Tel: (592) 227-7698

MOVEMENT AUTO RENTAL &

BUS SERVICES

104 Amla Ave. Prashad Nagar

Tel: (592) 623-2755/621-2755

KNIGHT RIDER BUS SERVICE

Tel: (592) 225-1429

SUNSET BUS SERVICE

Tel: (592) 664-3488; 611-3588

BY RIVER

With 600 miles of navigable river

which includes the Essequibo, Berbice

and Demerara Rivers, one has the

option of using ferries or the 12 to

17 seater passenger speedboats.

Life jackets are compulsory. It is also

possible to charter private speed

boats or jet boats.

Plan to use the ferry service, then

call the relevant numbers below for

schedule.

Since December 2008, commuters can

drive across the newly built Berbice

River Bridge, connecting Rosignal to

the county of Berbice. Large cargo

trucks, pedal cyclists and pedestrians

must use the ferry service.

Commuters to West Demerara also

have the choice of road transport

via the Demerara Harbour Bridge or

by speed boats from the Stabroek

Stelling to Vreed-en-Hoop, obliquely

opposite each other.

The highway which begins on the

West Coast of Demerara is heavily used

since it provides a link to Parika on the

East Bank of Essequibo River, now an

important centre of economic activity

in that region. River taxis provide a

faster and more expensive mode of

transportation to take passengers

as far as Bartica, Supenaam on the

Essequibo Coast or other hinterland

resorts and back in a single day. A

cheaper transportation mode to

Bartica is the larger ferry service, and

takes approximately 4 hours. The ‘Rollon

roll-off’ ferries operate from Parika

to Supenaam. Ferries are available to

Leguan and Wakenaam Islands from

Parika and to North West District

from Georgetown. The Canawaima

Ferry services the Corentyne River

from Moleson Creek, departing at

9.00a.m and 1.00p.m daily to Nickere,

Suriname (changed schedule since

Covid).

38

Getting Around

FERRY SERVICES

ADVENTURE STELLING

(Essequibo Coast/Parika)

Tel: N/A

BARTICA STELLING

(Bartica/Parika) - (592) 455-2273

GEORGETOWN STELLING

(Georgetown/Vreed-en-Hoop)

Tel: (592) 225-6471

KUMAKA STELLING

Tel: N/A

LEGUAN

(Leguan/Parika) (592) 260-0726

MOLESON CREEK

CANAWAIMA FERRY SERVICE

(Guyana/Suriname)

Tel: (592) 339-2744/2787

Departs from Moleson Creek:

10.00am (check in 6.30am - 9.00am)

- Guyana Times

Departs Suriname:

10.00am (check in 8.00am - 9.00am)

- Guyana Time

No service is available on the

following days – Christmas Day,

Boxing Day & New Year’s Day.

It is necessary to call and check the

schedule as the services have been

halted during this COVID-19 season.

NEW AMSTERDAM STELLING

(New Amsterdam/Rosignal)

Tel: (592) 333-2512/333-4660

OREALLA, CORENTYNE RIVER

Departs Orealla every Thursday

39

Getting Around

Departs Corriverton every Friday

Tel: (592) 338-9280-1

(Village Office)

PARIKA STELLING

(Parika/Essequibo/Leguan/ Bartica)

Tel: (592) 260-4498

ROSIGNAL STELLING

(Rosignal/New Amsterdam)

Tel: (592) 330-2208/2269

VREED-EN-HOOP STELLING

(Vreed-en-Hoop/Georgetown)

Tel: (592) 264-2336

For further information, contact

the Transport and Harbours

Department at Water Street,

Georgetown.

Tel: (592) 226-2944, 225-9350,

226-9742

BY AIR

Air transportation is readily

available for travelling to several

parts of the hinterland, whether

for business or pleasure. Several

local airlines depart from Eugene F.

Correia International Airport on the

East Coast of Demerara and a few

from Cheddi Jagan International

Airport, Timehri. Information on

their availability and movement is

easily obtainable from their office

and from tour operators.

SEE ‘GETTING HERE’ page, above,

for listing of Airlines for interior

flights.

DEMERARA HARBOUR BRIDGE

(592) 233-7007-8

BERBICE RIVER BRIDGE

(592) 327-5466/5676/5677

TAKUTU BRIDGE

Gateway to South America

(linking Guyana to Brazil)

40

Art

Art

ART GALLERIES & MUSEUMS

Our ethnic diversity, Amerindian

heritage, and the country’s exceptional

physical beauty have influenced many

great painters of Guyanese descent.

Ron Savory, Philip Moore, Stanley

Greaves, ER Burrowes, Aubrey Williams

and Hubert Moshett are among them.

Merlene Ellis, George Simon, Wilson,

Philip Gajadar, Bernadette Persaud

are among some of our present day

artists. The Castellani House always

has an exhibition on and sometimes

two running concurrently. It is a well

recommended visit for art lovers and

it houses the national collection. Don’t

miss the third floor exhibit a complete

portrayal of Amerindian life done in

balata.

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF

GUYANA - MUSEUM OF NATURAL

HISTORY

Company Path,

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-7191

*oldest Museum in Guyana, dates back

to 1844 when the Royal Agricultural

and Commercial Society was formally

established. The present building was

erected between 1867-8.

Among its exhibits are the stamp press

that manufactured the world’s most

valuable stamp- the black magenta,

several interesting Dutch and Scottish

bottles and watercolour prints of Lt.

Thomas St. Clair’s visit to Guyana.

The second floor exhibits the natural

history of Guyana with an exquisite

collection of mounted specimens of

41

Art

reptiles, birds and mammals, together

with specimens of the country’s

geomorphology.

THE WALTER ROTH MUSEUM OF

ANTHROPOLOGY

Main Street,

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-8486

This building houses an ethnographic

collection of Guyana’s indigenous

peoples and excavated artifacts from

all ten administrative regions.

THE NATIONAL ART GALLERY,

CASTELLANI HOUSE

Vlissengen Road and Homestretch

Avenue,

Georgetown.

Tel: (592) 225-0579, 225-6638

Fax: (592) 225-5078

Official residence of former President,

Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, it

was converted to an art gallery in 1993

and renamed ‘Castellani House’ after

its Maltesian architect.

Castellani House exhibits the National

Collection of over 700 works of art,

acquired since the 1940’s. Guyana’s

best artists have established a strong

painting and sculpting tradition that

gives this collection a distinctiveness,

setting it apart from others in the

Caribbean, reflecting the country’s

unique culture, history and geography.

The third floor displays an Amerindian

village made from balata gum.

Works range from realism to abstract

art and variations of these elements.

Paintings explore themes of ethnic and

folk, cultural and religious practices, of

African village life, Hindu and Muslim

beliefs or Amerindian myths, or depict

city and rural scenes, and landscapes

of Guyana’s spectacular interior.

Recent sculpture has been impressive,

producing memorable and unique

forms.

Entrance to all gallery events is free.

THE LINDEN INDUSTRIAL HERITAGE

MUSEUM

Mackenzie Recreation Hall

Linden

Tel: (592) 652-6012/662-3576/444-

6374

*Displays a chronological history of

Mackenzie, Wismar and Christianburg,

a carved wooden depiction of the

bauxite mining process from pit to

port, paintings and a large mural of

Linden.

“If I could say it in words there

would be no reason to paint.”

42

Art

GUYANA POST OFFICE

Robb & Savage Streets

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-9002

*Philatelic collection

BANK OF GUYANA

Church and Avenue of the Republic

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 226-3261

*History of currency

THE GUYANA HERITAGE MUSEUM

Kastev, Meten-meer-zorg,

West Coast Demerara

Tel: (592) 275-0331

*This building houses exhibits

representative of Guyana’s history

e.g. Irons, ice shavers, enamel lunch

carriers, 3-legged iron pots, 18th/19th

century maps, coins, stamps etc

THE CHEDDI JAGAN RESEARCH

CENTRE (RED HOUSE)

65 High Street,

Kingston,

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 223-7523-4

*Former residence of Dr. & Mrs.

Jagan from 1961-64 during his time

as Premier of Guyana. The Centre

houses documents and photographs

illustrating Dr. Jagan’s political career,

memorabilia and gifts and other

interesting items presented to him as

President.

PRESIDENT DESMOND HOYTE

RESEARCH CENTRE

North Road (between Albert and Light Sts.)

Lacytown

ROY GEDDES STEELPAN MUSEUM

190 Roxanne Burnham Gardens

Greater Georgetown

Tel: (592) 226-9844

*experience the history of the steel

pans, dating back to the 1940’s,

from a legend, Roy Geddes, through

photographs, recorded and written

music. You may order lunch and enjoy

his pan playing while on your visit.

THE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN

HERITAGE

Barima Avenue,

Bel Air Park,

Georgetown.

Tel: (592) 226-5519

*collection includes African Art,

mostly West Indian, from wooden

masks to the carved door of secret

societies, brass weights used for

measuring gold dust, drums, musical

43

Art

instruments, games and clothing.

THE JOHN CAMPBELL POLICE

MUSEUM

Guyana Police Headquarters,

Eve Leary,

Georgetown.

Tel: (592) 225-3017

*displays the history of the Guyana

Police Force in 5 sections- History,

Uniform, Musical Instruments,

Photographs and Miscellaneous.

THE NATIONAL MILITARY MUSEUM

Camp Ayangana

Thomas Road, Thomas Lands

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 226-9246-9

*Exhibits a fascinating array of

materials linked with Guyana’s

military heritage, including governors’

portraits, armaments with rifles,

pistols, bayonets, revolvers, swords,

cannons, medals and additional

paraphernalia

THE DUTCH HERITAGE MUSEUM

Fort Island,

Essequibo River

Tel: (592) 656-2496

*housed in the oldest non-military

structure erected in Guyana, the

Court of Policy, there is a variety of

items inclusive of Delftware, crockery,

bottles, maps and jars.

It was the building of our first seat

of Parliament when the 3 counties

of Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo

became one country. It is also the

oldest surviving church building in

Guyana.

Orinduik Falls

by Anzar Nasrudeen

SnapNShare57

44

Calendar of Events & Festivals

Calender of Events for

September - December, 2023

September

1-2 Miss Guyana Universe Pageant

1-30 Indigenous Month Celebrations Countrywide celebrations

Education Month

13-24 CPL Matches and Events

28 Youman Nabi National Holiday

October

1 Heritage washdown Hot and Cold Lake

Eco Resort

13-16 Berbice Expo RoseHall Estate Ground

20-21 Agi Expo

22 Fish Extravaganza 2 Rockstone

November

1-30 Tourism Awareness Month

5 Internatinal circuit racing South Dakota Circuit

12 Diwali celebrations National Holiday

16-19 Guyexpo National Exhibition Centre

23-28 South Rupununi Safari

25 Pepperpot Festival Thirst Park

26 Annual Christmas Tree Lightup Rahaman’s Park

December

TBA Christmas Village

25 Christmas National Holiday

26 Boxing Day National Holiday

45


January

Calender of Events for January-August, 2024

1 New Year National Holiday

TBA Mash Festival Stage Main Street Avenue

TBA GMRSC Endurance series 1 South Dakaota Circuit

TBA Guyana Prize for Literature Castellani House

TBA Kopinang, Pakaraima Mt. Drive

TBA Children Mashramani Competition National Cultural Centre

February

TBA International Energy Conference

and Expo

Marriott Hotel

Children’s Costume Parade

Parade Ground to

National Park

Chutney Monarch

Berbice

GMRSC Drag Racing 1

South Dakota Circuit

Republic Bank Steel Band

Panorama & Soca, Brass Fete

Kingston Beach

Wet Savannah Drive

Moraikobai

Soca Monarch & Jouvert

Guyana National Stadium

Calypso Monarch

National Park

Folk Night

Kingston Beach

23 Republic Day National Holiday

National Costume & Float Parade Lethem

Lethem Mashramani Costume Parade

Moraikobai Safari

Mash-A-Rama Concert

Jungle Party

Hot & Cold Lake Eco-Retreat

World Wildlife Day Expo

Guyana Zoo - Vlissengen

Road

46


March

TBA Miss Mash Queen Theatre Guild

Buxton/Foulis Jouvert

Buxton Ground ECD

Fitness Challenge, 2024

National Park

Karting Championship 1

GT Motor Sports Track

Clash of the Titans


25 Phagwah Celebrations National Holiday

TBA GMRSC Circuit Racing 1 South Dakota Circuit

WWF earth hour -

Give the Jaguar a voice

National Park

Uncapped


Circuit Racing 1


29 Good Friday National Holiday

April

1 Easter Monday National Holiday

Bartica Regatta

Bartica

Rodeo

Lethem

TBA Gospel Extravaganza Bartica

Mega Show

Bartica

Grasstrack

Mongrippa Ball Field

Guyana Martial Arts Championship Guyana National

Gymnasium

Camping Fest

Hot & Cold Lake Eco Resort

North Pakaraima Mt Safari

North Pakaraima

Kares Crossfit Caribbean Championship National Park

Regatta Wash Down

Golden Beach, Bartica

PanaRum

Watooka Lawns, Linden

Karting Championship

2 GT Motor Sports Track

Guyana Rum Festival

GCC Food Festival & Int. Bar

GCC Grounds

47


April\May

Brunch with hour Bunch

Prime Minister One Guyana Cup

Linden Town Week

Georgetown Restaurants

Linden

May

1 Labour Day National Holiday

Portuguese Arrival Day

5 Arrival Day National Holiday

Everest Cricket Club Masters

Arrival Day Duck curry competition Camp Road &Carifesta Ave.

Endurance Series 2


One Guyana Junior Golf Challenge

26 Independence Day celebrations National Holiday

June

TBA GMRSC Drag Racing 2 South Dakota Circuit

World Environment Day

Differently abled golfun camp

Aliann Pompey Invitational Track Meet Leonora Track & Field, WCD

Restaurant Week

Countrywide

17 Eid—Ul-Adza National Holiday

July

1 Caricom Day National Holiday

TBA Linden River Front Festival Linden

Island Destination Event

Aruwai

National Schools Basketball

Cliff Anderson Sports Hall

GMRSC Circuit Racing


National Inter-District

Kayaking Competition

Watooka Guest

48


Duck Curry Competition

Nexgen Golfun Summer Camp

Blue Berry Hill Village Day

PanJam Steel Jamboree

Bartica Emancipation Football Bartica

Bartica Annual Bonfire

Jamzone Beach Jam

Miss Bartica Emancipation Pageant

House,Linden

Hot &Cold Lake Eco Resort

Linden

Georgetown Club

Bartica

Bartica

August

1 Emancipation Day National Holiday

TBA Mahdia/Bartica Safari Mahdia/Bartica

Miss Emancipation

National Cultural Centre

Kara Kara Creek, Linden

by Deon Anderson

SnapNShare57

49

Festivals in Guyana

Diwali

Kite Flying

Emancipation

Mashramani

by Creig Henry

SnapNShare57

Festivals in Guyana

Travel to Guyana and experience

our public holidays, that are

either religious or national holidays,

celebrated by all Guyanese. These

reflect our motto: ‘one people, one

nation, one destiny.’ Guyanese,

regardless of their religious affiliation

- Hindus, Muslims or Christians, are all

part of a big community. Travel around

Guyana and experience our cultural

heritage which is not separated or

isolated in compartments and thus

cannot exist without the other. The

government has made National

Holidays the days of celebrations

for each major festival and events of

the Guyanese people. This was done

so that Guyanese can be actively

involved in each other’s festivals both

religious and secular.

50

CHRISTMAS

The major Christian festivals that are

celebrated in Guyana are Christmas

and Easter. These festivals are enjoyed

and celebrated by all Guyanese. During

this time, people normally do general

cleaning of the house, repairs or any

other works that needs to be done on

their homes are taken care of at this

time. This is done in the expectation

of the coming of Jesus Christ who was

born in Nazareth. The women would

then put up clean curtains, scrub the

floors among other small jobs. There

are plans for the famous black cake.

Days before fruits are soaked before

the cake is baked. Among other dishes

baked or cooked during this time are

pepper pot, garlic pork and ginger

Festivals in Guyana

beer. A few nights before Christmas,

leading up to the holiday, the old

and even the young folks move from

house to house singing carols. There

is a famous verse in Guyana that plays

on the radio ‘Christmas comes once

a year, and every man must have

his share, only poor Willy in the jail,

drinking sour ginger beer.’

During this time the men folk indulge

in a lot of drinking and eating, the

women cook and clean, parents take

the children to see ‘Santa Clause’ at

the department stores. There are also

a lot of parties and dances during

this season. Churches hold services

that depict the reason for the season.

And it does not matter who you are

or what religion you might belong to,

this season is celebrated by all.

BOXING DAY

In Guyana St. Stephen’s day is known

as Boxing Day which is a national

holiday. St Stephen was a Christian

martyr who was stoned to death. On

this day his death is remembered

by taking part in all forms of rough

sports or games. It is customary or

was a custom to take box presents to

relatives and friends. But Guyanese

celebrate this day by going to parties,

picnics, visiting friends, among many

other social events.

ARRIVAL DAY

Despite the recruitment of West

Indian, African and Portuguese and

other European labourers, this did

not help very much to ease the labour

shortage. After the West Indian islands

placed restrictions on emigration,

the sugar planters in Guyana began

to look further afield to obtain a

large labour force. One of them, John

Gladstone, the father of the British

statesman, applied for permission

from the Secretary of State for the

Colonies to recruit Indians to serve

in Guyana for a five-year period of

indenture. Gladstone himself owned

3 sugar plantations on the East Coast

and in West Demerara.

By this time Indians were being taken

to Mauritius to work on the sugar

plantations and were proving to be

very productive. Gladstone’s request

was granted and he, Davidson, Barclay

and Company, Andrew Colville,

John and Henry Moss, all owners of

sugar plantations in Guyana, made

arrangements to recruit 414 Indians.

Of these 150 were “hill coolies” from

Chota Nagpur, and the remainder

were from Burdwan and Bancoorah

near to Calcutta. (The word “coolie”,

a corruption of the Tamil word “kuli”,

referred to a porter or labourer).

The 2 ships, Whitby and Hesperus

were chartered and sailed from

51

Festivals in Guyana

Calcutta on 13th and 29th January

1838, respectively. The journey took

112days and of the 249 immigrants on

the Whitby, 5 died. The 244 remaining

were taken to Berbice where 164

persons were recruited by Highbury

and Waterloo plantations and the

other 80 were taken to Demerara to

Belle Vue Estate. The Hesperus with

its 152 passengers (13 died en route)

were distributed between plantations

Vreedestein, Vreed-en-hoop and Anna

Regina.

They were all bound by a 5-year

contract under certain terms and

conditions. However, they were ill

-treated and brutalized with the

exception of some on the Berbice

sugar estates who were well treated.

Nevertheless, the death rate was

relatively high. Within a year 48 had

died and by the end of indenture

ship in 1843 a further 50 had died.

It was clear that the immigrants did

not acclimatise well and fell sick very

quickly. At the end of indenture ship

236 Inidans returned to India on 2

ships, the Louisa Baillie and Water

Ditch. Sixty opted to remain in Guyana.

Since 2018 a Portuguese Arrival Day is

being celebrated every May 2nd with

a special event hosted by the Ministry

of Social Cohesion while Arrival Day

for Guyanese of Indian ancestry is

celebrated with a holiday on May 5th .

EASTER

This is an exciting time of the year

for all Guyanese. The Easter season

symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus

Christ from the dead. On Good

Friday businesses are closed. It is

usually a sombre day with special

programmes or movies played to

show the Passion of Christ. There are

many church services that reflect on

the holiday season. Then all the fun

starts on Easter Sunday and Easter

Monday. When looking up in the sky

one can see hundreds of kites flying.

These are usually different shapes and

colours; the sweet buzzing sound of

the kites, is a wonderful sight. The Kite

season normally starts a few days or

a month before Easter. This is when

the children and even adults buy

coloured kite paper to make the kite

or purchase one from the many kitesellers.

In Guyana it is very important

for a person to have kites that can fly

the highest and buzz the loudest. It is

fun for some to have razor blades in

the tail of their kites so that when it

moves in the sky the wind swing and

cut the string or punches a kite that is

close by. This may sound very mean,

but it’s all part of the fun. Kite flying

is mostly done on the sea wall, Hope

Beach, National Park or in any wide

open spaces where the wind is strong.

52

Festivals in Guyana

DEEPAVALI OR DIVALI

In Guyana this is one of the most

colourful festivals known as Divali or

Deepavali ‘festival of lights’ celebrated

in October or November. Divali is

normally celebrated for four days and

during this time people pray, fast and

greet each other. But to understand

Divali one needs to know about the

great Hindu hero Rama. This can be

found in the Ramayana (Hindu holy

book) that is often read at festivals.

King Dasarata had three wives. His

first wife gave birth to their son, Rama.

The second wife, Queen Kaiiteye,

did not like Rama, the next heir to

the throne. Instead she wanted her

son, Prince Bharat to be king. So she

banished Rama and Sita his wife, from

the kingdom forever. They lived in the

forest for fourteen years and whilst

there Rama fought evil people. Sita

was kidnapped by Ravana and taken

to his kingdom. Rama won the war,

rescued Sita and brought her back

to the forest. He later returned to his

kingdom after fourteen years. The

people were overjoyed including

Prince Bharat, King during his

absence, who readily handed over the

throne to Prince Rama. The people

lit up the pathway from the forest

to lead him out of the forest. Every

part of the house is cleaned and new

curtains are hung. Special foods on

this day are prepared including metai,

halwa and many other sweet meats

plus worshipping at the temples.

The homes are decorated with clay

cups that contains oil and a wick

(diyas). In recent times fairy lights are

heavily used. Many Guyanese love to

move around the towns, villages and

communities to admire the diyas that

decorate the homes and lawns. There

is an annual diwali parade where

vehicles are beautifully decorated,

sponsored by various companies

on route from Georgetown to LBI

Community Centre Ground in a

procession. They are judged and

prizes given out. Huge crowds line the

route along the seawall and East Coast

road to witness this sight.

EID-UL-AZHA

Ramadan is one of the most

important times of the year for the

Muslim community. Thus, it is not

always held the same time each year,

because Muslims count their months

depending on the moon which

generally changes from year to year.

During this time they are required to

fast and do not eat or drink between

sunrise and sunset. During fasting it

requires or encourages them to have

good thoughts and do kind things. At

the end of this fasting period which is

usually a month, Muslims celebrate a

53

Festivals in Guyana

day known as ‘Eid’. On this day special

foods are made and people feast with

their family and friends as well as their

neighbours. Muslims (who can afford

to) make a pilgrimage to Mecca (the

Holy City), at least once in their lifetime.

This is a reminder in memory of the

sacrifice of Ishmael. God had asked

Abraham to offer his son Ishmael as a

sacrifice to show his devotion to him.

Even though Abraham loved his son

dearly, he was willing and prepared

to do what God had asked him to

do. As he was about to carry out his

task, God stopped him and told him

he was an obedient servant. Instead

of his son he was asked to sacrifice a

goat instead. Muslims remember this

by making sacrifices of goats, cows

and share it with their family, friends,

neighbours and to the poor. There are

other Muslim festivals of ‘Eid’ that have

different meanings.

EMANCIPATION DAY

Emancipation Day or Freedom Day,

as it was earlier called, marks the

abolition of slavery in 1834 and is

celebrated in Guyana on August 1.

Abolition brought about a new phase

in Guyana. Villages were beginning to

spring up. The trade union movement

was established and the hinterland

was opened up by the pork knockers.

There were opportunities to work in

the Civil Services and artisan shops.

Freedom Day meant the British having

to import in indentured labour from

Portugal, India, as well as China from

areas where the British held colonial

territories. With the fall of slavery, there

was a radical change in the colonial

life. By 1838, overall emancipation had

come into action. The end of slavery

had sparked several changes. Many

former slaves swiftly departed British

plantations. Some of them shifted to

villages and towns with a feeling that

the field labour was inconsistent and

degrading with freedom, whereas

others accumulated their resources

to purchase the estates which were

abandoned, but which helped in the

creation of village societies. Setting

up of small settlements created

new communities of Afro-Guyanese

people. Victoria was the first such

village to be bought and owned by

freed slaves. They were given a chance

to grow their own produce and sell

the food themselves.

On this day grand events are held

throughout Guyana, in celebration, for

all Guyanese to attend. In Georgetown,

an all day activity at the National Park

involving a stage presentation with

African drumming, authentic creole

food, clothing, wraps, jewelry, games

and lots of fun. A healthy mix of all

Guyanese, dressed in colourful and

54

Festivals in Guyana

fashionable African regalia are in

attendance at the celebration. It is

organized by ACDA.

PHAGWAH is a Hindu festive

holiday, celebrated in March and

reflects the triumph of good over evil.

Traditionally on this day, Hindus wear

white and participate in throwing

powder, water, perfume or red liquid

called abeer on each other. This is a

red dye which symbolizes the blood

of the King Kiranya, who in Hindu

teachings was burnt alive by his son

Prince Prahalad because of the way

in which the people had suffered at

the hands of the father. Nowadays the

liquid takes on different colours and is

thrown on family, neighbours, friends

by Hindus and non-Hindus.

YOUMAN NABI

Another Muslim festival celebrating

the birth and death anniversary of

Prophet Muhammad. He was born

in Mecca and lived to 63 years of

age. The Holy Quran was revealed to

this Prophet by God Almighty (Allah)

through Angel Gabriel. He dedicated

his life towards the teachings of Islam

and upbringing of the Muslim Ummah.

Muslims in Guyana pay tribute to their

beloved Holy Prophet Mohamad on

Youman-Nabi with services held in

remembrance of his life and teachings.

Also, on this day, they give alms to the

poor and persons who are in need.

MASHRAMANI

This word is derived from the

Amerindian language and is translated

to mean “the celebration of a job well

done” or “celebration after hard work”.

The day is sometimes referred to as

“Mash” and is observed on the 23rd

February - which is Republic Day for

Guyana – commemorating Guyana

becoming a Republic.

This is one of the most colourful of

all festivals reflecting a bit of Trinidad

and Rio Carnivals. During this time

there are singing competitions, float

parades, masquerade bands, and

dancing in the streets to the beat of

steel band, soca, calypso and chutney

music. In the streets masqueraders

perfume acrobatic dance routines

which is a vivid reminder of Guyana’s

African Heritage. The calypso, soca

and chutney competitions are in full

swing as persons vie to be champion

King or Queen for the year. The float

parade competitions are also judged

in various categories. There is much

fun and frolic along the streets on this

day as the parade makes its way into

the stadium for final judging.

55

Dining Out

Dining Out

There are many restaurants in Guyana

to enjoy elegant dining with a

delightful selection of international

cuisine or delectable Guyanese food

of varied cultural origins or even a

combination of both, ranging from

Continental, Creole, Indian, Chinese,

Amerindian, French, Japanese, Thai,

and Brazilian. For those interested in

elegant dining and authentic Indian

cuisine Aagman Eclectic Indian Cuisine

must be on your list. It is Guyana’s

premier fine dining Indian restaurant.

Relax in elegant decor while you enjoy

a variety of authentic Indian dishes

prepared by award-winning Chefs out

of India.

Since our new “oil and gas” status, a

number of high end international

restaurants continue to pour into

Georgetown, popping up everywhere

to satisfy our “new and old” population

For international and local cuisine the

Bistro on Middle and Waterloo streets

is your place to be. Check out their new

chic location at MovieTowne serving

sushi and other appetizing dishes in a

spacious environment. Kings famous

duck curry is available on Saturdays at

their middle street location.

Church’s fast food branches offer sit

in meals or take-away fried chicken.

Dairy Queen and Pollo Tropical are

all part of their food chain. They can

also be found at various convenient

locations around Georgetown and

other areas including Giftland Mall.

Kamboat on Sheriff Street and their

57

Dining Out

new spacious location on Albert and

Fifth Street, Alberttown for appetizing

Chinese Cuisine. Private Dining is

available with various sizes of rooms

to suit your needs.

Shanta’s, on Camp Street, serving you

for over 50 years, has your favourite

‘Shanta puri’, curry dishes of meat, fish

and vegetarian meals.

Avariety f restaurants are available in

the Malls-Giftland Mall & Movie towne

on the East Coast and Amazonia Mall

on the East Bank.

GEORGETOWN

EXPENSIVE:

AMICI

Church & New Garden Sts.

Queenstown.

Tel: (592) 708-9888

AAGMAN ECLECTIC INDIAN

CUISINE

28 Top Floor, Sheriff St.,

Campbellville, Georgetown.

Tel: (592) 219-016; 654-7683

655-6766; 653-6799

AROMAS CAFE

Pegasus Hotel

Kingston

Tel: (592) 225-2856

BISTRO

Kings Hotel

176 Middle Street & Waterloo Sts.

Tel: (592) 226-1684

BISTRO CHAMPAGNES & WINE BAR

Movietowne

Tel: (592) 650-2777

BOARDROOM SPORTS BAR

Giftland Mall

Tel: (592) 629-8772

DOLCE BAR & BISTRO

63 ‘A’ Sheriff St.

Tel: (592) 705-8747

THE BOTTLE BAR RESTAURANT

Cara Lodge

Tel: (592) 225-5301

MAISON FRANCOIS

Gordon St., Kitty.

Tel: (592) 648-2619

JAXX INTERNATIONAL GRILL

Movietowne

Tel: (592) 618-3970

HARD ROCK CAFE

Movietowne

Tel: (592) 648-8686

58

Dining Out

KOSMOS GRILL & LOUNGE

Movietowne

Tel: (592) 620-4040

KIESHA’S CRAB SHACK

456-58 Aubrey Barker St,

South Ruimveldt

Tel: (592) 218-0014

LAZEEZ FUSION

Amazonia Mall, Providence, EBD

Tel: (592) 705-1416

NEW THRIVING


Tel: (592) 623-4097

Main Street

Tel: (592) 225-0038

RS53 RESTO BAR & LOUNGE


Tel: (592) 265-7753

SOHO

Giftland Mall

Tel: (592) 682-8111

TEPPANYAKI

Ramada Princess Hotel

Providence, EBD

Tel: (592) 265-7013

TERRA MARE

Guyana Marriott Hotel - Kingston

Tel: (592) 231-2480

THE FLAME RESTAURANT & GRILL


Tel: (592) 643-8408

THE DUKE

Duke Lodge

Duke Street, Kingston

Tel: (592) 231-7220

VILLAGIO RESTAURANT & BAR

Giftland Mall

Tel: (592) 659-5050

TRIBE GASTRONOMIC LOUNGE

78 Church Sts.

Cummingsburg.

Tel: (592) 628-5814

YELLOW CRYSTAL RESTAURANT

Herdmanston Lodge

Peter Rose & Lamaha Street,

Queenstown

Tel: (592) 231-7904

MID-RANGE

BACKYARD CAFE

West Ruimveldt

Tel: (592) 663-5104

59

Dining Out

60

Dining Out

FIRESIDE GRILL

Garnett St. Newtown, Kitty

Tel: (592) 681-9306

KAMBOAT RESTAURANT

147 Albert & Fifth Sts.,Alberttown

Tel: (592) 231-9999/ 231-7788

51 Sheriff & William Sts.

Tel: (592) 225-8323 / 225-8090

HIBISCUS RESTAURANT

Middle Street

Tel: (592) 231-5857

MANGO CAFE

Brandsville Suites

Croal St. Lacytown.

OMG

Sheriff Street

Tel: (592) 223-5234

PALM COURT

Main & Middle sts.

Tel: (592) 231-8144

PIZZA HUT

Sheriff Street

TEL: (592) 219-5233

Regent Street

Tel: (592) 223-4326

Giftland Mall, Liliendaal

SHARPY’S CAJUN & CREOLE

RESTAURANT

399 Grove Public Road, EBD

Tel: (592) 629-7629

SLEEPIN INT. HOTEL CASINO

Church St.

Tel:(592) 223-4603

RAYNE INN

1 Rahaman Park, EBD

Tel: (592) 225-3763

SUBBY’S SANDWICH SHOP &

CAFE

Giftland Mall

Tel: (592) 639-2740

TIAN TIAN HOT POT RESTAURANT

Orchid Mall,

Mandela Ave.

Tel: (592) 692-2222, 659-9999

UPSTAIRS SPORTS BAR & GRILL

Pike Street,

Campbellville

Tel: (592) 502-2574

CAFES

CAFÉ BELLVANA

Middle street

Tel: (592) 231-8749

61

Dining Out

COFFEE BEAN

Church & Carmichael Sts

Tel: (592) 223-2222

CINNABON

Giftland Mall

Liliendaal, ECD

D’CAFE

337 Quamina & Cummings Sts.

Tel: (592) 621-5800

JAVA COFFEE BAR

Duncan St.

Giftland Mall

Movietowne

Tel: (592) 227-0772

MADD TEA

Amazonia Mall,

Providence, EBD

OASIS CAFE

Carmichael & Quamina St.

Tel: (592) 226-9916

PETIT FOUR

Waterloo & Lamaha Sts.

Tel: (592) 227-8812

STARBUCKS

Amazonia Mall,

Providence, EBD

LOW BUDGET

BEACON CAFE

Carmichael Street

Tel: (592) 225-0723

BETTENCOURT DINER

Durban Street, Lodge

Tel: (592) 225-1008

BRAZIL CHURASCARIA

208 Alexander & Charlotte Sts.

Bourda.

Tel: 223-3033

BREWSTERS

Robb St. & Camp Street

Tel: (592) 225-3060

BURGER KING

Regent Street

Tel:(592)227-0976

Giftland Mall

Tel: (592) 222-7131

CARREFOUR RESTAURANT

‘F’ Hadfield St. Werk-en-Rust

Tel: (592) 227-2369

CHURCH’S

Camp Street

Tel: (592) 225-7546-7

Robb & Camp Streets

62

Dining Out

Tel: (592)-231-5000

Robb & Ave. of the Republic-

Tel: (592) 231-2245

86 Durban & Hill Street, Lodge.

Tel: (592) 231-8221

Giftland Mall

Tel: (592) 222-1127

GERMAN’S RESTAURANT

New Market St.

Tel: (592) 227-0079

Giftland Mall (new location)

GREEN BOWL

Public Road, Kitty

HILTON RESTAURANT

1 Garnett & Middleton Streets

Tel: (592) 226-5818

HOUSE OF WAFFLES

Sheriff & Pike Sts. Campbellville

Movietowne Mall, Liliendaal, ECD

Tel: (592) 227-8576

HOT & SPICY CORNER

112 Third St., Alberttown

Tel: (592) 225-6255

JADE’S WOK ASIAN & CHINESE

CUISINE

Giftland Mall

Tel: (592) 222-7111

JULIAN’S BAR & RESTAURANT

331 Cummings St, N.C’burg

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 226-3552

KFC

Hinck st.

Tel: (592) 223-4418

Vlissengen Rd

Regent St.

Mandela Ave.

Movietowne

Tel: (592) 227-7524

MAGGIE’S SNACKETTE

New Market & Camp Sts.

Tel: (592) 226-2266

MOUTH MELTERS

222 Charlotte Street

(between Shiv Chanderpaul &

Orange Walk)

POPEYE’S

Camp St.

Tel: (592) 231-1184

Vlissengen Road

Tel: (592) 223-6452

PUBLIX

Sheriff St.

Tel: (592) 226-1545

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Dining Out

ROYAL CASTLE

Sheriff Street

Tel: (592) 227-3022

South Ruimveldt Gardens

Tel: (592) 218-2844

Hinck St.

Tel: (592) 227-1593

Giftland Mall

Tel: (592) 7341

Parika, EBE

Tel: (592) 260-4666

Regent st.

Tel: (592) 227-0013

Stabroek

Tel: (592) 226-0005

Mandela Ave.

Tel: (592) 226-8011

SHANTA’S PURI SHOP

New Market & Camp St.

Tel: (592) 226-4365

TACO LOCO

Durey Lane, Campbellville

Tel: (592) 657-6650

THAI EXPRESS - pickup/delivery

Mandela Avenue, Lodge

Tel: (592) 505-8846

THE TRACK RESTAURANT & BAR

3 Albert St. & Thomaslands

Tel: (592) 223-3000

WINDJAMMER INT. CUISINE &

COMFORT INN

27 Queen St., Kitty

Tel: (592) 227-7478

QIK SERV

Stabroek

Tel: (592) 226-3935

Main Street

Tel: (592) 225-4387

65

Dining Out

EAST COAST &

WEST COAST BERBICE

BOHAN RESTAURANT

New Market & Camp St.

Tel: (592) 226-4365

CARIBBEAN INN

Mon Repos, ECD

Tel: (592) 603-4771

CONG LUCKY RESTAURANT

21 Public Road, Mon Repos, ECD

Tel: (592) 220-6606

PLAYLAND ITALIANO FAMILY

RESTAURANT

Enterprise, ECD

Tel: (592) 229-7100

CHEUK TAI RESTAURANT

7 Public Road, Bladenhall, ECD

Tel: (592) 274-1127

CHURCH’S-

East Coast Demerara

169-171 Friendship Public Rd

18 Public Rd Helena Mahaica

Tel: (592) 228-5000

2 Section ‘A’ Cotton Tree W.C.B

Tel: (592) 330-2564

SEASIDE HOTEL, RESTAURANT &

BAR

No. 30 Village, WCD

Tel: (592)

NEW AMSTERDAM to

CORRIVERTON

CARIBBEAN TEMPTATION

No. 2 Canje

Tel: (592) 332-006

CHURCH’S

11 Strand & Trinity Sts.

Tel: 333-4147

67 ‘A’ Rosehall Public Rd

Tel: (592) 337-4471

72-83 # 78 Corriverton

Tel: (592) 335-3037

HOMME HOSPITALITY

RESTAURANT & BAR

50 Palmyra Road

Tel: (592) 332-0893; 675-5409

LEISURE INN

Main St., NA

LITTLE ROCK SUITES

Main St., NA

QIK SERV - New Amsterdam

Tel: (592) 333-3477

66

Dining Out

FIRST IMPRESSION HOTEL & BAR

2A Public Road, Hampshire

Tel: (592) 603-4771

SPREADY’S SNACKETTE &

BAKERY

Port Mourant, Corentyne,

Berbice

Tel: (592) 336-6637

SHA’VEH RESTAURANT & LOUNGE

Port Mourant

Tel: (592) 336-6942

EMBASSY HOTEL & BAR

Rose Hall

Tel: (592) 336-6942

BO’S GUESTHOUSE

130 No. 79 Springlands

Tel: (592) 339-3774

LA GRILL HOTEL RESTAURANT &

BAR

Springlands

Tel: (592) 335-4051

LINDEN

AT-TAYYIB RESTAURANT

Empire Drive, Amelia’s Ward

Tel: (592) 648-8233

CHURCH’S

34 D Co-op Crescent

Tel: (592) 444-4444; 4111

COUNTRY-SIDE BAR & GRILL

Greenheart St., McKenzie

Tel: (592) 444-2414

CROWN & ANCHOR GRILL & BAR

Main Rd., Amelia’s Ward,

Linden

Tel: (592) 633-3947

KAY’S RESTAURANT

Mckenzie Arcade

Tel: (592) 444-2414

KINGDOM STYLE DOLLAR WINGS

Toucan Mall, Amelia’s Ward

Tel: (592) 600-3514

KLAUS GOURMET

Obama Drive, Amelia’s Ward, Linden

Tel: (592) 676-0273

L & L RESTAURANT & BAR

77 Greenheart Street

Tel: (592) 444-2292

NEW LIFE CHINESE

11 Burnham Drive, Wismar

Tel: (592) 444-6216

67

Dining Out

NEW PARK CHINESE

9 Burnham Drive, Wismar

Tel: (592) 444-1156

REDBUD CHINESE

121 Greenheart St., McKenzie

Tel: (592) 444-2021

STARS CHINESE

244 Greenheart St., McKenzie

Tel: (592) 444-1515

STAR BONNET RESTAURANT

Industrial Area, Mckenzie

TROPICAL REFLECTIONS

5 Industrial Area, Mckenzie

Tel: (592) 444-8271

WATOOKA GUEST HOUSE & BAR

130 Riverside Drive

Tel: (592) 444-6194

VREED-EN-HOOP to

PARIKA

CHURCH’S - Parika

Tel: (592) 260-3000

DADA’S GRILL

Tuschen, EBE

Tel: (592) 602-2770, 602-5026

(Indigenious Menu)

KFC

Vreed-en-Hoop

Tel: (592) 600-5532

Parika

Tel: (592) 608-5397

POPEYE’S

Parika

Tel: (592) 260-4703

ESSEQUIBO COAST

HOTEL PURPLE HEART

RESTAURANT & BAR

Charity

Tel: (592) 601-5156

JAGDESH’S DUCK CURRY

Lima, Essequibo Coast

Tel: (592) 694-7141

BARTICA - MABURA

CHURCH’S

First Avenue,

Bartica

Tel: (592) 455-3000

PALM SPRINGS

Bartica

68

Dining Out

TASTY DELIGHTS

First Avenue, Bartica

Tel: (592) 694-0838

PETER & RUTH HOTEL

58 Miles Mabura Road

Tel: (592) 683-8821

MARGARET & DAVID ENTERPRISE

111 Miles, Potaro Rd., Mahdia

Tel: (592) 601-3401

RH HOTEL, RESTAURANT & BAR

Mahdia

Tel: N/A

LETHEM

ORI HOTEL & RESTAURANT

Tel: (592) 772-2124

KANUKU HOTEL, RESTAURANT

& BAR

Tel: (592) 772-2068

J’S CHILLSPOT & RESTAURANT

Tel: (592) 674-9082

MISTURA BRASILERIA FAST FOOD

RESTAURANT

Tel: (592) 698-0987

SAVANNAH INN

Tel: (592) 772-2035

TAKUTU HOTEL

Tel: (592) 772-2034

W.A.L ENTERPRISE

Tel: (592) 684-1706

Denham Suspension Bridge

by Mark Glasgow

SnapNShare57

69

Eco-Wonders

Mount Roraima

Eco Wonders

Guyana’s rainforest, which covers

approximately 75% of the

country, and over 16 million hectares,

is part of the last remaining tropical

forests in the world. Guyana’s ‘Green

Gold’, not only represents a home

to our indigenous peoples and rich

natural resources but a global asset

to address climate change. At a time

when tropical forests have become

a focal point of the climate agenda,

Guyana has been cautiously opening

a path to this lost world, revealing its

natural treasures, and indeed there

are still many more to be discovered.

KAIETEUR FALLS

Situated within Kaieteur National Park

on the Potaro River is the magnificent

Kaieteur (Falls), one of the world’s

natural wonders. Cascading 226

meters (741 feet) in a sheer drop,

Kaieteur is truly a majestic sight to

behold. The immediate environs of

Kaieteur is home to a number of rare,

threatened and endemic species,

principal among them being the

Golden Frog, whose entire life cycle

plays out in the water that collects

in the giant Tank Bromeliads -second

largest bromeliad in the world, the

Guianan Cock of the Rock and the

70

Eco-Wonders

Swifts or ‘Makanaima’ birds, who

disappear in their hundreds at dusk

under the vast shelf of rock carved by

the falls over the centuries. Kaieteur

National Park, Guyana’s first National

Park and one of the first in this region,

was established in 1929. The park

encompasses 242 square miles of

raw jungle, creeks and rivers teeming

with biodiversity. Kaieteur National

Park occupies a prominent position

in the centre of the Guiana Shield.

The Guiana Highlands or Guiana

Shield, roughly 2 billion years old, is

the earth’s oldest surface. Located

in north-eastern South America, it

includes a large mountain plateau and

rainforest system that is part of a vast

watershed between the Amazon and

the Orinoco rivers. The area contains

an estimated 20,000 different vascular

plant species of which 35 percent are

endemic making it one of three richest

tropical wilderness areas on earth.

ORINDUIK FALLS

The Ireng River thunders over steps

and terraces of solid jasper, a semi

precious stone to form the Orinduik

Falls. With a backdrop of the rolling

grass covered hills of the Pakaraima

Mountains, this is truly one of the

most beautiful locations in Guyana’s

hinterland. Orinduik is ideally suited

for swimming and you will find natural

Jacuzzis as the falls tumble down the

steps of Jasper. A short ride on a small

boat can have you setting foot in

Brazil!

SHELL BEACH

Journey to the north Western Atlantic

coast of Guyana in the Barima Waini

Region to Shell Beach! This 90 mile

stretch of relatively uninhabited

coastline is known mainly as a nesting

ground for four species of endangered

marine turtles which come to nest

here annually from March to August.

The area itself however, is a unique

ecosystem encompassing mangrove

forests, inland swamp forests and

savannahs and bordered by the

Atlantic seaboard where mud-flats

front the shore in some areas. Apart

from the four species of endangered

marine turtles (Giant Leatherback,

Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, and Green

Turtles) the area is known to possess

giant river turtles as well as tortoises,

along with manatees, tapirs, deer,

jaguars, howler monkeys and other

large animals. The bird diversity is one

of the richest in Guyana and includes

many species of parrots and macaws,

numerous wading birds including

many scarlet ibis and Caribbean

flamingos, herons, egrets and a host

71

Eco-Wonders

of others. The ecosystem of Shell

Beach has remained relatively intact

over the years due to the absence of

large settlements along the beach

and surrounding areas. This has been

due mainly to the inaccessibility to

the areas as well as the inhospitable

nature of the mangrove swamps. Over

the years though a few communities

have built up along the beaches and

are mainly Amerindians from other

villages. It is advisable to visit Shell

Beach between March to August if you

want to see nesting sea turtles.

IWOKRAMA

The Iwokrama Rainforest is one of

Guyana’s largest protected areas

and occupies one million acres,

offering exceptional natural and

cultural experiences. At Iwokrama,

partnerships with local communities

and the private sector are built to

combine traditional knowledge,

science and business to develop

“green”, socially responsible and

sustainable forest products and

services, such as low-impact timber

harvesting, ecotourism and training

for forest rangers and guides. It is home

to the Makushi people, who have lived

here for thousands of years and still

maintain the environment that today

holds incredible biodiversity. With 471

species of birds, 134 fish species, 137

species of reptiles and amphibians,

142 different mammals and a recorded

1,250 species of plants, this forest is a

wonderland for any visitor- be they

avid birdwatchers, backpackers or

researchers. Enjoy guided nature

walks, nocturnal wildlife spotting

either by boat or road, hiking, bird

watching or enjoy a bird’s eye view

from the Canopy Walkway. A series

of platforms and suspension bridges,

the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway

places visitors 30 metres above the

forest floor and provides possible

sightings of tree dwellers that are

rarely seen from the ground. Explore

the numerous nature trails at dawn

and be prepared to be amazed by the

abundance of the Screaming Pihas,

the Cocks of the Rock and the Wedgebilled

Wood Creepers – all highlights

for beginners or avid bird watchers.

Spot Giant Black Caiman and other

nocturnal wildlife while cruising

along the mighty Essequibo River in

the still of night. A trip to Iwokrama

is incomplete without a hike to the

summit of Turtle Mountain. The 300

metre climb is well worth the stunning

jungle vista and guests may also

be rewarded with sightings of Red

Howlers, Wedge-capped Capuchins

and Black Spiders monkeys.

72

Eco-Wonders

MOUNT RORAIMA

It is the most famous Tepui in the

World. Over 1,700 million years

old, this ancient formation is one

of the most acclaimed sights in

South America forming a tripartite

border between Guyana, Venezuela

and Brazil. For hundreds of years

this ancient flat-topped mountain

formation inspired travellers - tales

and rumours abounded concerning

the mysterious, inaccessible summit

above the clouds.

Mount Roraima is the highest point

in Guyana with a plateau standing at

2700m. Forming part of the ancient

Guiana Shield, Mt. Roraima was once

part of Gondwanaland before tectonic

activity moved apart the continents

of Africa and South America. The

lunar-like surface is home to many

unique flora species which huddle

for shelter in pockets on the exposed,

windswept plateau. Amazing rock

formations have been carved by wind

and water, and the ground is uneven

and rocky with frequent crystal clear

pools of excruciatingly cold water

(good for the circulation apparently!)

There are crystal beds that contain

large, individual crystals in interesting

shapes, and stunning views.

Mt. Roraima has made a deep

impression on western literature

and thought, influencing such men

as Charles Darwin and Sir Arthur

Conan Doyle. After the publication

of Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species’ there

was great public interest in ‘missing

links’ and ‘relic species’ preserved

by isolation. Roraima’s mysterious

summit was an excellent possibility

for an area at evolutionary standstill

and the last place on earth where

dinosaurs could exist. Conan Doyle,

fascinated by the descriptions of early

explorers such as Im Thurm, wrote in

1912 what is considered to be one of

the best science fiction novels ever

written - “The Lost World.”

KANUKU MOUNTAINS

Recognized by Conservation

International as being one of the

few remaining pristine Amazon

habitats - is located in southwestern

Guyana. This picturesque mountain

range forms a spectacular backdrop

to the Rupununi Savannahs with its

sculptured crowns peaking just below

the clouds. The range, divided by the

Rupununi River, is noted for its high

diversity of bird and animal species,

with approximately 80% of the known

mammal species of Guyana being

recorded. With little or no human

settlement on the eastern range, the

area is still pristine and is perfect for

73

Eco-Wonders

the nature and adventure traveller

to experience the diversity of the

tropical ecosystems. A trip down the

enchanting Rupununi River provides

you with the opportunity to see Black

and Spectacled Caiman, Puma, Tapir

and Giant River Otters. Explore forest

trails that lead into the virgin Kanuku

Mountains in search of the Harpy

Eagle, the Cock of the Rock, Cotingas,

Three-toed Sloth, Tyra and many more

exotic animals.

Waramadong Village Hiking

by Chris Elliman

SnapNShare57

74

Guyana‘s capital, Georgetown, has

always provided an unending

wave of social activities that form an

integral part of our unique hospitality.

Monday to Sunday, day or night,

depending on “what tickles your

fancy”, the city is abuzz with flavours

of our culture. Every night of the week

is karaoke night as most bars now

have at least one “Sing Along” night

per week with special offers on drinks

for those who need liquid courage.

The weekend hype starts with Friday

After Work hangs that slip smoothly

into a pulsating nightlife.

The Georgetown seawall is popular

for coming alive nightly and larger

crowds on weekend nights plus heavy

entertainment. The first Lady, Arya Ali,

has restored and improved the Seawall

to continue as a great recreational site

for families and friends to enjoy.

Entertainment

75

A number of recreational and fun

paraks are popping up throughout

Guyana as part of the First Lady’s

Beautification project- La Jalouise

on the West Coast ,Demerara and

soon to be completed at Tuschen

on the East Bank, Essequibo, also at

New Amsterdam and Corriverton, in

Berbice and soon to be completed

at Diamond/Grove on the East Bank,

Demerara.

In Linden is Hymara Park and I love

Linden in Republic Avenue and

Bouncy Land and Amusement Park

and Tappin’s Nature Park and Fun Park

both in Amelia’s ward

The President, Dr.Mohammed Irfan

Ali, has developed a recreational site

on what used to be the ‘Train line’

stretching from Vlissengen Road to

Parade Street.

Fishing

New Forest, Region 6

by Antonio Ramcharran

SnapNShare57

Many locations are available for the

fishing enthusiasts. The annual

fish festival at Rockstone happens

October/November.

Abary and Mahaica rivers offer fishing

for peacock bass and tarpon, while

the Rupununi is the world’s largest

fresh water fish –Arapaima along with

catfish and peacock bass.

Rewa Village is A prime location

for fishing. Over a hundred species

of catfish, the Payara Dracula Fish,

Basha and Tiger Catfish. There are also

populations of Lukanani- Peacock

Bass, Arawana, Giant Haimara and four

species of Piranha. The endangered

Arapaima is found here and can

be fished in a ‘catch and release’

programme. Fly rods and reels can be

used to catch this largest scaled fresh

water fish in the world.

The peacock bass is most abundant

during the months of July to October

and the tarpon from May to June.

A number of persons conducting

fishing tours are listed –

Fishing

76

FISHING TRIPS:

• Email: info@lindentourism.com

www.lindentourism.com

• Shiba Kaliko Resort (For

overnight and organized fishing

trips). 17 Mile, Rockstone

Tel: (592) 618-4499 / 220-3630

(see resorts/tour operators page).

• Hinterland Tours

(fly fishing in the Abary)

76 First Ave., Subryanville,

Georgetown

Tel: 592- 226-2860

Email: hinterland.tours@

networksgy.com

• Ms. Kavita Ram (Mahaica River)

Tel: (592) 682-0690

Email: info@mahaicatours.com

Website: www.mahaicatours.com

34 Stelling Road, Adventure,

Essequibo Coast

Tel: 592-774-4624

• Gary James

(Waini River, North West District)

Tel: (592) 777-5140

Guyana’s Bountiful Earth:

Unveiling the Riches of the Natural

Resources Sector

Guyana is a remarkable country, strategically

positioned geographically

and inhabited by a diverse population

that embodies a rich tapestry

of cultures. It is undeniably blessed,

possessing a wide array of natural resources

that include gold, diamond,

bauxite, pristine rainforests, and

extensive freshwater reserves. Additionally,

recent years have witnessed

the discovery of vast hydrocarbon deposits.

By managing these resources

wisely, Guyana has gained international

recognition and acclaim.

GOLD

For many decades, Guyana’s mining

sector has played a pivotal role in the

country’s economy, making substantial

contributions to its GDP and generating

employment opportunities.

In 2022, the sector experienced a remarkable

expansion of 109.7%. Gold

alone accounted for 8.3% of non-oil

GDP and 58.2% of non-oil exports.

Similarly, the country’s construction

boom has directly resulted in a burgeoning

demand for Guyana’s quarrying

sector to expand, a testament

to the favourable investment climate

fostered by the government. The current

administration has since issued

new quarry licenses, thereby creating

opportunities to meet demand and

generate economic prospects for all

Guyanese citizens.

FORESTRY

Guyana’s flourishing forestry sector

covers over 18 million hectares, representing

18% of the global forested

area. Production is increasing due to

government efforts, the construction

boom and the launch of the $900M

Revolving Fund in 2023, providing affordable

and accessible financing for

loggers. Enhancements are ongoing

to Guyana’s Monitoring Reporting and

Verification System (MRVS) enabling

the ministry to report progress on SDG

15 (life on land) indicators for sustainable

land management, ecosystem

preservation, combating desertification,

and biodiversity conservation.

PETROLEUM

Offshore, Guyana’s petroleum sector is

experiencing unprecedented growth.

To date, 44 discoveries have been

made, 39 of these located in the highly

productive Stabroek Block. With

the forthcoming addition of Prosperity,

the third and largest vessel, daily

petroleum production is expected to

reach 600,000 barrels by 2024. These

discoveries have opened up new opportunities

for the country, with the

sector’s revenues aimed at diversifying

Guyana’s economy and accelerating

the well-being of its citizens. Simultaneously,

progress is being made

on the transformative Gas-to-Energy

project, set to supply 300MW of clean,

reliable, and affordable energy to the

grid by 2024. By piping natural gas

from the Liza One and Liza Two fields,

this project will support investments

in heavy manufacturing, agro-processing,

and other value-added activities

for local and international consumption.

As Guyana continues to harness its

natural resources, the Ministry of

Natural Resources supported by its

key agencies – the Guyana Geology

and Mines Commission, the Guyana

Gold Board and the Guyana Forestry

Commission – remains steadfast in its

commitment to promoting sustainable

extraction practices and striking

a balance between economic development

and environmental conservation.

Ongoing efforts focus on fostering

responsible extraction techniques,

protecting indigenous communities,

and conserving the unique biodiversity

found within Guyana’s rainforests.

MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Guyana’s 10 Administrative Regions

Hosorora Falls can be found in this area

along with many other interesting

sites. Other places of interest for the

visitors are Eclipse Falls and Jonestown

in Port Kaituma.

Region #1:

Barima-Waini

Regional Administrative Office

Tel: 592-777-5011/5081

The Barima-Waini region gets its name

from its two main rivers. The region

is predominantly forested highland,

bordered at the north by a narrow

strip of low coastal plain.

The communities of Warapoka

engage in Community based

tourism. Shell Beach, known for its

turtle conservation activity, between

March to July, is found in Mabaruma.

MABARUMA - NORTH WEST

With miles of coastline to the north

and the mountainous interior to the

south, in Mabaruma in the northwest

– 40 minutes by air from Georgetown

– there is a different landscape of low

hills and rolling valleys reminiscent of

St. Lucia or Grenada.

Visitors can enjoy the picturesque

palmlined roadways, the pristine

Mabaruma Creek, a tour of a cocoa

estate, and a cooling dip in a tranquil

nearby waterfall.

Much of Mabaruma remains

untouched, including the riverside

stones used by Amerindian people for

Almond Beach

by Deopaul Somwaru

SnapNShare57

79


hundreds of years to sharpen their

implements. In an agricultural

country, the northwest is known for

the heaps of succulent fruit in its

open-air markets.

A big plus for travellers is that three

local airlines service the area daily,

operating from Ogle airport, just

10 minutes from Georgetown. For

repose, for interaction with unspoiled

nature, for undulating valleys and

vibrant rivers, Mabaruma is the place.

Region #2:

Pomeroon-Supenaam

Tel: 592-771-4324

The Pomeroon-Supenaam region

comprises forested highland and low

coastal plain, but also takes in a small

portion of the hilly sand and clay

Region.

Rice, coconut and cash-crop farming

are the main occupation of its

residents. The town of Anna Regina

has a regional office and market while

a number of hotels are strewn along

the Coastline from Suddie to Charity,

welcoming visitors. One can feel the

refreshing North-Easterly Trade winds

on the drive along the coast (about

30 miles stretch of road) to Charity.

It is the gateway to the Pomeroon

River, a bustling community where all

the residents from the neighbouring

villages along the Pomeroon River

converge for marketing and business.

Charity is famous for its Monday

morning market. It has been rapidly

developing with an international fastfood

franchise, an air conditioned

supermarket, nightclubs and hotels.

The Essequibo Coast is home to

approximately 150,000 people. Take a

trip down the Pomeroon River to Adel’s

Rainforest Resort and a stop over in the

village of Kabakaburi to see the highest

‘bamboo cathedral’ at the back of the

village. David Campbell’s folk song

‘Kabakaburi children’ was inspired by

this village.

The Pomeroon river is attracting huge

investments in the coconut industry.

The Essequibo coast abounds with

lakes and a number of them have

developed into tourism facilities-

Lake Mainstay is a huge resort facility

hosting an annual regatta every

August and can accommodate large

groups for overnighting and day visits.

Lakes Tapakuma and Capoey are all

practicing community based tourism.

Lake Mashabo (an Amerinidian

community) located several miles

aback Huist T’Dieren village, is a

very scenic lake filled with palm trees

and offers the visitors a spectacular

view of Mashabo.It now boasts the

80


longest wooden bridge across the lake

connecting the village of Mashabo

towards the main road entrance

Many statues and monuments dot

the Essequibo Coast in honour of its

freedom fighters.

Damon Statue

Damon was an enslaved African

who was executed for his role in

the protest against a new system of

apprenticeship on August 8, 1834, in

Trinity Parish, Essequibo.

Damon led the men in a strike

declaring that they were free men and

would only work for half of the day.

As their leader, he raised a flag in the

Trinity churchyard at La Belle Alliance,

which they had occupied during their

protest. For his role in the protest, he

was hanged.

The erection of a monument to honour

the fallen hero, Damon, was proposed

by the Guyana Commemoration

Commission in 1985. Mr. Ivor Thom

was selected to sculpt the monument.

He interviewed many persons who

claimed were descendants of Damon.

Six clay models were cast before one

entitled ‘Maquette’ was chosen as the

design of the sculpture.

Claude Geddes, of Brass Aluminium

and Cast Iron Foundry Limited,

cast the sculpture in bronze. Upon

completion, the monument was

displayed in front of the Parliament

Buildings allowing the residents of

the city an opportunity to view the

sculpture. As pioneers in the fight for

Guyana’s freedom, the monuments

of Cuffy and Damon faced each other

from opposite ends of Brickdam.

The monument is a ‘reminder to all

Essequibians of the struggles of their

forefathers, which is now manifested

in a truly independent Guyana’, the

Regional Development Council of

Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) in

1988, erected the Damon Monument.

This monument of Damon in a giant

chair, sculpted in bronze, weighs

three tons and stands nine feet tall.

It rests on a concrete plinth. The

sculpture was unveiled at Anna

Regina on the Essequibo Coast on the

150th anniversary of Emancipation

celebrations on July 31, 1988 at

Damon Park.

Damon’s Cross

This simple concrete cross is believed

to mark the spot where Damon, an

enslaved African, was buried after

being executed.

The Devonshire Castle Monument

This monument, located in the

County of Essequibo, was erected in

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memory of five indentured workers

who were killed during a protest on

September 29, 1872. Their names,

Kaulica, Beccaroo, Maxidally, Baldeo

and Auckloo. The monument was

first unveiled by William Badar

on 29 September 1985 and then

reconstructed and rededicated by

the National Trust of Guyana on

September 29, 2000.

East Indian immigrants who arrived in

the region and were stationed at Anna

Regina in May 1838. It was unveiled in

May 2021.

Region #3:

Essequibo Islands -

West Demerara

Tel: 592-264-2692

The Essequibo Islands-West Demerara

Region is made up of these major

islands in the Essequibo River such

as Fort Island, Hog Island, Leguan,

Tiger and Wakenaam, and the Western

portion of mainland Demerara. Its

landscape is made up of low coastland,

hilly sand and clay, and a small portion

of forested highland regions.

ISLANDS OF THE ESSEQUIBO

RIVER

Wakenaam, Leguan, Tiger, Hogg & Fort

Islands are among the larger Islands.

The East Indian Settlement

Monument is located on the

all-weather road in Bush Lot,

Essequibo Coast, approximately 1

kilometre (0.62 miles) from Anna

Regina. The monument was built in

commemoration of the first group of

Wakenaam & Leguan are the most

populated of all the islands in the

Essequibo river. They were once

settled by the Dutch. The word

‘wakenaam’ means “waiting for a

name” remained as the official name

of the Island. In the late 1690 after the

French had invaded Fort Island, the

Dutch plantation owners moved onto

the island of “Wakenaam”, where they

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Jet Boats Lined Up - Bartica Regatta

established several plantations on the

beautiful 17.5 square-mile island.

The British took over in 1716 and

established many grinding sugar

estates, giving rise to the demand for

more labourers.

Slaves were bought from Africa and

traded at the Wakenaam village

named Free and Easy, which today is

home to a ruined grinding mill.

With Emancipation of Africans and

other factors, the sugar industry on

the island began to decline, and by the

turn of the 20th century, many small

estates were closed or absorbed in the

larger ones. By 1930, the only three

remaining estates were Zeelandia,

Better Success and Belle Plaine, and

finally those were closed.

The indentured labourers went into

rice cultivation whilst the Africans

produced ground provisions. With the

demise of rice produce they went into

cattle rearing.

The St. James Presbyterian Church at

Fredericksburg, is the first church built

by freed African slaves on Wakenaam.

The island is well appointed and has

all critical amenities for its mainly self–

employed inhabitants.

Dutch built Dutch koker of 1600s still

stands with renovations and upgrade.

Several Dutch burial grounds can be

found also. Wakenaam is a closelyknitted

community, and residents

would warmly welcome visitors.

Private speed boats or the ferry can

get you there.

Leguan Island is named after its

huge population of ‘iguanas’ of which

smaller numbers can still be found

on its 18 square miles of beautiful

beaches. Its earliest settlers were

Dutch followed by settlers from

France, England, British West Indies

and Belgium. They planted indigo,

cocoa, oranges, fruits and vegetables

followed by sugarcane in later years.

Slaves were brought in to dig trenches,

build the seawall, plant and reap

sugarcane. Sugar cane was followed

by rice, cattle raring and cash crops.

Fishing is a daily activity.

When visiting the Island, be sure to go

to The Dauntless beach, created when

the sloop, Dauntless, ran aground

centuries ago and was left. The

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accumulation of mud and sand over

the years joined it to the island and

created a beautiful beach.

The Island has all the amenities for

its residents – education, health,

electricity and water supplies.

Residents ride around the island. They

are a few cars. It’s a very safe island

and one can sleep with their doors left

unbolted.

The beautiful St. Peters Anglican

church, built in 1855, located not

St. Peter’s Anglican Church

far from the Stelling at Enterprise

welcomes you anytime. This is the

longest wooden stelling in Guyana.

A 52 feet Lord Hanuman statue, on the

grounds of the Rama Krishna Mandir

in Blenheim, grace the Island. Visitors

to the island is by private speed boat

or ferry.

Tiger (Hamburg) Island

Located between Wakenaam Island

and the Essequibo coast, this was

originally in excess of 24 square miles

but has been reduced to 16 square

miles due to continuous erosion.

Remnants of canebeds, cemeteries

old kokers can be found on the

beaches. The island is in danger of

continuous erosion. Originally there

were 3 estates with the Sophienburg

estate on the southern side of the

island with its glittering white sand

beach. It has the most beautiful beach

in all of Guyana.

Today the island is owned by 5 farmers,

planting rice, provisions and water

melons among others. The residents

are the farm workers.

On Easter weekend residents from the

Essequibo coast and Islands fly their

kites there, turning up with passenger

boats, private boats, sloops, ships,

launches and jet skis to picnic and

have fun. The biggest congregation

on this island is for Emancipation day.

The island is transformed into one big

‘gigantic’ festivity.

Access is 5 minutes by boat from the

Essequibo Coast or half hour from

Wakenaam.

HOGG ISLAND WINDMILL

The Hogg Island windmill is the

only known surviving brick windmill

structure once used on sugar estates

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Hogg Island Windmill

during colonial rule. The Hogg Island

windmill ruin is located on a former

Dutch plantation called Plantation

Lyksburg on the eastern side of the

island.

Constructed on a six-foot mound, the

structure stands some 28 feet high,

and is made of granite blocks and red

brick, the brick being primarily used

as facing for the big windows and

archways.

Hogg Island’s original Dutch name

was Varken Eiland, which means Hogg

Island. It was home to numerous

wild hogs, and when the British took

over the Dutch colonies in Guiana

they retained the name in English

translation. This spelling of ‘Hogg

Island’ was thus gazetted. In pursuit

of its policy of heritage preservation

and conservation, the National Trust,

which has an annual agenda of capital

projects, restored the windmill and

constructed a fence and footpath at

the site in 2010.

Eiland or Hogg Island, so named

due to it being inhabited by a large

number of wild hogs. Then in 1814

with the cessation of the Napoleonic

Wars the British gained control of the

Dutch colonies: Demerara, Berbice,

and Essequibo, leaving the Dutch with

Suriname, which they held until 1975.

The British had decided to keep the

name of the island in its original Dutch

form: Hogg Island.

With a total area of 22 square miles

(60 km2) this island is larger than

many Caribbean islands. Its 250

residents are engaged mainly in the

farming of rice and ground provisions.

The population has decreased a lot

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because of migration to other parts

of Guyana, However there is still a

primary school and a church on Hogg

Island. An ancient windmill still stands

on the north eastern side of the island.

FORT ISLAND – Fort Zealandia &

Court of Policy

The third location of the the Dutch in

the Essequibo River was at Fort Island

originally known as Flaggen Island or

Flag Island. The plundering nature of

the English and French ships caused

the Dutch to build Fort Zealandia

and the Court of Policy In 1744. In

addition to protecting the interests of

the Dutch West India Company from

their European rivals it also served as

a stronghold against internal forces

such as rebellious slaves. This brick

fort, which replaced the original

wooden structure, was constructed in

accordance with a design of Laurens

Storm Van Gravesande of the colony

of Essequibo, (the colony’s longest

serving Dutch Commander, 1738-

1776) to conserve funds.

The building was relatively small, its

lozenge-shaped structure following a

pattern common in West Africa during

this period. The two storey redoubt is

about 15m x 20m and is enclosed by

ramparts with four bastions, one at

each corner. The bastion on the river

side has fallen into the river. The total

area to the outside of ramparts is 56m

x 78m. Bricks are used throughout.

Within the compound of the Fort are

the Armory used for the storage of

ammunition and several canons

reminiscent of the belligerent history

of the site.

COURT OF POLICY now renamed

‘DUTCH HERITAGE MUSEUM’

This is a solid clay brick building 31.1m

long and 11m wide. The walls are

61cm thick. There are three “rooms”-

the Court of Policy to the northern

area that served as a church at the

centre, and the area for auctioning

slaves to the south. It also served as a

store, a sales office and in recent years

a church before being converted into

the Dutch Heritage Museum.

During the period of Dutch occupation

the Fort and the Court of Policy were

part of a large urban settlement that

extended along the northeastern

section of the island. This was the seat

of the Dutch administration in the

colony of Essequibo and became the

site of Guyana’s first parliament when

Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo were

joined to form the colony of Guiana.

Inside the Court of Policy are the

tombstones of Johannes Backer,

Captain and Commander of the Colony

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Dutch Heritage Museum

Photo: National Trust of Guyana

(d 1772); his son Laurens (d 1768) and

Michael Roth- a surgeon who worked

for the Dutch West Indies Company

(d 1790). It is the oldest non military

structure in Guyana. Church services

were still being held there until 2007,

when it was converted into the Dutch

Heritage Museum.

Further down the Essequibo is the

Amerindian village of Saxacalli with

its beautiful long stretch of pristine

beach, probably the longest in the

Essequibo River and further down is

the Hurakabra River Resort closer to

Bartica.

On the East Bank and heading south

from Parika is Shanklands Rainforest

Lodge and Makouria, the Guyana

Defence Force military base. Close by

on two islands (two brothers island) is

the holiday home of famous Guyanese

singer Eddy Grant.

The beaches at Parika/Bushy park

area are frequently used by Guyanese

of various walks of life to spend their

Sundays or holidays. A thriving boat

building industry takes place nearby.

Sunday morning at Parika is an

exciting place to shop. All the farmers

from nearbouring islands bring their

produce. Parika is very busy on Sunday

mornings as banks and all shops are

opened for business.

Reg#4:

Demerara-Mahaica

Tel: 592-256-3774

The Demerara - Mahaica Region

extends east of the Demerara River

to the western bank of the Mahaica

river, and is predominantly low coastal

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plain, with a small portion of the hilly

sand and clay region further inland.

The Heritage Museum at Kastev on

the West Coast of Demerara and well

worth a visit. One can overnight in

its breezy rooms facing the Atlantic

Ocean.

A drive over the Demerara Harbour

Bridge, once the longest floating

bridge in the world, built in 1978.

Activities abound for the visitors

in Region 4. The capital city,

Georgetown, is in this region. For

the anthropologists, the Walter

Roth Museum of Anthropology, the

Museum of Natural History, African

Heritage Museum, Indian Monument

Gardens, 1763 and 1823 monuments,

Victoria Law Courts and its statue of

Queen Victoria, the Public Buildings

and Trade Unionist Nathaniel

Critchlow statue in the foreground,

Stabroek Market, City Hall, Cenotaph

War Memorial, the busts of the leaders

of the Non-aligned Movement, St.

George’s Cathedral, our colonial style

State House where the President lives

and Prime Minister’s Residences, Red

House where Cheddi Jagan (Premier

1961-4) lived, the Umana Yana built in

1972 by the Wai Wai Indians with the

African Liberation Monument in the

forecourt.

The Seawall, Promenade and Botanical

Gardens, Castellani House, now an art

gallery where former President Forbes

Burnham lived from 1985 until his

death.

Birders can experience early morning

trips to the Botanical Gardens, the East

Coast Conservancy waterways and

sea shores, Mahaica River, East Bank

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birding sites, Mangrove tours, market

day experiences in Georgetown and

East Coast Demerara.

On the Linden highway, a number of

Creeks and resort facilities are located

– Jubilee Resort & Amusement Park,

3V’s Resort, Pandama Retreat, Marudi

Creek & Resort, Splashmins Fun Park,

Aziza Akousa Nature Resort Creek,

Umbrella Resort, Red Water Creek,

Hauraruni Creek, Madewini Gardens

Resort, Takatu Creek, Yarrowkabra

Creek. St. Cuthberts Mission can also

be accessed from the Linden Highway.

Going down the Demerara River

and turning into the Kamuni Creek

is the village of Newtown, where

the Chinese first settled on arrival in

Guyana followed by the indigenous

village of Santa Mission and further

down the Arrowpoint Nature Resort.

Guyana’s history offers the visitor an

interesting mixture that is reflective of

European architecture.

It is advisable to take some time off

and drive around our ‘garden city’ to

experience some of our old colonial

buildings that were constructed in

wood, standing elegantly alongside

new and modern concrete structures.

In some cases they are being dwarfed

by these new edifices. Take a visit

inside some of them, if time and

access is permissible.

Harpy Eagle

by Nathan Chinapen

SnapNShare57

African Liberation Monument is

located in the foreground of the

Umana Yana (burnt down in 2014

and since rebuilt)). The monument

consists of 5 polished greenheart logs

encased in a jasper stand on a granite

boulder. This monument was unveiled

by former President Linden Forbes

Sampson Burnham on ‘Namibia Day’,

26th August, 1974 in honour of all the

thousands who have struggled for

freedom from human bondage.

City Hall

This majestic building of ‘Disneylike

feature’ is an exquisite example

of colonial architecture. Of special

attraction is the tower at the front of

the building. The architect was Dr.

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Father Scholes, a Jesuit Priest. Since

its completion in 1889, it has been

the seat of the city’s administration.

The original site of a coffee parlour

and dance hall, the City Hall remained

a place of entertainment. The top

floor housed the country’s premier

Concert Hall up until recent times.

The Engineers occupy the smaller

building.

Russel Memorial

Gracing the spacious lawns of City

Hall, this marble sculpture was

erected in honour of William Russell

for his outstanding works in the city.

In the 19th century, this monument

was erected in a small garden in the

Stabroek Market Square.

Monument of the Non-Aligned

Movement:

This monument is located at

Company Path, along the Avenue of

the Republic. The four busts on the

concrete plinth represent the four

founders of the movement Nasser,

Nkrumah, Nehru and Tito. Three are

made of bronze and the other of a

plastic material. Just in front of the

monument is a pool from which rise

four jasper rocks, which were taken

from the Ireng River in the interior.

Company Path, so called because it

was the pathway used by workers on

the plantations to gain access to the

river.

Stabroek Market

Built in 1881, The Stabroek Market,

popularly known as “Big market”

can justifiably claim to encapsulate

the spirit of Georgetown. It was

not originally intended for vending

activities; produce was originally sold

by Amerindians and slaves near to

the Brandwagt, a small fortification

constructed by the Dutch at the

mouth of the Demerara River. The

market covers an area of 76,728 sq.ft

and is possibly the largest public

market in the Caribbean, ranking

also among the world’s largest allmetal

markets. It’s accessibility to the

Demerara River provided easy ‘farm

to market’ of produce by boats. The

Tudor and Gothic characteristics, the

ambience and architecture reflect

the diversified cultures that combine

to define the dynamics of the unique

persona of Guyana - especially that

of the cities of Georgetown and New

Amsterdam. Stabroek Market’s 4 -

dialed clock, towers 61 feet above the

main entrance, and has not lost its

majesty even though it has long since

ceased to function as an accurate

timekeeping instrument.

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State House

Formerly known as Government

House, is now the official residence

of the President of Guyana, located

in Main Street, between New

Market and Middle Streets. The

building was formerly the official

residence of the Governors of

British Guyana and served as their

office and entertainment centre.

Since Independence, Guyana’s first

President, Mr. Arthur Chung, resided

there. When Mr. LFS Burnham became

the Country’s Executive President

he continued to occupy the present

Castellani House on Vlissengen Road.

However, when Dr. Cheddi Jagan was

elected President in 1992, he occupied

it and this has been carried on by all

succeeding Presidents. It was erected

in 1854 during the administration

of Governor Henry Barkly with

continuous additions. The building’s

interior is beautifully decorated.

Exquisitely-carved pieces of furniture,

survivors of the Elizabethan era, lend

to its grandeur. Moreover, past and

present are combined with a mixture

of contemporary and indigenous

pieces.

St. Andrew’s Kirk

This site is believed to be the first

landmark of European civilization -

the old brandwagt, which stood here

91

as early as 1748 and served as a signal

station for incoming and outgoing

ships. The church is the oldest building

in the city as well as the oldest church

in Guyana.

The corner stone was laid in 1811

during the Dutch rule with the hope of

erecting a first-class building. Because

of lack of funds a skeletal was built

in 1813 and opened for service, but

due to debt it was seized and sold to

members of the Dutch Constituency.

It was later resold to a large Scottish

community and by 1819, the church

was completed and re-opened for

worship. The building underwent a

massive renovation scheme almost a

century later, for the centenary laying

of the Dutch Reformed Church but at

least the original section remains.

St. George’s Cathedral

This magnificent place of worship

was considered one of the tallest

wooden structures in the world, and

the second tallest wooden church, at

a height of 43.5 metres (132 feet). The

present building is, in fact the fourth

St. George’s. The first was completed

in 1811 and located northeast of

the present site, where the present

St. George’s School is situated.

The second built in the 1840’s to

accommodate the growing church,

was quickly dismantled in 1877,


because of architectural weaknesses.

A temporary Pro-Cathedral was

erected the same year to housed the

church.

St. George’s was designed by Sir

Arthur Bloomfield. The corner stone

was laid in 1899 and the cathedral

was consecrated on 8th November,

1894. It is located on Church Street in

Georgetown, and has been designated

a National Monument. The history of

the Anglican Church in Guyana can

be traced from as early as 1781, when

the Reverend William Baggs, Chaplin

to Sir George Rodney, came to this

country. The interior is breathtakingly

beautiful, characterised mainly by

Gothic arches and clustered columns.

Flying buttresses support the outer

walls. Items of interest include a

stunning array of stained glass

windows and a chandelier or corona

over the central alter, which was

presented to the church by Queen

Victoria. Original baptism, marriage

and funeral records, dating back to

1796 are carefully preserved in the

Deanery nearby.

St. George’s Cathedral

by Roger Wong

SnapNShare57

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The Walter Roth Museum of

Anthropology

This building which was originally

constructed in the 1880’s for private

dewelling now houses a significant

anthropological and archaeological

collection. It is the only museum of

its kind in English speaking Caribbean

and contains a large collection of pre-

Columbian relics.

The Museum was named in honour

of Dr. Walter Roth - medical doctor,

geologist, magistrate and benefactor

of Guyana’s indigenous peoples.

The Cenotaph

Many Guyanese soldiers sacrificed

their lives in both world wars- World

War 1 (1914-18) and World War 11

(1939- 1945). Located,opposite the

Bank of Guyana on the Southern end

of Main Street, it stands as a memorial

to those fallen soldiers. It was

unveiled on 14th August, 1923 the 9th

anniversary of the declaration of war

against Germany by British Colonial

Governor, Graeme Thompson.

The Enmore Martyrs Monument

Designed by Dennis Williams, this

monument, which was erected by

Zenith Industrial and Construction

Co-operative Society is located at

Enmore, East Coast Demerara and was

unveiled by Prime Minister Linden

Forbes Sampson Burnham on June

16, 1977 on the occasion of the 29th

anniversary of the death of the five

martyrs who were killed during a

strike at Plantation Enmore on 16 June

1948.

The Lighthouse

The first lighthouse was constructed

of wood by the Dutch in 1817 and

illuminated with an oil lamp. In the

1830’s the British constructed a 103

ft. high brick structure onshore and

installed, in the wrought-iron gallery, a

floating light, which was subsequently

replaced by a 1000 watt bulb, visible

from sea at a distance of between 30-

40 miles. The administrative office,

located below the gallery, once

housed a 24” long telescope, which

is currently on display in the National

Museum of Guyana. The gallery of the

lighthouse is accessed by a flight of

138 steps. This climb is compensated

by the breath-taking view that awaits

you. It is temporarily closed for visits.

The Cheddi Jagan Research

Centre (Red House)

This building on High Street is a

19th century 3-storey colonial style

building famous for its brght red

wallaba shingles. Dr. Cheddi Jagan

lived there when he was Premier

of British Guiana, 1961-4. The

93


building is temporarily the centre

housing information into the life and

philosophies of this freedom-fighter,

hero and late President, Dr. C.B. Jagan,

in a way that best typifies his persona

- the pursuit of scholarship.

The High Court

The High Court was previously called

the Victoria Law Court, in honour of

Queen Victoria (her statue stands in

the forecourt of the compound). The

structure is L-shaped, with one wing

East and eleven court rooms on both

wings. The ground floor houses the

Registries of the High Courts, Deeds

etc.

This structure, designed in the Public

Works Department by the Colonial

Engineer-in-Chief, Baron Harcohora

Siccama and Ceasar Castellani, shows

evidence of two architectural styles:

the ground floor with its several

decorated arched windows conforms

to the classical building style and the

upper floor is Elizabethian or English

Tudor, styled with an external skeletal

structure where the studding and

braces are exposed. It was opened

on 24th May 1887, commemorating

the birthday of Queen Victoria. The

Court was originally housed in the

Parliament Buildings.

Queen Victoria Monument

This imposing marble sculpture of Her

Majesty Queen Victoria was unveiled

and mounted in the compound of the

High Court (formerly the Victoria Law

Courts) on 4 September 1894 by the

Governor of British Guiana, Sir Charles

Cameron Lees. This monument was

sculpted by H.R. Hope Porter of

London.

The Parliament Buildings

This landmark, designed by Joseph

Hadfield, was completed and

handed over to the committee for

the prestigious Court of Policy on

August 5th, 1834. The intricately

beautiful ceiling of the Parliament

chamber was originally designed

by Caesar Castellani, and is a fine

example of Renaissance architecture.

This was redone a few years ago.

The Constitutional instruments of

Independence were presented to our

first Prime Minister by the Duke of

Kent on behalf of Queen Elizabeth in

1966. Today, the country’s Parliament

convenes here.

Prime Minister’s Residence

Erected in the late 19th or early 20th

Century, this structure shows clear

evidence of Italian architecture with

the square cupola at the top and its

94


Georgian styled 12-paned sashed

windows. It was bought from a private

owner, Booker Bros, by the British

Government in 1962. The building

served as the official Residence of

the British High Commissioners

until 1987. It was then purchased

by the Government of Guyana and

designated the Prime Minister’s

Residence. The current Prime Minister

occupies it.

The original roof has been retained. It

is of traditional Dutch design, and is

constructed of greenheart.

The Georgetown Seawall

Originally ‘earth dams’ were built to

keep the sea from the coastline and

these were replaced by concrete walls,

constructed between 1858 to 1882

by convict labour, with granite from

the Penal Settlement at Mazaruni

(Mazaruni Prison).

Much of the land here is below sea

level. The Kierfield and Sandy Point

Estates north of the wall are known

to have existed up until 1792, but had

been washed away by 1804. In 1903,

the Georgetown Seawall Bandstand

was built with funds subscribed by

the public as a memorial to Queen

Victoria. A shelter north of the

bandstand, called the Koh-i-noor

Shelter, was erected in 1903. (does not

exist today)

The seawall has not always been

able to protect Georgetown against

high tides; even after the wall was

completed, the city still had severe

floods. On the other hand, when

there is excessive rainfall, the water

has to be directed to the ocean. For

this reason, the seawall has so-called

‘kokers’ or sluices, which control the in

and outflow of water.

Currently, it is being debated

whether the capital should be moved

more inland as a safer place for its

inhabitants. It would mean reversing

the decision of the French in 1782

to move the capital from a location

upstream of the Demerara river closer

to the river’s mouth.

The Georgetown seawall has acquired

many more functions. Not only is it

used as an obvious spot for placing

95


advertisement, but it also attracts

crowds on a nightly basis who come

here to relax, picnic, play music and

dance. The boardwalk has recently

had a makeover by the First Lady Arya

Ali as one of her many beautification

projects.

Runners use the wall for their training,

cyclists ride the top and persons

perform prayer events in the sea or

just go for a stroll.

Interesting paintings adorn the

walls from the COVID hospital to the

Junction of the Sea Wall Road and

University of Guyana point.

The 1763 Monument

Philip Moore is the sculptor of this

impressive work of art. The monument

is 10.1 meters (33 feet) high and is

built on a concrete plinth designed by

Albert Rodrigues.

It was unveiled by former President

Burnham on 23 May 1976.

It commemorates the 1763

slave rebellion on Plantation

Magdalenenburg in Berbice, the first

revolt that came close to success. Cuffy,

leader of this insurrection has been

declared to be one of our national

heroes. The monument represents

the dauntless courage of Guyanese

ancestors who fought relentlessly for

liberation, especially the leadership of

our national hero Cuffy. It is situated at

the eastern end of Brickdam.

1823 Monument

This monument was erected in

memory of the slaves who fought

for their freedom from the sugar

plantations along the East Coast

Demerara. It is referred to as the East

Coast Insurrection.

After the passage of the 1807 abolition

of slavery act, nothing was being done

to free the slaves. John Gladstone

(slaves took their names from their

masters) moved freely among the

estates. His father was Quamina and

they were stationed in Plantation

Success. He gathered information

from the house slaves of the other

estates- Le Resouvenir, Chateau

Margot and Dochfour.

The London Missionaries came down

to British Guiana and set up Smith’s

Chapel at Le Resouvenir and Bethel

Chapel at Plantation Success to allow

slaves to worship. In spite of that,

many of their masters and managers

refused to give them time off to

attend church services. Reverend John

Smith represented the slaves and

wrote about their horrible conditions

and ill treatment to his superior in

London. He was considered a friend

of the slaves. He was subsequently

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imprisoned and executed.

After John was convinced that they

were being robbed of their freedom,

he wrote a letter (signing his father’s

name) to the members of Bethel

chapel informing them of the “new

law ”.

On Monday, 18th August 1823, the

unrest begun and spread over 50

sugar plantations from Georgetown

to Mahaica, involving 10,000 slaves,

armed with cutlasses, poles with

bayonets and a small number of

stands of rifles captured from the

plantations. They locked up their

owners, managers and families and

promised to release them in 3 days.

Joseph Simpson informed his owner

Captain Simpson of the plot. He in

turn alerted all the estates so that

Georgetown and Governor Murray

could be informed. The Governor

unleashed the 21st Fusileers and the

1st West Indian Regiment, aided by a

volunteer battalion, were dispatched

to combat the rebels. By late afternoon

of August 20th most of the slaves

were all rounded up. Between 100

to 250 slaves were killed. Many were

shot along the estates and their heads

nailed to posts along the roadside.

Some were brought to Georgetown

to be tried and hung at the parade

ground. Their heads were similarly

nailed to posts around Parade ground.

Quamina was executed. Jack

Gladstone escaped and was captured

with his wife on September 6th at

Chateau Margo after a 3 hour standoff.

He was sold and deported.

His legacy was to help bring attention

to the plight of sugar plantation slaves,

accelerating the abolition of slavery.

The rebellion took place a few months

after the founding of the Anti-Slavery

Society, and had a strong impact on

Britain. Murray Street in Georgetown,

originally named after the Governor,

was renamed Quamina Street.

The Demerara Harbour Bridge

The Demerara Harbour Bridge is a

6,074 foot long (1.25 miles) floating

toll bridge, with 61 spans. It was

commissioned on 2 July 1978.

The bridge crosses the Demerara

River 4 miles south of the capital,

Georgetown, and takes travellers

from Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara

to Schoon Ord, West Bank Demerara.

There is a pedestrian footwalk. A raised

section, with horizontal clearance

of 32.0 metres(105 ft) and vertical

clearance of 7.9 metres (26ft) allows

for small vessels to pass under. A

retractor span of horizontal clearance

of 77.4 metres(254ft) allows for

passing of large vessels. Construction

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of the Demerara Harbour Bridge

began on 29 May 1976. Construction

assistance was provided by the British

Government. Toll is paid at the Eastern

entrance. A new bridge is being

designed to be built soon.

To get to the West Coast of Demerara,

Bartica and Essequibo River and

Islands by road means crossing the

Demerara Harbour Bridge.

The Indian Monument Site

This monument, located at the corner

of Church and Camp Street is a very

historic Monument. It commemorates

the first indentured Indians who

arrived in then British Guiana on 5th

May 1838.

In August, 1987 a very influential group

headed by Yesu Persaud formed the

150th Anniversary Committee to plan

the celebrations to mark the 150th

anniversary of the Arrival of Indians in

Guyana, which was celebrated on 5th

May 1988.

During the celebrations, the visiting

Vice President of India, Dr. Shankar

Dayal Sharma, was approached for

assistance to build a Monument to

commemorate the arrival of East

Indians in Guyana. He honoured that

commitment. The then Mayor, Mr.

Compton Young, was approached

and gave the committee the site.

Nearly 1000 loads of sand and dirt

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were used to fill up the site. A national

competition was held for the design,

and one that looked like the “Whitby”

was chosen. Local architect, Mr. Albert

Rodrigues, working with an Indian

counterpart, mapped out a plan of

what the garden should look like and

of the infrastructure work for the ship.

The ship was built in India, and the

architect and ship builder came to

Guyana to help in the setting up of the

Monument. The Indian Anniversary

Committee later converted into a Trust

- The Indian Commemoration Trust.

Today the Monument Garden is very

beautifully kept and is maintained

voluntarily with help from the

business community.

Fund-raising activities are also held

from time to time. Every year activities

are planned and celebrated at the

Garden on May 5 to commemorate

Indian Arrival Day. Activities are

also held for special occasions such

as Diwali, Phagwah and Eid at the

Monument Garden.

In May 2013, a new stage was built to

facilitate concerts and cultural events,

and to celebrate the 175th anniversary

of the arrival of Indians to Guyana, a

replica of the “Kolkota” monument

was unveiled at the Monument

Gardens on May 5. A second replica

was set up at Plantation Highbury in

Berbice (where the first indentured


Indian immigrants landed in 1838.

Both gifts were funded by the Indian

Government through the Global

Organisation for people of Indian

Origin (GOPIO) and its President then,

Ashook Ramsarran.

Region #5:

Mahaica-Berbice

Tel: 592-221-2278

The Mahaica-Berbice Region extends

east of the Mahaica River to the west

bank of the Berbice River. A large

part of the region is low coastal plain.

Further inland lies the Intermediate

Savannahs and hilly sand and clay

region.

Leaving Georgetown and heading

eastwards, there are many coastline

villages for birders, visitors can do

the Mangrove tour, stop off at Novar

and Paradise beach as they offer good

recreational activities. The Mahaica

birding tour for birders down the

Mahaica River or take a trip down

this river to St. Cuthbert’s Mission and

Moraikobai to experience community

based tourism. Pass the section where

the road is divided by a huge silk

cotton tree with all its superstitious

stories. At the Now or Never Village is

a small quaint house reminiscent of

something from a fairytale book. At

Rising Sun village is the Horse Racing

track which holds regular events. Cross

the Berbice River Bridge at D’Edward

Village to Region 6.

Region #6:

East Berbice-Corentyne

Tel: 592-333-3761

East Berbice-Corentyne Region is the

only one that includes parts of all the

four natural [geographic] features:

coastal plain, intermediate savannah,

hilly and sandy clay area and forested

highland. It is also the only Region

with three towns: New Amsterdam,

Rose Hall and Corriverton.

On leaving the Berbice River Bridge

and heading to the intersection to take

you to Berbice or New Amsterdam,

you are greeted by the village of

Palmyra. At this T-junction is the Indian

Arrival Monument funded by the

Indian Government to commemorate

the arrival of East Indians to Guyana

since 1838. Going south you will drive

over the Canje Bridge and enter New

Amsterdam.

New Amsterdam - Corriverton

The Dutch moved their settlement

from Fort Nassau in 1784 to what is

now New Amsterdam and made it

the seat of Government in 1785. In

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1790 the colonists gave it this name

because most of them originated from

Amsterdam in Holland.

This town has over 35,000 inhabitants,

and its aesthetically quaint and regal

buildings - Ituni Temple, Mission

Chapel, Government House and the

Town Hall-office of the Mayor - all

stand proudly amongst the modern

concrete high risers. The new stateof-the-art

Hospital and the country’s

only mental institution are located at

the southern end of the famous Canje

Bridge.

Check out The Berbice Inn and

Churchview International Hotel in New

Amsterdam for accommodation.

Bauxite and sugar provide the majority

of Berbicians with employment.

A trip to the Upper Corentyne will

not be complete without a visit to

the ‘No. 63 Beach’ which extends for

many miles with the north easterly

trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean

in full force and the coastline of

Suriname distinctively visible to the

East. Overnighting in Corriverton

is made easy with its many hotels:

City Inn Hotel, Paraton Inn, Taj mohal

and Riverton Suites are among your

choices.

A ride in the popular ‘Tapir’ as cheap

transportation on the roadways of

Corriverton might be considered

adventurous. Take the ferry across to

neighbouring Suriname or down the

west bank of the Corentyne river to

Orealla, an Indigenous community

and explore their lifestyles and the

numerous waters that can be found

along that river –Frenchman falls, cow

falls, Wanotoba Falls, Blue Crane Falls,

long sandy beach on Zambi Island for

birding, fishing and an abundance of

wild life. Reserve more than a few days

for a visit here.

Mission Chapel

Congregational Church: This edifice,

constructed after the first Mission

Chapel which was founded by

Reverend John Wray, was destroyed

by the order of the planters, who

blamed the missionaries for the 1823

slave insurrection. Under the ministry

of Ebenezer Davies, the foundation

stone of this structure was laid in

1841, when Ebenezer Davis was the

incumbent minister.

All Saints Scots Church was founded

circa 1820 through the assistance

of the Public Treasury. In 1838, the

present structure was built when the

congregation acquired a plot of land

to erect a church and later a school

to serve the population of New

Amsterdam.

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Ituni Temple

This elegant and oldest fraternity, the

Freemasons’ Lodge was constructed in

the late 19th century. Timber louvres

and stained glass windows in the

small tower with intricately designed

fretwork are noteworthy features of

this edifice.

The New Amsterdam Town Hall

This imposing structure was erected

in 1868 after the establishment of the

Board of Superintendents in 1844. The

tower, encircled by a ‘widow’s walk’ is

one of the main architectural features

of this edifice.

The Indian Arrival Monument

The Indian Arrival Monument at

T-Junction, Palmyra, Corentyne,

Berbice was commissioned on

Indian Arrival Day, May 5th, 2019.

The monument was built in

commemoration of the arrival of

East Indians from India to these

shores in 1838, mounted in bronze,

this memorial consists of artistic

sculpted metal, depicting the lives of

the Indians in their routine everyday

life. Each figure carries something of

importance — a jahaji bhandal (ship

bundle) loaded with food, spices,

herbs, clothing, jewellery, their deities,

religious texts and drum; a karahi

Indian Monument at Palmyra, Corentyne

(cooking pan) tawa (flat circular metal

for cooking roti); grass knives (scythe);

a cutlass and rice plants. The figures

are presented in a straightforward

realism with the human factor ever

present.

The Monument features six bronze

statues depicting three men, two

women and a child. The monument

was designed by local sculptors,

Winslow Craig and Philbert Gajadhar.

Fort Nassau

Located about 55 miles up the Berbice

River, it is one of the early Dutch Forts

built, circa 1627. This fort, constructed

on the eastern bank of the Berbice

River, was erected shortly after the

establishment of Berbice as a trading

post by Abraham Van Pere (a Dutch

merchant) and his colonists. This was

the seat of Government in Berbice

which was governed as a separate

colony prior to the unification of the

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three colonies- Essequibo, Demerara

and Berbice in 1831. Fort Nassau,

built by merchant Abraham Van Pere

in 1627, was among the first nonindigenous

structures in Guyana.

Constructed of wood and enclosed

with palisades, the fort had an

‘irregular rectangular redoubt wherein

was a larger stone building.’ The

barracks were built to house about 60

soldiers. The main building in the fort

had two floors. The Governor, Captain

of the Troops, the Secretary and two

Lieutenants lived on the upper floor.

There was a Council Chamber and

Church Hall on the first floor. The Fort

was surrounded by outhouses for

servants and petty officers.

In 1712, it was demolished when

Baron de Mouans’ Corsairs threw

bombs into it and held Berbice at

ransom. A new fort was constructed.

The 1763 slave rebellion referred to as

“the cradle of the revolution”, led by

Cuffy, was initiated here. During the

slave revolt it was burnt by Governor

Van Hoogenheim and his soldiers

to prevent the slave rebels from

acquiring it.

The Fort occupied 166 acres of which

housed several historic structures. The

remnants today include the western

and eastern grave plots, the semicircular

brick stairs of the Court of

Policy Hall, the stairs of the Armoury,

the ruins of the bridge, the Lutheran

Church, combined with the lush

vegetation has made it a paradise for

wildlife.. Today visitors experience

its rich flora and fauna. The “Talking

Tree” which is the most intriguing and

attractive feature at the site today is

believed to have been used to send

messages during the slave rebellion

led by Cuffy.

Region #7:

Cuyuni-Mazaruni

Tel: 592-455-2209

(includes Bartica) contains two of

the four natural regions: forested

highlands and a small portion of the

hilly sand and clay region.

Essequibo River

This majestic river is the third largest

in South America and the largest in

Guyana, its source being the Acarai

Mountains. It spans aproxmately 450

miles and flows into the Rupununi

river in Region 9. It has approxmately

365 islands, with Hogg Island being

three quarters the size of Barbados.

The other larger Islands that are

inhabited and closer to the mouth are

Tiger, Leguan and Wakenaam. The

River is about 22 miles wide at the

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mouth and experiences a tidal rise

and fall of 10 feet every 12 hours daily

with a neap tide every full moon.

The river is about 80 feet deep in

certain areas, but there are hidden

rocks and sand banks so that boat

captains plying the river have to know

their course or stick to the channels at

all times. One’s boat might encounter

fishing nets too, since villagers cast

long and wide nets for their daily

catch. Many of the inhabitants farm,

fish or rear poultry and market their

produce to nearby Parika or in Bartica.

Interesting sights along the river are

Fort Island to see the remains of the

historic Dutch Fort Zealandia and the

Dutch Heritage Museum (formerly the

Court of Policy), the long stretch of

natural beach where the Amerindian

Village of Saxacalli is located.

Shanklands Resort, the island home of

famous Guyanese singer, Eddy Grant

and the military base Base of Makouria

can all be seen on your left after you

have been travelling for about 40

minutes. About 10 minutes later is

Hurakabra River Resort on your right

(these are all part of Region 3) with

Calf and Kaow Islands before you, then

Bartica. Sloth Island Nature Resort is to

the far left and Baganara Island Resort

further down the Essequibo River. The

Essequibo River branches out to the

Mazaruni and Cuyuni Rivers. As you

Kaburi Village, 72 Miles, Potaro

by Alison Jordan

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enter the Mazaruni river you will see

the Mazaruni Prisons (once home to

politicians) on the right commanding

a very beautiful and majestic vista.

Further left on the Bartica mainland is

the Benedictine Monastery, Baracara

Falls, Aruwai Whitewater H2O Resort

and BK International (a stone quarry)

plus 2 waterfalls and rapids located

at Marshall Falls a further 20 minutes

boatride. Gold and diamond mining

camps and dredges abound in these

waterways. At the point where the

Cuyuni meets the Mazaruni is the

Island of Kyk-over-al where the first

Dutch Fort was built in 1631. Have an

indigenous experience at the various

villages along the Cuyuni river and at

Paruima Village and Kamarang.

A day visit to the Essequibo River is well

worth it.

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Kamarang Falls

by Nicholas Boodhoo

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Bartica

The town we now know as Bartica

was named Vyrheid during Dutch

occupation. Bartica is an Amerindian

word meaning “Red Earth” after the

colour of soil found abundantly in the

area.

This mining town considered the

gateway to the interior, is located

at the estuary of three great rivers-

Essequibo, Mazaruni and Cuyuni.

It was developed from an Anglican

missionary settlement, established

in 1842. Today, the only Benedictine

Monastery in Guyana is situated on

the western side of the town. It is a

beautiful old colonial-style wooden

house set on the hillside surrounded

by a beautiful garden of ferns, crotons

and a variety of flowers. The building

no longer functions as a place of

worship.

Bartica is a bustling little town with a

population of 10,000. It has a hospital,

primary and secondary schools, a

regional office, banks, hotels, bars,

restaurants and an active night life.

Miners frequent the town to spend

their gains after weeks in the mining

camps. It has a large population of

Brazilians owing hotels, supermarkets,

shops and restaurants.

The annual ‘Bartica Regatta’ is held

as a one-week event for the Easter

Holidays and includes a number of

aquatic and non-aquatic events plus

the popular Miss Bartica Regatta

Pageant. It attracts Guyanese and

visitors alike. In August it organizes

the annual ‘Pork Knockers Day’ and a

summer Regatta. The Bartica Golden

Beach boardwalk is lovely for a visit.

From Parika by river taxi takes 1 hour,

or by ferry 4 hours.

Fort Kyk-Over-Al

Kyk-Over-Al was a Dutch fort in the

colony of Essequibo, in what is now

Guyana. It was constructed in 1613

Capybara

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Kartabo Point (the mainland south

west of kyk-over-al), then nearly 70

years later to Fort Island, where they

built Fort Zealandia, located 16km

from the mouth of the Essequibo

River.

Surama Valley

(other historians claim between 1623-

1627), on an islet in the mouth of the

Mazaruni River. The fort was originally

named Fort ter Hoogen, after an

influential Dutch gentleman later

changed to ‘Kyk-over-Al, meaning ‘seeover-all’

,” an appropiate title, given its

strategic location that allowed for the

view over the Essequibo River and its

tributaries- the Mazaruni and Cuyuni

rivers.

Kyk-Over-Al was used also as a trading

post where indigenous Indians

bought their cotton, tobacco, annatto,

balsam, copaibo, etc. to satisfy

the demands of the Dutch. It once

served as the centre for the Dutch

administration of the county, but now

only an arch is left.

This was the first location for the fort,

and as a result of overcrowding, (at

one time nearly 1700 military persons

were on the Island). Other historical

data says it’s first location was at

Region #8:

Potaro - Siparuni

Tel: 592-225-8655

(Radio room) The Potaro-Siparuni

Region gets its name from the

Potaro and Siparuni Rivers, which are

tributaries of the Essequibo River.

This Region brings to mind the

majestic Pakaraima mountain range.

Mount Roraima (2,810 metres high,

standing at the point where Guyana,

Brazil and Venezuela meet) and Mount

Ayanganna, all in this mountain range.

Predominantly forested highland

with a small portion of hilly sand and

clay, this region is home to the world

renowned and majestic Kaieteur

and Orinduik Falls. The Kaieteur is

the highest single-drop waterfalls in

the world, and it is one of the most

beautiful sights in the Guyana. The

waterfalls of this region are great

tourist attractions.

A number of Eco lodges are located

in this region. Some are managed as

community based lodges while others

are privately owned. Visitors to these

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lodges are able to move from one

facility to next with efficient road and

river transfers while experiencing the

flora and fauna of the regions. Starting

with a visit to Iwokrama and a trek up

Turtle Mountain, followed by a drive

through the Iwokrama reservation to

Atta Lodge to experience the climb up

the Canopy walkway. A night or two

at Surama Eco-Lodge to experience

more wildlife and Amerindian lifestyle,

move onto Rockview Lodge, the Oasis

of Region 8, road and river transfer

to Karanambu Lodge to swim with

the otters (if there are any tame ones

at the Lodge), see the Amazonia lily

pond at dusk and roam the savannahs

for giant anteaters. A short ride on the

river will take you to Caiman House

Eco lodge.

For wild adventure check in with the

Mapari Wilderness Camp, specialising

in extended adventure trips. Enjoy

the pakaraimas mountain range

surrounding you in the valley, location

of the Pakaraima Mountain inn or

saddle up at Waikin Ranch for horse

riding. For a stay at Rewa Eco Lodge

you ‘ll experience fishing for over a

hundred species of catfish, the payara

dracula fish, and other large denizens

of the deep. Especially prized are

freshwater drum called basha and

the shovelnose tiger catfish. There

Giant River Otter

are Seventeen oxbow ponds which

often hold aggressive populations of

lukanani peacock bass, arawana, giant

haimara and four species of piranha.

This area of Guyana is part of the

Arapaima Conservation Zone, an

enormously successful program

which has brought the prehistoric

monster species back from the edge

of extinction. Under the partnership

of Conservation International and

USAID, the Rewa villagers have

developed a program of catch-andrelease

sports fishing which ensures

a sustainable use of these valuable

Giant Anteater

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fish resources. With special permission

from government, fly fishermen from

around the world have come to fight

the largest scaled freshwater fish

using only fly rods and reels.

A wide variety of birds including the

harpy eagle, six species of monkey

and often the tracks of jaguar which

prowl in the night can be seen here.

Region #9:

Upper Takutu - Essequibo

Tel: 592-772-2021

The Kanuku and Kamoa highlands and

the vast Rupununi savannahs make up

the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo

region. The forested Kanuku

Mountains divide this Region in two.

The north savannahs are about 2,000

square miles in area, and the south

savannahs are 2,500 square miles.

While in Lethem enjoy the Kumu

Falls and an overnight on Schomburg

Sunset Pond

Rewa Benabs

Peak to see the cock of the rock or

climb the 100 steps to the Moco

Moco Falls, Quarrie Falls, and Ariwa

Beach. The followingranches are

found in this region - Waikin, Manari,

Wichabai and and Dadanawa

along with the following lodges-

KaranambuIwokrama. Surama

and Rewa Lodges are operated as

community based tourism. There are

other communities in region 9 that

offer cultural experiences, nature

and adventure activites, and visits to

natural attractions. Piraiba lodge is

located on the borders of region 8 and

9.

Lethem

This town, with a population of

approximately 7000, lies on the Takutu

River, which forms the border with

Brazil, opposite the Brazilian town of

Bonfim. Lethem is the largest town

and main commercial centre of the

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Rupununi savannah.

This, the administrative centre of

Region nine, boasts a hospital, a

police station, an army camp, a

telecommunication station, schools,

guesthouses, hotels, restaurants and

stores.

Since the building of the Takutu

Bridge, the town has been growing

rapidly, with a large commercial

centre, making shopping by Brazilians

a very lucrative business across the

border.

The area’s other economic activities

are plant and mineral extraction, and

tourism. The indigenous population

comprises mainly Makushi and

Wapishana tribes.

The Rupununi Savannah is divided

into north and south by the

Kanuku Mountains. Visitors can be

accommodated at cattle ranches

for that unique experience and

locals provide guided walks across

the savannah and up into the hills.

Overland camping treks to the Kumu

falls, trek up the Kanuku Mountain

to Shomburg peak for an overnight

camping trip, horse riding and

hiking in the Rupununi, climbing the

100 steps up the Moca Moca Falls ,

whitewater rafting and trips across the

border to Boa Vista in Brazil are just a

few options.

Lethem’s main annual tourist

attraction is the famous Rupununi

Rodeo held on the Easter weekend.

This event attracts visitors from

Guyana, Brazil, Venezuela and other

parts of the world.

Lethem can easily be described as the

gateway to South America.

It is named after Sir Gordon James

Lethem, Governor of British Guiana

from 1946 to 1947.

Region #10:

Upper Demerara - Upper Berbice

Tel: 592-444-6456

The inland region of Upper Demerara-

Upper contains the largest portion of

the hilly sand and clay area. Guyana’s

principal bauxite deposits are found

in the White. Sands area contains the

largest portion of the hilly sand and

clay area. Guyana’s principal bauxite

Rockstone, Region 10

by Joshua Boodram

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108


deposits are found in the White Sands

area Berbice.

Linden has a number of blue lakes

that are being used for river tours

and kayaking. These were formed as a

result of bauxite mining. Visits to the

Industrial Park, historical Linden with

its museum, christianburg waterwheel

and overnight or drop by for a meal

at the elegant and historic Watooka

Guesthouse. For the fishing enthusiast

and the birders, a visit to Rockstone is

a must.

LINDEN, the Linden Highway was

built in 1968 connecting Linden to the

remainder of Guyana by road.

Transportation being mainly along the

Demerara River which divides Linden

from Wismar, Christianburg and

other villages. Linden is the gateway

to Guyana’s hinterland by road.

Bauxite is the life blood of Lindeners.

It is extracted from the mines and

processed into dried bauxite to be

converted into aluminum for the use

of refractory material in the steel and

other industries and for production

of abrasive materials. Linden has

all the features of a town: market,

shopping centres, banks, hotels,

restaurants, clubs, a museum and a

sports ground. It is the only town,

other than Georgetown, to have a fully

Blue Lake, Linden

by Wayne Jacobs

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operational theatre - Lichas Hall,

recently refurbished by LEAP for

Carifesta in 2008.

The majestic Watooka Guest

House with its beautiful landscaped

grounds alongside the Demerara

River is reflective of old Linden, which

was then known as McKenzie. Don’t

miss an opportunity to stay at this

Guest House hang out on the deck

bar over the Demerara River for a

BBQ meal. Many of the homes that

housed the expatriate staff are still in

use. An unusual feature of Linden is

the numerous blue lakes which have

resulted from bauxite excavation.

The Christanburg Water Wheel,

was installed in 1855 to facilitate the

operations of a saw mill owned and

operated by John Dalgleish Patterson.

It is a fine example of Guyana’s

industrial heritage.

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St. Matthew’s Church, this

Presbyterian church was consecrated

on November 25 1898. Today it serves

the cultural life of the community.

St. Aidian’s Church, was constructed

by efforts of the community, and

consecrated on July 19 1969 .

Situated on Burnhams’ Drive, which

runs parallel to the Demerara River,

this oval shaped church, with its

transparent egg- like dome set in

an umbrella-type roof stands out

in sharp contrast to the houses and

commercial structures in the area.

Watooka House, with its timber

shutters, and jalousied windows this

elegant structure is a sterling example

of Guyana’s reknown architecture.

Constructed in the late 19th century,

this was the location for many of the

finest balls and social gatherings in

Linden.

Christianburg Magistrates’ Court

Formerly the residence of John

Dalgleish Patterson, this edifice was

one of the largest houses constructed

in British Guiana during the 1830s.

Though this structure has been

modified to accommodate the

proceedings of the Court, many of

its architectural features, such as

the brick columns, wooden jalousie

windows and timber shutters, are still

visible.

Linden Highway

by Naomi Barkoye

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110

Young boy and Agouti, Wichibai Ranch

by Luke McKenna

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Guyanese Proverbs

Monkey know which limb fuh

jump pun – People often know the

weaknesses and strengths of others.

As such, they would avoid getting

into confrontations with some people,

while encouraging it with others. To

put it simply, they know who they can

disrespect.

Can’t suck cane and blow whistle –

This is indeed an impossible task and

it speaks to the fact that when you are

focused on one activity, you should

not try to overextend yourself by

doing another at the same time. Know

what your limitations are.

Cow don’t know de use of it tail till

mosquito season – Too often, we

might not know a good thing until our

circumstances change and it becomes

necessary. It is basically a call to

appreciate what we have, throughout

the seasons.

Come see me and come live with

me is two different thing – Often

used in reference to romantic and

platonic relationships, this idiom

acknowledges that sometimes, the

perception of someone we visit

occasionally might drastically change

when we are living in the same space

as them.

Beef nah gat bone, dag nah gat

business – This is a very clever way to

basically tell someone to mind their

own business. If something does not

concern you, it is best that you don’t

concern yourself with it.

111

When Patwa come up and tell

yuh hassa gat feva, believe he –

There is a tendency of many to

doubt the validity of one’s story. This

proverb encourages one to believe

people about those they share an

environment with as your experience

with someone is vastly different to

theirs.

Moon ah run til day ketch am –

Regardless of how much you try to

cover up your misdeeds, just as how

it is certain that the sun will rise, so

too will your misdeeds be revealed. It

is a very karmic proverb and is similar

to the Western one that goes, what

happens in the dark always comes to

light.

Don’t fly past your nest – Way too

often, there is a tendency for persons

to live lives that are fast-paced and

reckless. This proverb cautions against

this by asking persons to remember

what their limits are and where is

safest.

that you believe is being playful is

actually quite serious.

What you could see daytime, doan

look fuh at night with fire stick –

This proverb asks us to be mindful of

the signs that surround us. When you

are able to see clear warnings about

a situation, you should heed them,

instead of ignoring them, as ignoring

them might get you hurt.

Thief man nah like see mattee hold

he bag – This speaks to the level

of trust between persons of similar

mindsets. If you are a criminal you

might dislike seeing your friend or

someone in the same business as you,

with your belongings.

Do suh nah like suh – This is a call to

be conscious about the decisions you

make and how they impact others. If

you are reckless in the way you treat

people, you might find that when the

favour is returned to you, you would

not like how you are treated.

Every skin teeth is na laugh – While

friendly behaviour can often indicate

that someone has good intentions

towards you, this should not be the

only thing you base your decisions

on as not everyone that smiles with

you is your friend. This proverb is also

sometimes used to refer to the fact

that sometimes, a situation or person

112

Accommodation in Guyana ranges

from hotels of various grades, guest

houses and apartments. The cost for

accommodation in Guyana varies from as

low as US$15.00 up to US$400 per night.

With the Oil & Gas industry, a number of

major international hotels will soon be

occupying our skyline. We have tried to

grade them, in terms of pricing, for you.

In Georgetown

Hotels and Guest Houses

HERDMANSTON LODGE

Lamaha & Peter Rose St.

Tel: (592) 231-7904

SLEEPIN INTERNATIONAL HOTEL

& CASINO

288-289 Church St., Georgetown

Tel: (592) 223-4611/12

E: reservations@sleepinhoteland

casino.com

www.sleepinhotelandcasino.com

UPMARKET-$$$$

MARRIOT HOTEL

Kingston Seawall Rd.

Tel: (592) 231-2480

PEGASUS HOTEL & BUSINESS

SUITES

Kingston Seawall Rd.

Tel: (592) 225-2856

RAMADA PRINCESS HOTEL

Providence

Tel: (592) 265-7031

CARA LODGE

Quamina Street

Tel: (592) 225-5301

ELDORADO INN

Quamina & Thomas Streets

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-3966

113

MID-RANGE-$$$

COMFORT SUITES &

APARTMENTS

108 ‘A’ Barima Avenue,

Bel Air Park, Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-4816/225-0585

E: Barima108@yahoo.com

W: www.comfortsuitesgy.com

BRANDSVILLE HOTEL

Pike St, C’Ville

Tel: (592) 227-0989

BRANDSVILLE APARTMENTS

Croal St., Stabroek

Tel: (592) 223-0264

GRAND COASTAL HOTEL

Le Resouvenir, ECD

Tel: (592) 220-1091


114


KINGS HOTEL & RESIDENCES

176 Middle St.

Tel: (592) 226-1684

RAYNE INN

1 Rahaman Park, EBD

Tel: (592) 225-3763

SIGNATURE INN

82 Laluni St., Queenstown

Tel: (592) 226-2145

MILLENIUM MANOR HOTEL

6 Camp Street

Tel: (592) 223-0541

115

PARK VUE HOTEL

32 Farm East Bank Demerara

Tel: (592) 265-0058

PRESSVILLE HOTEL &

BANQUET HALL

93 Regent Street Lacytown, G/Town

Tel: (592) 231-0051

PRAIRIE INTERNATIONAL HOTEL

Coverden, EBD

Tel: (592) 223-6507, 604-0545

REGENCY SUITES

98 Hadfield St.

Tel: (592) 225-4785


KANUKU SUITES

123 Kanuku Street,

Campbellville

Tel: (592) 226-4001

LEISURE INN

17 Delph St.,

Campbellville

Tel: (592) 226-8990

OCEAN SPRAY HOTEL

46 Stanley Place, Kitty

Tel: (592) 227-3765

MIDTOWN CHARIOT APTS.

Robb St., Bourda

Email: schuldergriff@yahoo.com

TROPICAL VIEW INT’L HOTEL

33 Delph St. & Campbell Ave.

Campbellville

Tel: (592) 227-2216

TOURIST VILLA

85 Fifth Avenue, Subryanville

Tel: (592) 673-2117

BUDGET: $$

CAMPALA HOTEL

10 Camp Street, Werk-en-Rust

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-1620, 225-2950-3

Alkiguyana96@gmail.com

RORAIMA RESIDENCE INN

Eping Avenue, Bel Air Park

Tel: 225-9647

DUKE LODGE

Duke Street,

Kingston

Tel: (592) 231-7220

STATUS INTERNATIONAL HOTEL

102-109 Croal Street & Sandeman

Place, Stabroek.

Tel: (592) 227-7606

statushotel@yahoo.com.br

www.statushotelgy.com

116


HARMONY INN & SECRET VILLA

Stevedore Housing Scheme

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-6337

JULIAN’S GUEST HOUSE

331 Cummings St,

N.Cummingsburg, Georgetown

Tel: (592) 226-3552

LUXURY HOTEL & APARTMENTS

143 Fifth St., Albertown

Tel: (592) 231-6721

NY CARWASH GUESTHOUSE

12 Camp & Princes Sts.,

Werk-en-Rust

Tel: (592) 227-7416

ORIENTAL SUITES

Garnette St., Campbellville

Tel: (592) 227-1361

PALACE DE LEON

Hotel / Apartments / Suites

60 Croal St. Stabroek & 32 Public

Road, Kitty, Georgetown

Tel: (592) 227-7019/ (592) 226-4374

E: palacedeleonhospitality2000@

yahoo.com/leonlesruth@yahoo.com

FB- Palace De Leon Apartments/Suites

W: www.palacedeleon.com

REGENT GUESTHOUSE

148 Regent St., Bourda

Tel: (592) 231-7075

RIMA GUEST HOUSE

Middle Street, Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-7401

rima@networksgy.com

SUNSET VIEW HOTEL

David St & Vlissengen Rd

Tel: (592) 223-6416

THE DURBAN HOTEL

Durban Street, Lodge, G/town

Tel: (592) 227-5890

E: durbanh@gmail.com

WINDJAMMER INT. CUISINE &

COMFORT INN

27 Queen St., Kitty

Tel: (592) 227-7478

SORTIS HOTEL & APARTMENTS

38 Garnett St., Campbellville

Tel: (592) 658-2211

ALPHA HOTEL

28 Public Road, Agricola

Tel: (592) 233-0588

BRITTANY’S HOTEL

38 William St., Kitty

117


HOTEL GLOW & AMIGO

23 Queen St., Kitty

Tel: (592) 663-8395

HICKSVILLE HOTEL

78 West Ruimveldt,

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 231-0951-3

CARIBBEAN INN

88 Agriculture Rd., Mon Repos

Tel: (592) 220-1855/4849/624-1240

HOTEL PRINCESS RAVEN

3 Smyth & Evans Sts.,

Werk-en-Rust

Tel: (592) 665-0170

K&VC INTERNATIONAL HOTEL

233 South Rd., Lacytown

Tel: (592) 225-0198

SHADES OF GREY INN

1928 Herstelling, EBD

Tel: (592) 694-5056

DAWNCARI

42 Public Road, Kitty

Tel: (592) 225-5030

DEMICO HOUSE

Brickdam, Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-7400/225-6372

BROADWAY HOTEL

39 Broad St.

Tel: (592) 225-5662

FIRESIDE SUITES

154 Garnett Street, Newtown

Tel: (592) 623-3473

West Coast Berbice to

New Amsterdam

SEASIDE HOTEL

RESTAURANT & BAR

No. 30 Village, West Coast Berbice

CASTLE HOTEL

Chapel St, New Amsterdam

Tel: (592) 333-5686

CHURCH VIEW HOTEL

3 Main & King St., New Amsterdam

Tel: (592) 333-2880/2126

E: churchviewhotel@gmail.com

DELUXE GUEST HOUSE

LFS Burnham St., New Amsterdam

Tel: (592) 333-3004

PARKWAY HOTEL

4 Main Street, New Amsterdam

Tel: (592) 333-2028

118


LEISURE INN HOTEL

9 Main Street, New Amsterdam

Tel: (592) 600-1825

LITTLE ROCK SUITES

10 Main & Church Sts.NA

Tel: (592) 333-2727

PENGUIN INTERNATIONAL HOTEL

& BAR

Strand, New Amsterdam

THE BERBICE INN

28-29 Princess Elizabeth Road,

New Amsterdam

Tel: (592) 333-3344

INTERSECTION HOTEL

Winkle Road, New Amsterdam

Tel: (592) 333-6438, 6535

SHA’VEH HOTEL

Port Mourant

Tel: (592) 336-6942

Corriverton

BO’S GUEST HOUSE

130 #79 Springlands

Tel: (592) 339

MOHAGONY HOTEL

50 Public Road, Corriverton

RIVERTON SUITES

#78 Springlands

Tel: (592) 335-3039

CITY INN HOTEL

143 Line Path, Corriverton

Tel: (592) 339-2279/612-7710

E: Hemchand1223@yahoo.com

FB: cityinnhomeawayfromhome

LA GRILL HOTEL,

RESTAURANT & BAR

Springlands

Tel: (592) 335-4051

PARATON INN

K&I #78 Corriverton

Tel: (592) 335-3025

TEJMOHAL

107 Section ‘A’ & 79 Corriverton

Tel: 592-339-2520

USA-718-322-4421

MALINMAR HOTEL

13&14 Public Rd., Corriverton

Tel: (592) 666-2664

LA GRILL HOTEL

Springlands

Tel: (592) 335-4051

119

CLASSIC INTERNATIONAL HOTEL

137 No. 79 Village, Corriverton

Tel: (592) 339-3485


Linden Highway & Linden

BIG T RESORT & HOTEL

1225 Yarrowcabra,

Soesdyke Linden Highway

Tel: (592) 604-6486

WATOOKA GUEST HOUSE

139 Riverside Dr. Watooka.

Tel: (592) 444-2162/6194/2634

Email: nicil@nicil.gov.gy

JOSEPH’S APARTMENT

3043 South Amelia’s Ward

Tel: (592) 444-4346

WAYNE’S WORLD & OASIS

217 South Amelia’s Ward,

Well Road

Tel: (592) 666-9318

ELEGANT ESCAPE

129 Thomas Street

Tel: (592) 444-3555

MASSIVE INN

153 Fraser Rd.,

Kara Kara

Tel: (592) 444-4383

JACS HOTEL

91 Republic Avenue

Tel: (592) 444-4461

120

R & R COMFORT INN

1277 Amelia’s Ward

Tel: (592) 444-4186/672-2035

TOUCAN INN

Toucan Drive, Amelia’s Ward

Tel: (592) 697-3090

MORNING STAR

Star Bonnet Restaurant & Hotel

671 Industrial Area, Mackenzie

Tel: (592) 444-6505/6829

CRIMSON BAT

633 Industrial Area, Mackenzie

HYACINTH’S BED & BREAKFAST

41 Manni Street, Mackenzie

Tel: (592) 444-6350

MUNA GUEST HOUSE

480 Canvas City, Wismar

Tel: (592) 444-9320

SUBNA’S GUEST HOUSE

226 Mora Street, Mackenzie

BROTHERHOOD GUEST HOUSE

Amelia’s Ward

Tel: (592) 686-3731

FAR ROCK AWAY GUESTHOUSE

Kwakwani

Tel: (592) 440-2133


West Bank Demerara/East

Bank Essequibo & Coast

ARACARI HOTEL

Plantation Versailles, WBD

Tel: (592) 264-2946

DOUBLE DAY HOTEL

Tuschen Public Road, EBE

Tel: (592) 260-2209

BEACH VIEW HOTEL

7 Bushy Park

Tel: (502) 260-4880

INNER RETREAT HOTEL

616 Parika, East Bank Essequibo

Tel: (592) 260-4505

JENNY HOTEL & BAR

Supenaam, Essequibo

GOLD IS GOLD HOTEL

Aurora Village, Essequibo

Tel: N/A

URBAYNE OASIS

Queenstown, Essequibo

Tel: (592) 771-5387

KNIGHTRIDER HOTEL

4 Perseverence, Essequibo Coast

Tel: (592) 629-1495/659-9130

JAIGOBIN HOTEL

Cotton Field

Tel: (592) 621-9091

6 Henrietta

Tel: (592) 698-9000

ARABIAN HOTEL & BAR


Tel: (592) 771-4365

BABY DOLL HOTEL


Tel: N/A

RONA’S RESORT


Tel: (592) 626-1851

GRANVILLA HOTEL

North Halh, B Richmond Village

Essequibo Coast

Tel: (592) 674-7054

HOTEL PURPLE HEART

Charity

Tel: (592) 601-5156

XENON HOTEL

Charity, Essequibo Coast

Tel: (592) 771-4180

E: reservations@xenonhotelgy.com

W: www.xenonhotelgy.com

121


WD’S HOTEL & MALL

Charity

Tel: (592) 771-1630

Pomeroon, Mabaruma &

Port Kaituma

R M & SONS HOTEL & BAR

Pomeroon

Tel: N/A

SMALL ENTERPRISE

GUESTHOUSE

Hosorora, Mabaruma

Tel: (592) 693-3111, 681-0101

MONTY BROOMES GUESTHOUSE

Broomes Hill, Mabaruma

Tel: (592) 677-8787

E: zeani32@gmail.com

LND RESORT

Kamaka Waterfront, Mabaruma

Tel: (592) 602-5643

COMFORT SLEEP GUESTHOUSE

Port Kaituma

Tel: (592) 671-8331, 683-5747

AMEER HOTEL

191 Turnbasin, Port Kaituma

Tel: (592) 665-8631

E: ameerali20100@gmail.com

BEACON HOTEL

192 Turnbasin, Port Kaituma

Tel: (592) 695-8895

FIVE SISTERS HOTEL

Port Kaituma

Tel: (592) 681-5120

Bartica-Mahdia-Mabura

AHEEDA INN

5 First Avenue, Bartica

COSTELLO HOTEL

First Avenue, Bartica

Tel: (592) 455-3041

SHERIFF INN

50 Second Avenue, Bartica

Tel: (592) 696-8055

ZEN HOTEL

43 Second Avenue, Bartica

Tel: (592) 455-2441

ROCKVILLE HOTEL & BAR

108 Third Avenue,

Bartica

D’FACTOR INTERIOR

GUEST HOUSE

#2 Triangle St., Bartica

Tel: (592) 455-2544

122


LA VISTA HOTEL

100 Third Avenue, Bartica

TEL: (592) 455-3303

PALM SPRINGS HOTEL

Third Avenue, Bartica

Tel: (592) 455-0063/2111

PETER & RUTH HOTEL

58 Miles Mabura Road

Tel: (592) 683-8821

ROGER HINDS HOTEL

Mahdia

PIONEER RAINFOREST

GUESTHOUSE

32 1&1/2 Mile, Potaro

Tel: (592) 688-8611

Lethem, Rupununi

HOTEL AMAZONAS

22 Barrack Retreat Drive

Tel: (592) 772-2324

HOTEL TOUCANA

3 Tabatinga Drive

Tel: (592) 626-9033

ORI HOTEL & RESTAURANT

118 Lethem

Tel: (592) 772-2124; 639-8812

KANUKU HOTEL

33-34 Barrack Street Drive

Tel: (592) 772-2068

RUPUNUNI ECO HOTEL

51-53 Commercial Area

Tel: (592) 623-3060

SAVANNAH INN

6-8 Lethem

Tel: (592) 772-2297

TAKUTU HOTEL

430 Barrack Retreat Drive

Tel: (592) 772-2034

Parika Ferry

by Xabisa Hamilton

SnapNShare57

123

Music

Music

There is no doubt that Guyana is

exploring and discovering the

awesome potential that has laid

dormant in our once struggling music

industry. As new Guyanese stars

emerge on the local music scene and

the established trail blazers open new

frontiers in the international markets,

optimism is at an all time high. The

GTT ‘jingle and song competitions’

along with E-Networks “Spotlight” and

“Emerging Voices”

and the Ministry of Culture Youth and

Sports 2020 national competition

for singers, musicians, dancers and

spoken word, have unearthed some

of the richest new talent Guyana

has to offer. The musical dexterity

displayed by those who emerged as

the top contenders is proof that there

is definitely no shortage of talent in

Guyana.

Many of the artists from the Ministry’s

competition were selected to perform

in national cultural presentations for

Independence and Mashramani.

Apart from creating the biggest

spawning ground for aspiring

talent, the production has taken

Guyanese family TV entertainment

to an unprecedented high with

overwhelming local and on line

viewership. The dynamic X2 “Tag

Team” (Adrian Dutchin & Jomo

“Rubber Waist” Primo) with their high

energy performances has taken the

Guyanese Diaspora by storm and

overseas engagements for the duo

keep them busy. Tamika Marshall

also continues to make impressive

inroads internationally with her

constant flow of reggae love songs

and collaborations with top Jamaican

reggae artiste.

Chutney is a main ingredient in

the Guyana Music Massala as front

124

Music

runners Fiona Singh, Terry Gajraj

and Mahendra Ramkellawan, Ravi

Ramphal, GI, Vanita Willie, Kevin Singh,

Tony Cuttz, AW Lyrical, Vicadi Singh,

Bunty Singh serve up their delectable

spices for chutney lovers at home and

abroad.

Poonam Singh has been making

inroads into the North American and

recently in Colombia markets, under

professional management while

Jackie Jaxx is engaging the spotlight

on her own at home and abroad. Shelly

G, Michelle ‘Big Red’ King, Tanecia

DeFreitas, Vanilla and Fojo are also

enjoying their share of the overseas

spotlight. The Mashramani season

(February) brings a buzz of activities

in the Guyana’s music industry as

competition time approaches. New

names on the scene are Jovinski

Thorne, Junior calypso Monarch and

runner up Junior Soca Monarch 2018,

Tshanna Cort( two time junior calypso

Monarch 2016 & 2017).

Another new comer is Onica Joseph &

Brandon Harding 2018 senior calypso

king and queen. Fresh names on the

scene are Diana Chapman calypso

monarch 2017 and Drew Thoven,

producer, working with prominent

Caribbean artistes.

Brandon Harding retained his crown

in 2019.

Guyana has been a favourite

destination for International Mega

Artistes as local promoters ensure

regular star-studded treats for tens

of thousands of Guyanese and music

fans from neighbouring states and

sister Caribbean countries.

Soca King - Machell Montano, Rap

Sensation – Rick Ross, Dance Hall

Super Stars – Popcaan, Tommy Lee

as well as R&B heart throb, R Kelly

and John Legend have all graced the

Guyanese stage.

Popular Indian playback singers, Udit

Narayan and Alka Yagnik as well as

Muslim rock start Sami Yusuf are all

in the mix, performing at the Guyana

National Stadium.. The Stalwarts and

Music Ambassadors continue to hold

their own.

Eddy Grant of the Equals fame

remixed his ‘Electric Avenue’ a few

years ago and hit platinum with great

international success.

The Guyana Festival, staged in August

2014, held a ‘Night of Legends’ which

featured many of our singers of

yesteryear: Dave Martins, Sammy

Baksh, Sach Persaud teaming up with

a younger generation artistes Lisa

Punch, Terry Gagraj, and many others.

Guyana’s ethnicity has influenced its

125

Music

varied mixture of music: European,

Amerindian, African, Indian and

Caribbean. Long before Trinidad

& Tobago claimed that they were

the originators of chutney music,

Guyanese Urmila Harris’s ‘Benjie

Darling’ was hitting our airwaves back

in the 60’s. Bill Rogers was our Shanto

king and creator of this genre of music.

His son Young Bill Rogers is following

in his footsteps. The late Lord Canary

(over 70 years in the calypso arena) and

King Fighter were feared contenders

in T&T calypso tents. They have all

laid the foundation for the dynamic

resurgence of the Guyanese music

industry we are now experiencing.

Guyanese rock star, Gavin Mendonca,

has been putting a new twist to our

folk music in combination with African

Drummer Chucky and making it very

appealing and popular. He is quite

busy on the local and international

scene, performing at many of our

‘Guyana day’ events in London, New

York, Florida and other international

folk and story-telling festivals.

While Vanita Willie scored 2nd place in

the Trinidad & Tobago Chutney Soca

Monarch-Queen of Chutney Soca

2021.

Prominent Caribbean gospel artiste,

Samuel Medas took the crown for our

2021 Soca Monarch. Adrain Dutchin

won 2023 Soca Monarch with Vinel

Hinds the Junior Soca Monarch and

Bunty Singh Chutney Monarch. Senior

Calypso Monarch for 2023 was Roger

Hinds and Junior Calypso Monarch

Theodora Dennet.

The new initiatives introduced by His

Excellency Dr Irfaan Ali in partnership

with The Ministry of Culture Youth

and Sport with Mr. Charles Ramson

at the helm has seen the introduction

of cricket carnival and several new

events.

These new events have created a

huge platform for the employment

and exposure of talents across the

spectrum from Legends in concert to

Battle of the studios. Cricket Carnival

has created the largest platform for

music in recent times and is set to

create dynamic change in the music

industry.

Our music will have a competitive

edge via tourism purchases and their

attendance at the various events.

I would urge our Guyanese musicians

and performers to take the fullest

advantage of these new initiatives for

monetisation of their talents.

126

Recreational Spots

Recreational Spots

NATIONAL PARK

Located in Thomas Lands, the

park was originally named ‘Queen

Elizabeth Park’ and was opened by

Queen Elizabeth 11 on February 5th,

1966. Within the park are the Burrowes

School of Art with a sculpture of E. R.

Burrowes on its roof, a sculpture in

honour of scouting in Guyana and the

Children’s Millennium Monument.

This was unveiled by former President

Janet Jagan on March 15, 2000. It

consists of a hemisphere at the base,

an upside-down ‘L’ and the rising sun

at the top of the structure. The vertical

portion of the upside- down ‘L’ signifies

the strength and growth of children,

the shorter horizontal portion of the

‘L’ reflects the unlimited potential of

children and the rising sun signifies

the development of children.

An inscription on the hemisphere

at the base reads as follows, “Every

child has the right to, A Name and

Nationality, A Family, Healthcare,

Education, Play...” There are six

benches around the monument

representing the six races of Guyana.

The monument was designed by the

artist Michael Khan.

Many sporting groups use the park as

practice grounds for games such as

hockey, football, rugby, track and field.

Many Guyanese use it for exercising,

weekend and holiday picnics, fishing,

cricket or relaxation. It is the home

for the annual Emancipation day of

activities and kits buzz in abundance

during the Easter season.

SEA WALL

Started as earth dams by Dutch

colonists it was completed by the

British in 1882, measuring 280

miles long. The original blocks were

replaced by concrete in 1880.It is

favoured for taking long walks or

jogging to the refreshing cool breezes

and the lapping waves from the

nearby Atlantic Ocean. Traditionally,

on Sunday evenings, many people

gather along the sections of the dyke

(which protects Georgetown from

flooding) located closer to the city to

enjoy each other’s company, savour

127

Recreational Spots

Caribbean-flavoured music, hot dogs,

fried chicken, hamburgers and nuts,

while the children enjoy a variety of

rides. The section between Vlissengen

Road and Camp Street is a big openair

party every Sunday evening,

frequented by a much younger crowd.

During Easter, kite flying is a very

popular tradition along the sea wall.

Recently, our First Lady, Ms. Arya Ali,

as one of her beautification project,

transformed the Seawall into a

boardwalk-like site to be enjoyed by

all Guyanese.

BOTANICAL GARDENS &

ZOOLOGICAL PARK

The Botanical Gardens is one of

Georgetown’s popular recreation

parks. In 1877, Government voted

$72,000 to establish the Gardens,

and John Frederick Waby, the first

gardener, arrived in Georgetown in

December 1878. He spent 35 years in

Guyana, landscaping one of the finest

tropical gardens in our region. The

Gardens are an expansive garden-style

site that is perfect for weekend picnics

or a trip to see the interesting variety

of animals, both popular as well as

those that are unique to Guyana,

showcased in their fenced-in habitats,

or to absorb some of our history by

stopping at the place of the Seven

Ponds (tombs of former Presidents) &

Mausoleum which houses the remains

of the late President Forbes Burnham

(the first elected president of Guyana).

These gardens have a huge variety

of tropical flowers and one of the

Gardens’ vast collection of palms, as

well as lovely lilies. An example of the

gardens vast collection are the lotus

and the immense Victoria Regia Lily,

Guyana’s national flower, which was

first discovered in the Berbice River.

THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK

This park exhibits a variety of the

flora and fauna of Guyana. The first

attempt to establish a Zoo dates back

to 1880, but the members of the Royal

Agricultural Society were opposed

to the idea. However in 1952, the

Zoological Park was declared open.

THE MAUSOLEUM

Located at the Place of the Seven

Ponds, this imposing monument is

constructed of reinforced concrete

and local materials. This monument,

which is the final resting place of

the former President of Guyana, Mr.

Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham,

was erected in 1986. It was designed

by architect Mr. George Henry.

PROMENADE GARDENS

The Promenade Gardens are located

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Recreational Spots

on a portion of what was once a field

known as Parade Ground, where

slaves convicted of being involved in

the 1823 East Coast Rebellion were

hanged. Originally, the entire area was

used for military parades and training.

The grisly history of the area had long

moved some members of the public

to suggest it be made into a public

garden, perhaps as a way of honouring

those victims of an inhuman system.

In 1851, after funding was obtained,

steps were taken to transform the site

into a garden which was completed in

1853; seats were constructed for the

public in 1859.

Occupying one city block, with its

main entrance located on Middle

Street in Cummingsburg, the

Promenade Gardens were designed

by a Trinidadian botanist. The garden

was constructed to offer a pleasant

view for the Governor from his

verandah in Carmichael Street.

The bandstand situated within

the Gardens was erected in

commemoration of Queen Victoria’s

Diamond Jubilee.

Completed in 1897, it is considered

the oldest bandstand of three in the

city.

A well-known monument in the

Garden is the Mahatma Ghandi

monument in honour of the

international icon of peace and

advocator of non-violence.

Along with several fountains and an

arched walkway, a recent construction

in the Gardens, is the Arya Samaj

Monument erected in 2011.

It has been suggested that the

Promenade Gardens at one time

boasted the largest range of wild

orchids in the Caribbean before it fell

into disrepair during the 80s and 90s.

The site was rehabilitated in 2006

and the Bandstand refurbished by

Republic Bank in 2009.

The Promenade Gardens were used

for several civic functions including

entertainment from music bands;

today, after refurbishment, it remains

the site of many public and private

events, including the popular annual

Inner Wheel Club’s Easter Hat Show,

weddings, and fashion photo shoots

to name a few.

LUSIGNAN GOLF CLUB

For golfing, go to the Lusignan Golf

Club (LGC). It is a members’ club but

visitors may book tee time. Please

call the number below, indicating the

size of your party, to obtain club rules,

and/or purchase balls if necessary.

Opens daily: 8:00am – 8:00pm;

Saturdays & Sundays: 7:00am –

11:00pm.

The Club House is usually open after

hours. Club House Tel: 220-5660

129

Resorts, Eco-Lodges & Tour Operators

Sir Walter Raleigh came to Guyana in

search of the fabled “City of Gold”.

Guyana’s tepui (table top-mountain)

Roraima, inspired Conan Doyle’s “The

Lost World”.

Guyana has an irresistible combination

of fascinating and breathtaking

natural beauty: pristine Amazonian

rainforests, immense waterfalls,

amazing wildlife, a vibrant indigenous

culture, rich cultural heritage and the

most hospitable and friendly people

in the world. Guyana is a paradise for

the nature lover, adventure seeker and

the eco tourist alike.

As opposed to the sun-and-sand

tourism product offered by many

of its Caribbean neighbors, Guyana

offers a distinct product—vast open

spaces, sprawling savannahs, virgin

rainforests, mountains, rvers and

waterfalls, the most famous of which

is the majestic Kaieteur Falls, known

to be the highest single drop waterfall

in the world and five times taller than

Niagara Falls.

Guyana also boasts an abundance of

wildlife that includes more than 800

species of birds and over 1000 tree

types in its virgin rainforest, numerous

species of flora, a variety of fauna and

spectacular birdlife. These sites are

accessible by land, air and river and

are served by high-quality eco- resorts

in the interior.

The capital, Georgetown, is well

known for its picturesque, treelined

avenues, bustling markets, and

wooden buildings, including the

renowned St. George’s

Cathedral, reportedly the world’s

tallest wooden building.

Visitors can explore the Rupununi

Savannahs, the huge rivers and lakes

of the Essequibo, historic Dutch forts,

the Demerara River and creeks or

fish for peacock bass up the Abary or

Mahaica Creeks.

There are resorts in all the various

locations suitably outfitted for your

comfort and safety: Nature Resorts

in the Essequibo River and coast,

Eco Lodges in the Rupununi either

privately owned or managed by the

Community for short and overnight

visits, a drive from the Capital city to

the Linden Highway for a day at the

creek offers something different to

suit your needs.

The Linden Highway resorts or fun

parks are ideal on a low budget or

if you do not want to travel long

distances. You can get to one of them

from the Capital within 90 minutes.

Just pack your own picnic baskets

and for a small entrance fee (US$2.00

approx.) per person, spend a relaxing

day in a hammock under a tree or

130


an indigenous benab, swimming,

indulging in various water sports like

kayaks, pedal boats , water slides, jet

skis or simply communing with nature.

In the past these creeks, like Long

Creek, Dakara Creek, Madewini Creek,

and Red Water Creek were frequented

by Guyanese, especially on weekends

or holidays for swimming and

picnicking, at no entrance fee.

The only difference today is that most

of these creeks have been developed,

some into modern Fun Parks. Some

have retained their rustic and natural

setting with modern conveniences

while others are more developed.

DEMERARA RIVER,

LINDEN HIGHWAY &

LINDEN

ARROWPOINT NATURE RESORT

Kamuni Creek

Tel: (592) 225-9647-8

BEESTING

Pokerero Creek

Tel: (592) 226-1072

SPLASHMIN’S FUN PARK

Linden Highway

Tel: (592) 223-7301

JUBILEE FUN PARK

Dakara Creek,

Timehri

Tel: (592) 225-4020

E: reservations@jubileeresort.com

www.jubileeresort.com

131


MARUDI CREEK

Linden Highway

Tel: (592) 624-6011

NETSURF NATURE PARK

Soesdyke, Linden Highway

Tel: (592) 644 6840

PANDAMA RETREAT & WINERY

Linden Highway

Tel: (592) 654-1865

UMBRELLA RESORT

Soesdyke, Linden Highway

Tel: (592) 610-5722

BIMICHI ECO LODGE

St. Cuthbert’s Mission

Tel: (592) 678 9474

UBUDEE LODGE

Moraikabai Village,

Region 5

Tel: (592) 668 6249

WAYNE’S WORLD & OASIS

717 Amelia’s Ward, South Linden

Tel: (592) 666 9318

SHIBA KALICO

17 Mile, Rockstone

Tel: (592) 220-3630

ESSEQUIBO RIVER &

COAST & REGION 1

HORO HANOCO ECO LODGE

Waraopoka, Region 1

IMBOTERO RESEARCH CENTER

Region 1

Tel: (592) 659-4433

Imbotero.org

ADELS RAINFOREST LODGE

Pomeroon River, Essequibo

Tel: (301) 938-5513

ARUWAI WHITEWATER H20

RESORT

Mazaruni River

Tel: (592) 600-4522

BAGANARA ISLAND RESORT

Essequibo River

Tel: (592) 222-2525, Ogle

E: reservations@

evergreenadventuresgy.com

www.evergreenadventuresgy.com

132


HURAKABRA RIVER RESORT

Essequibo River

Tel: (592) 705-3017

E: info@hurakabra.org

FB: hurakabra river resort

W: www.hurakabra.org

LAKE MAINSTAY RESORT

Essequibo Coast

Tel: (592) 226-2975, 771-4959

LAKE MOSHABO

Essequibo Coast

Tel: (592) 692-3455

LAKE CAPOEY

Essequibo Coast

Tel: (592) 669-6979

MARY’S SUNSET RESORT

Bartica

Tel: (592) 680-5840

PANDAMA RETREAT

Panadama,

Linden Highway

Tel: (592) 654-1865

SLOTH ISLAND NATURE RESORT

Essequibo River

OFFICE: 91 Middle Street,

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 223-7921/227-1166-74

E: reservations@ dagron-tours.com

W: www.dagron-tours.com

WEST COAST BERBICE &

CORENTYNE, BERBICE

DHANDARRY RESORT

Upper Abary River

Tel: (592) 654-5409

PARK SQUARE FUN CITY

Block ‘H’ Park,

Mahaicony

Tel: (592) 221-2858

OUTBACK ADVENTURES

Goldstone, New Amsterdam

E: havendrasookraj0824@gmail.com

DO PARK ECO LODGE

Plantation Philadelphia, Canje

Tel: (592) 614-7599

RUPUNUNI

APOTERI JUNGLE LODGE

Apoteri Village, North Rupununi

Tel: (592) 677-5668

ATTA RAINFOREST LODGE

c/o Wilderness Explorer

Tel: (592) 227-7698

CAIMAN HOUSE FIELD STATION

& LODGE

Yupukari Village

Tel: (592) 772-9291

133


KANUKU ECO LODGE

Region 9

Tel: (592) 226-4001

KARANAMBU LODGE

North Rupununi

Tel: (592) 624-2111

IWOKRAMA RIVER LODGE &

TOURS

Kurupukari, Upper Takatu/Essequibo

Tel: (592) 225-1504/600-3504

E: tourism@iwokrama.org

www.iwokramariverlodge.com

www.booking.com

MANARI RANCH

Lethem

Tel: (592) 668-2006

MOUNTAINSTREAM LODGE

St. Ignatius

Tel: (516) 444-8251

PAKARAIMA MOUNTAIN INN

Rupununi Rd, Pakaraimas

Tel: (592) 644-3145

PARAIBA LODGE

Essequibo River,

Upper Takutu/Essequibo

Tel: (592) 673-0039

ROCK VIEW LODGE

Annai, North Rupununi

Tel: (592) 645-9675

134

REWA ECO LODGE

North Rupununi

Tel: (592) 609-4474

SADDLE MOUNTAIN LODGE

Saddle Mt., South Rupununi

Tel: (592) 679-1646

SURAMA ECO LODGE

North Rupununi

Tel: (592) 653-7160

WAIKIN RANCH

Pirara West, Rupununi

Tel: (592) 225-4178

WICHIBAI RANCH

South Rupununi

Tel: (592) 688-9334

TOUR OPERATORS

ADVENTURE TOURS

Tel: (592) 643-5119

adventuretourslinden@gmail.com

DAGRON TOURS

91 Middle Street, Georgetown

Tel: (592) 223-7921/227-1166-74

E: reservations@ dagron-tours.com

www.dagron-tours.com

DESTINATION TOURS

Alexander St. Kitty, Georgetown

Tel: (592) 671-5828

E: destinationtoursgy@gmail.com


OUTDOOR EXPEDITIONS

Tel: (592) 649-2411

TAKE A TOUR LINDEN

Tel: (592) 656-3296

TOURING GUYANA

Tel: (592) 700-5252

EL DORADO TOURS

ELITE KAYAKING & NATURE TOURS

Tel: (592) 620 4659

E: elitekayaking@gmail.com

ECO TOUR AGENCY

Tel: (592) 705-1285

EVERGREEN ADVENTURES

Tel: (592) 222-2525, Ogle

E: reservations@

evergreenadventuresgy.com

www.evergreenadventuresgy.com

MAHAICA RIVER TOURS (Ramesh)

Tel: (592) 621-7332

DIAMOND TOURS

Tel: (592) 663-6974

TRAIL MASTERS

ADVENTURE TOURS

176 Middle Street,

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-0064

WANDERLUST ADVENTURES GY

Lamaha & Waterloo Sts.

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 231-8618

WILDERNESS EXPLORERS

141 Fourth St.,

Campbellville,

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 227-7698

592 TOURS

Tel: (592) 662-7580

OLD FORT TOURS

Church St.,

Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225-1035

135

Shopping

Shopping in Guyana can be very

exciting. You will find large

selection of souvenir items ranging

from paintings, sculpture, basket

and straw items in the forms of fruit

bowls, dolls, bags, pouches, purple

heart salad bowls, leather bags,

shoes, sandals, pens, pen-holders,

Amerindian lifestyles depicted in

balata, wood species for wall hangings

and, most of all, the authentic

Amerindian hammocks. So ‘shop till

you drop’ and very cheaply too!

Guyana is known for its gold, precious

and semi -precious stones. Visitors

clamour for our ‘rich yellow’ gold

jewellery. Many of our semi- precious

stones are intricately crafted into

pendants, earrings, bracelets and

rings to adorn your body.

GUYANA GEMS in Hadfield street

offers elegant and intricate jewellery

crafted from our semi-precious stones.

The Hibiscus Craft Plaza (downtown),

in front of the General Post Office for

paintings, pottery and other great

local craft ideas.

The Main Street Avenue is usually lined

with a wide selection of Guyanese

sculptures of various sizes sculpted

from a variety of hard and soft wood

found in our forest.

Fashion designers have been making

their mark internationally with their

designs of hand painted, batik,

Discharged and tye-dyed clothing.

Some of the boutiques downtown will

have just what you are looking for on

their racks or at the various Malls

SHOPPING HOURS

Normal shopping hours are between

8:00am and 5:00pm; however, stores

at the various downtown Malls remain

open until 7:00pm while those in

the Malls out of the city open until

10.00p.m

GIFTLAND MALL offers variety

of shops and various levels of

restaurants from fast food, creole,

snack food, upscale restaurants and a

supermarket.

136

Sporting Organizations

– ASSOCIATIONS PRESIDENTS TELE N O :

1

Guyana Amateur Boxing

Association

Mr. Steve Ninvalle

624-6699 (P)/

628-8299 (S)

2 Guyana Football Federation Mr. Wayne Forde 225-0892/227-8758

3 Guyana Squash Association Mr. Owen Verwey 600-9600

4 Guyana Taekwondo Association

Mr. Ramjeet

Ramphal

5 Athletics’ Association of Guyana Mr. Aubrey Hutson

6 Guyana National Rifle Association Brig. Patrick West

7 Guyana Table Tennis Association Mr. Godfrey Munroe

225-5521/225-5522

624-0784 (P)/

671-6601 (S)

231-7160

623-0963 (S)/

225-4902

621-7630 (S)/

686-7473 (P)

8 Guyana Tennis Association Ms. Cristy Campbell 697-7802 (P)

9 Guyana Cycling Federation

Mr. Linden

Dowridge

619-8147 (P)/

600-6983 (S)

10

Guyana Amateur Swimming

Association

Mr. Dwayne Scott

664-1118 (P)/

643-5099 (S)

11

Guyana Amateur Bodybuilding

Federation

Mr Keavon Bess

681-6759 (P)/

693-6186 (S)

12 Guyana Volleyball Federation Mr. Levi Nedd 641-9592 (P)

13 Guyana Badminton Association

14 Guyana Hockey Board

Emelia Ramdhani

(Sec.)

Mr. Philip

Fernandes

610-9510

620-0185/661-7404

15 Guyana Basketball Federation Mr. Michael Singh

137

Sporting Organizations

16

Guyana Amateur Weightlifting

Association

Mr. Seon Erskine

17 Guyana Rugby Football Union Mr. Ryan Dey

18 Guyana Karate Federation Mr. Amir Khouri

19 Guyana Judo Federation Mr. William Arthur

20 Guyana Netball Federation Ms. Lavern Fraser

613-4443 (P)/

696-6452 (S)

675-3595 (P)/

622-9664 (S)

658-0425 (P)/

227-6437/218-1835

627-8540 (S)

625-5138 (P)/

625-5301 (S)

680-5850 (P)/

672-5497 (S)

21 Guyana Baseball League Mr. Robin Singh 614-4862

22 Guyana Canoe Federation

23 Guyana Archery Association Mr. Mohamed Khan 625-2424

24 Guyana Wrestling Association Mr. Marcello Small

673-9221 (P)/

664-5244 (S)

25 Guyana Fencing Federation Mr. Samuel Barakat 684-9567 (P)

26

Guyana Amateur Powerlifting

Federation

Mr. Gordon Spencer

626-4717 (P)

NON –GOA MEMBERS

1 Cricket Anand Sanasi 225-4813/227-7130

2 Darts Dr. Terence Joseph 623-8192

3 Dominoes Colin Mc Ewan 642-7502

4 Golf-Lusignan Golf Club Patangellie Persaud 220-5660

5

Guyana Motor Racing &

Sports Club

Rameez Mohamed 231-5457/655-7197

6 Scrabble Leon Belony 616-2430

138

Nappi Village

by Lynmarie Demetro

SnapNShare57

Notes

140

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