Guyana is the South American country that often surprises people before they have even arrived. English is its official language, its cuisine leans as much towards the Caribbean as the continent around it, and much of its interior remains rainforest, river and savannah rather than road and city.

This is a destination for travellers excited by small aircraft, community-run lodges, wildlife that may not appear on cue, and journeys where a guide’s local knowledge matters. The reward is access to landscapes and encounters that still feel genuinely rare.

Kaieteur Falls provides the headline, while the Rupununi opens into expansive savannah and ranch country. Eco-lodges at places such as Rewa, Surama and Yupukari connect visitors with Indigenous knowledge and generate income linked to protecting wildlife and habitat.