The first response from most of the people I told that I was going to Guyana fell along the lines of, “I thought that was in Africa?” It’s not! In fact, Guyana is in the northeast corner of South America. Nestled next to Venezuela, Brazil, and Suriname, Guyana is a former British colony. Pronounce GUY-ann-ahh, it is often confused or conflated with other neighboring former colonies: Suriname (once Dutch Guyana), and French Guiana (which is still technically a protectorate).
Since I know we are all wondering, the name Guyana comes from a geological formation comprising the bedrock along the coast underneath these countries as well as parts of Venezuela and Brazil.
The country won independence in the 1960s amid some political strife, which resulted in a diaspora of Guyanese throughout the world. Today, the country is peaceful and stable and many of those who once fled are finding their way back either as visitors or repatriated residents.
Roughly the size of the U.K., Guyana is home to just under 800,000 people, 90% of whom live in a stretch along the coast that cover about 25% of the territory. Kenneth showing the group where we are headed (Liz Boeheim)
Initially settled to supply sugar to the British Empire (any bakers familiar with Demerara Sugar will recognize the name of the river that runs through the capital city), the coast has a decidedly Caribbean flair - noticeable in the music playing from bodegas on weekend nights, the ubiquity of rum, and the carved-wooden historical mansions. Yet, the sugar industry also brought indentured workers from India, China, and elsewhere so that both the face of Guyana and the flavor of its cuisine is diverse and shows influence from all these regions and cultures.
Exploring one of Georgetown's colorful markets (Liz Boeheim)
As you move away from the coast, evidence of human inhabitation is quickly subsumed by the green of the jungle. Forest, much of it primary, covers 87% of the land. Inland is referred to by locals as “The Interior.” It is a part of the Amazon basin, shared with Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. Amerindian communities compose the population of the Interior, and these communities range in size from dozens to thousands. Connected mainly by packed dirt roads and river trails, life here is a stark contrast to life on the coast.
A view of the Demerara River between a break in the clouds (Liz Boeheim)
Whether this is the first time you’ve heard of Guyana, or it has been on your bucket list for years, the richness of culture is history of the coastal region and the Interior merit attention and only by experiencing them both will you have a complete vision of this still-hidden gem of a country.
We were a group of three that initiated our research by independently searching for the best agency to help us in the somewhat complex experience of traveling to the Galapagos. We chose adventure life because they were the most responsive in the website provided the most comprehensive overview of the trip. Their reviews were also very good.
Adventure, life splits up its booking process in two parts. First Jeff, the booking agent helped us decide which experience best suited are interests. We chose a small 14 to 16 group sized yacht. Once the booking was made with Jeff, we were handed off to Coleene, who oversaw the complex process of assembling all of the necessary documents and making sure we had everything we needed to make the trip go smoothly. The adventure, life website, then becomes your personal place of reference for all things related to your trip from door to door. It’s a lot of information to assemble, especially for three travelers, but the website makes it easy and Colleen‘s gentle reminders kept us on track. In all, from the beginning, we had four months from the time we started our research till the time we departed. We felt that was, a good amount of preparation time and don’t think it would be wise to do it in less than four months. Mostly because I think you have more options with that amount of time. There were others on our trip that took six months and more from the time they started planning.
The trip itself was outstanding. We ended up on an excellent yacht (Galapagos Angel II) with a great group of guests that we were able to connect with and put together a really nice google photos album to share.
Jed
6 days ago
Mary was very helpful. Quick to reply with helpful information and closure on arrangements.
Nicola Maxwell
1 week ago
Mary Curry and Elma are always so responsive and nice to deal with.
Michael
1 week ago
I enjoyed working with Jess to put together a private N.Z. trip. Jess has been my go-to person at Adventure Life over the past several years. She listens to what my husband and I want in a trip, and is always responsive to questions. Nothing seems to be too much of a bother for Jess.
DIANNE GRAY
1 week ago
Jane was my AE agent for the 2 months of helping me decide that this will be the most amazing trip we will ever experience in our lifetime and a memorable way to celebrate our 40th!
I was also able to work with Mike from Quark who was also very helpful.
Once I had decided to go ahead with my booking Kevin took over to assist Jane while on vacation.
Kevin was able to tweak the quote even more
and truly sealed the deal! He was patient with receiving my full payment as it took time to “round up that much cash” Were booking a delux balcony and there’s no looking back
I feel confident and very satisfied that I have made the best decision choosing Quark Expeditions and look forward to a top notch experience aboard the Ultramarine.
Both Jane and Kevin are sincere, professional and courteous. They met all of our needs
to ensure my process was stress free.
I’m looking forward to all our daily excursions then enjoying a Sauna and my own cold plunge in the tub! My back up plan
to the “Antarctic Plunge”
I look forward to getting to know and dealing with Mary Rose for all the final details that will make our trip complete. Great company!
