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Discover Georgetown

South America's Only English-Speaking Capital

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Location Overview

Georgetown

South America's Only English-Speaking Capital

Georgetown sits at the mouth of the Demerara River on Guyana's Atlantic coast, built on land that lies almost a meter below high-tide level and protected by a seawall that runs for kilometers along the shoreline. Founded by the Dutch in 1781 and expanded under British rule, the city retains the largest collection of 19th-century wooden buildings anywhere in the world, most famously St. George's Cathedral at 43.5 meters, one of the tallest wooden structures ever built. Georgetown is the only English-speaking capital in South America and the headquarters of CARICOM, the organization that ties Guyana culturally to the Anglophone Caribbean despite its South American geography. The city's population blends Indo-Guyanese, Afro-Guyanese, Amerindian, Chinese, Portuguese, and European heritage, reflected in markets, temples, mosques, churches, and a food scene drawing on Indian, African, Creole, and Chinese traditions.
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Georgetown Tours

Handcrafted expeditions into the remote corners of Georgetown — led by local experts, designed for the curious traveller.

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Experiences

Things to Do in Georgetown

Starting points for your perfect trip

01

Wooden Architecture Walking Tour

Half-day walking tour of central Georgetown with a local historian. Covers St. George's Cathedral, City Hall, Parliament Building, and the residential timber houses of Kingston and Cummingsburg, with focus on Demerara shutters, greenheart construction, and the fires that shaped the city.

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02

Stabroek Market Food Walk

Morning walk through Georgetown's 1881 market with a Creole food specialist. Sample curry and roti, metemgee, pepperpot, bake and saltfish, and fresh tropical fruit while learning how Indo-Guyanese, Afro-Guyanese, and Amerindian cooking traditions merged into the national cuisine.

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03

Demerara Seawall at Sunrise

Early morning walk along Georgetown's seawall promenade watching the Atlantic at low tide as the city wakes. Local fishermen work the shoreline, joggers and cricketers use the promenade, and the contrast between city and ocean gives the clearest sense of Georgetown's geography.

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04

Botanical Gardens and Zoo Visit

Georgetown's 1877 Botanical Gardens contain some of the last remaining manatees in urban Guyana, plus a small zoo housing jaguars, harpy eagles, and scarlet ibis rescued from the interior. A quiet morning visit offers an introduction to Guyanese wildlife before traveling to see it in the wild.

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South America's Only English-Speaking Capital

Stories from Georgetown

A Capital Built Below the Atlantic

Georgetown sits at the mouth of the Demerara River on Guyana’s northern Atlantic coast, built on land that lies 0.91 meters below high-tide level. The city is one of the few national capitals in the world where daily life depends on an active system of sea defenses, drainage canals, and sluices that carry water out of the city and into the ocean at low tide. The Dutch engineered the original drainage layout during their colonial period, and the system is still maintained along the same principles today.

Founded in 1781 during the Dutch Demerara colony, the city was originally called Longchamps and then Stabroek before British forces renamed it Georgetown in 1812 after King George III. It became the capital of British Guiana and remained so when the country gained independence in 1966. Georgetown is the only English-speaking capital in South America and serves as the headquarters of CARICOM, the Caribbean Community, an intergovernmental organization that formally links Guyana with fourteen other member states in economic and political cooperation across the Anglophone Caribbean region.

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Best Time to Visit Georgetown

Two dry seasons bracket Georgetown's festival calendar

Dry Seasons
September – October & February – April
79–89°F Low (70–140mm)
Peak
Georgetown's two dry windows bracket the main travel seasons for Guyana. September and October are the driest months with around 7 to 8 rainy days each and 8 hours of daily sunshine. February through April is the longer dry window, slightly more humid but still reliable for outdoor walks and heritage tours. Mashramani in February fills the streets with costumed parades and soca music for Republic Day, while September is Amerindian Heritage Month with cultural exhibitions across the city. Both windows are the strongest for exploring colonial architecture, the seawall promenade, and Stabroek Market without sudden showers.
Secondary Wet Season
November – January
79–88°F Heavy (195–275mm)
Good
Georgetown's secondary wet season brings heavier afternoon showers but stays viable for city exploration, with mornings generally clear enough for walking tours and market visits. December is the wettest month of this period, averaging around 275mm of rain. Diwali often falls in November, filling neighborhoods with lights and pujas, while December brings Christmas celebrations and January ends with Old Year's Night fireworks. Accommodation prices rise around the holiday period and flights to interior destinations can book out weeks in advance. Book heritage hotels early for the last two weeks of December.
Primary Wet Season
May – August
79–88°F Very Heavy (165–305mm)
Shoulder
Georgetown's primary rainy season averages 19 to 22 rainy days per month from May through July, with heavy afternoon downpours and frequent street flooding in a city that sits below sea level. Mornings often remain clear enough for indoor visits, food walks, and quick sightseeing, but interior itineraries become harder as overland routes flood and charter flights face weather delays. Hotel rates drop significantly, so budget-conscious travelers can find Georgetown more affordable. Pack waterproof shoes and a packable rain jacket. Plan city activities for early morning before the afternoon rain bands arrive.
Long Rainy Season
May – August
72–88°F Very Heavy (165–305mm)
Shoulder
Georgetown's wettest period averaging 19–22 rainy days monthly from May through July. Heavy afternoon downpours can cause street flooding in this below-sea-level city. Interior roads become difficult. Mornings often remain clear for sightseeing and accommodation prices drop significantly. Pack waterproof gear.
Annual Overview
Jan
79°
Feb
79°
Mar
79°
Apr
81°
May
80°
Jun
80°
Jul
79°
Aug
81°
Sep
81°
Oct
80°
Nov
81°
Dec
80°
Peak
Great
Good
Shoulder
Off-Season
Travel Logistics

Getting to Georgetown

Choose your route. Every option arrives at the same destination.

International Flight to Cheddi Jagan International

45 to 60 minute drive to central Georgetown
Journey Time
Georgetown is served by Cheddi Jagan International Airport (GEO/SYCJ) at Timehri, approximately 40 kilometers south of the city. Caribbean Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Copa, and Suriname Airways are the main carriers with direct flights from New York, Miami, Toronto, Panama City, and Port of Spain. Most North American travelers arrive via a stopover in Trinidad or Panama City.
Insider Tip
Allow 45 to 60 minutes for the airport transfer to central Georgetown hotels depending on traffic. Entry requires a valid passport with at least six months of remaining validity. No visa is required for most North American, European, and Commonwealth travelers.

Ogle Airport for Domestic Connections

15 minutes from central Georgetown by car
Journey Time
Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle handles almost all domestic flights within Guyana, including charters to Kaieteur Falls, Iwokrama, the Rupununi lodges, and the Shell Beach gateway towns. A handful of regional flights to Barbados, Suriname, and French Guiana also operate from Ogle. Trans Guyana Airways, Roraima Airways, and Air Services Limited are the main domestic carriers.
Insider Tip
Travelers continuing to interior destinations use Ogle, not Cheddi Jagan, so build transfer time between the two airports into itineraries when connecting from international arrivals. The airports are about 45 kilometers apart.
45 to 60 minute drive to central Georgetown

International Flight to Cheddi Jagan International

International Flight to Cheddi Jagan International

Georgetown is served by Cheddi Jagan International Airport (GEO/SYCJ) at Timehri, approximately 40 kilometers south of the city. Caribbean Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue, Copa, and Suriname Airways are the main carriers with direct flights from New York, Miami, Toronto, Panama City, and Port of Spain. Most North American travelers arrive via a stopover in Trinidad or Panama City.

Journey Time
45 to 60 minute drive to central Georgetown
Insider Tip
Allow 45 to 60 minutes for the airport transfer to central Georgetown hotels depending on traffic. Entry requires a valid passport with at least six months of remaining validity. No visa is required for most North American, European, and Commonwealth travelers.
15 minutes from central Georgetown by car

Ogle Airport for Domestic Connections

Ogle Airport for Domestic Connections

Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle handles almost all domestic flights within Guyana, including charters to Kaieteur Falls, Iwokrama, the Rupununi lodges, and the Shell Beach gateway towns. A handful of regional flights to Barbados, Suriname, and French Guiana also operate from Ogle. Trans Guyana Airways, Roraima Airways, and Air Services Limited are the main domestic carriers.

Journey Time
15 minutes from central Georgetown by car
Insider Tip
Travelers continuing to interior destinations use Ogle, not Cheddi Jagan, so build transfer time between the two airports into itineraries when connecting from international arrivals. The airports are about 45 kilometers apart.
Why Travel with Us

Travel with EcoVoyager

Ecovoyager uses Georgetown as the arrival and departure base for almost every Guyana itinerary, coordinating airport transfers, pre-expedition briefings, and city stays at heritage accommodations like Cara Lodge. We arrange half-day and full-day walking tours of the colonial core with local historians, Stabroek Market visits with Creole food specialists, and optional day trips to plantation ruins and the botanical gardens. For travelers with layover time, we can build a single afternoon into a focused introduction to the city's architecture, markets, and cultural mix.

Airport transfers and arrival briefings at Cheddi Jagan International
Heritage stays at Cara Lodge with walking access to the colonial core
Walking tours of 19th-century wooden architecture with local historians
Stabroek Market and culinary walks with Creole food specialists

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Georgetown Accommodations

Heritage hotels in central Georgetown with walking access to the colonial core

Historic Heritage Building

Cara Lodge

Quamina Street, Georgetown

A restored 19th-century wooden mansion in central Georgetown with original hardwood floors, antique furnishings, and tropical gardens. Cara Lodge operates as a heritage boutique hotel and serves as the most popular base for Ecovoyager guests during their Georgetown nights, with walking access to St. George's Cathedral, Stabroek Market, and the Demerara seawall.

From $180
per person/night
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