Guyana Travel Information

US, UK, EU, Canadian, and Caribbean Commonwealth citizens can enter Guyana visa-free for stays up to 90 days. Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your entry date, and immigration may ask to see onward travel or proof of accommodation.

The best time to visit Guyana is during the long dry season from mid-September to mid-November, when rivers are at navigable levels and rainforest trails are passable. A shorter dry window from mid-February through April also works well, particularly for wildlife viewing on the Rupununi savannah.

Guyana is generally safe for tourists who stick to established travel patterns. The remote interior, where most EcoVoyager itineraries spend their time, has very low crime. Petty theft does happen in parts of Georgetown after dark, so we coordinate hotel-based transfers and avoid certain neighborhoods at night.

English is the official language of Guyana, making it the only English-speaking country in South America. Guyanese Creole is spoken in everyday conversation. Hindustani is used within Indo-Guyanese communities, and indigenous languages including Wapishana, Makushi, and Arawak are spoken in interior communities.

The Guyanese Dollar (GYD) is the local currency, though US dollars are widely accepted at hotels, tour operators, and larger restaurants. ATMs are limited to Georgetown and a few coastal towns, so we recommend bringing US cash in small bills for the interior. Credit cards work at major hotels but rarely elsewhere.

Most of Guyana is roadless rainforest, so domestic travel relies on small aircraft, motorized river boats, and 4x4 vehicles. Trans Guyana Airways and Air Services Limited operate flights from Ogle Airport (OGL) to interior airstrips, while river boats serve communities along the Essequibo, Demerara, and Rupununi rivers.

Yellow fever vaccination is required only if you're arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. If you're flying direct from the US, UK, EU, or Canada you don't need proof of vaccination, but most travel doctors still recommend it given Guyana's rainforest environment and the lifetime protection a single dose provides.

Guyana is known for Kaieteur Falls (one of the world's most powerful single-drop waterfalls at 226 meters), vast rainforest covering over 80% of the country, and indigenous-led ecotourism in the Rupununi savannah. It's a stronghold for jaguars, giant river otters, harpy eagles, and giant anteaters.

A meaningful Guyana trip needs at least 8 to 10 days to combine Kaieteur Falls, time in the Iwokrama rainforest, and a Rupununi savannah ranch. Two weeks lets you add the deep south Wapishana communities or coastal Shell Beach for nesting sea turtles in season.

Tap water in Guyana is not considered safe to drink. Use bottled or filtered water throughout your trip, including for brushing teeth. EcoVoyager-vetted lodges provide filtered drinking water at no extra cost.