The Guianas - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 638

Introduction
The Guianas, which comprise the independent nations of Guyana and
Suriname and the French overseas département of French Guiana, feel more
Caribbean than South American. As a result of colonial legacies the of cial
languages are English (Guyana), Dutch (Suriname) and French (French
Guiana), and each has an ethnically diverse population, a mix of indigenous
peoples, descendants of European colonizers and their slaves, East Indians,
Indonesians, Southeast Asian refugees and Haitians.

Tucked between Brazil's Amazonian
region and the continent's northeast
coast, the verdant Guianas are criss-
crossed by rivers; indeed, the
Amerindian word guiana means “land
of many waters”. Between eighty and
ninety percent of the area is covered by
dense tropical forests. Jaguars, pumas,
caimans, iguanas, ocelots, tapirs and
other diverse wildlife thrive in this
environment, making the Guianas an
ecotourism haven. That said, wildlife
can remain stubbornly elusive, and
though you're bound to see birds,
monkeys and small rodents, you'll be
very lucky to spot a big cat. It's worth
the expense to stay in a jungle lodge ,
to take a river trip down some of
its majestic waterways, or to witness
sea turtles laying their eggs.
The towns take a back seat to nature in
the Guianas, but the capital cities of
Georgetown (Guyana), Paramaribo
(Suriname) and Cayenne (French
Guiana) have a certain charm and are
worth exploring for a day or two.
Paramaribo is the best preserved,
Georgetown has wonderful wooden
architecture, and edgy Cayenne offers
a mainland France-style nightlife.
These three capitals comprise the
main international gateways from

the Caribbean, North America and
Europe. Within South America, you
can fly directly to all three from Belém
and Boa Vista in Brazil.
Borders between the Guianas are
marked by imposing rivers, and crossing
involves taking infrequent ferries and
motorized boats . From Guyana to
Suriname, you'll need to cross the
Corentyne River from Molson Creek to
South Drain near Nieuw Nickerie (see
box, p.659); and from Suriname to
French Guiana, the Maroni River from
Albina to Saint-Laurent du Maroni (see
box, p.684). Overland travel between
the three countries, although lengthy,
is relatively straightforward.

7

WHEN TO VISIT
Temperatures in the Guianas vary little
from one month to the next: generally
20°C to 33°C, with a mean temperature
of around 27°C (slightly hotter in the
interior owing to the absence of the
cooling coastal trade winds). This makes
deciding when to plan a trip much more
dependent on the dry and wet seasons.
While the tropical forest is lush and green
during the wet season, navigating the
many unsealed roads that govern land
access to the interior can be extremely
di cult (if not impossible). The main
rainy seasons in the region are generally
between May and August and from
around mid-November to mid-January. As
such, late summer/early autumn and late
winter/early spring are the optimum
times for a visit - the latter particularly, as
this is when many carnival celebrations
take place.

COUCH SURFING
The Guianas are not a traditional budget
destination so you may want to consider
staying with locals by joining an online
hospitality site such as W couchsurfing
.org (see p.34).