The Guianas - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 650

Hospital St Joseph's Mercy Hospital, 130-132 Parade St
( T 227 2072). Private hospital with 24hr emergency room.
Internet All accommodation options reviewed offer
internet and/or wi-fi. Otherwise try JT Online Internet Café
at 38 Cummings St.
Pharmacies Medi-care Pharmacy at 18 Hinck St or The
Medicine Chest at 315 Middle St.

- both great spots for a dip - and a short
hike through the jungle for a chance to
see some of the country's fabled wildlife.

Santa Mission
Though it's no substitute for visiting
the Amerindian villages of the interior,
a boat trip up Kumuni Creek to the Santa
Mission village is a good introduction to
Amerindian culture for those who have
little time. Here you learn about traditional
pastimes such as hunting and cassava
processing and you can pick up good-
quality woodcarvings and woven
handicrafts. A swim in the Black Creek is
usually thrown in for good measure.

DAY TRIPS FROM GEORGETOWN
Georgetown makes a good base for
ventures into the interior to visit
Kaieteur Falls - one of the most
impressive waterfalls in the world - as
well as trips up Essequibo River for an
appreciation of the country's colonial
past and mining present, and to Santa
Mission, for a taste of Amerindian life.

7

THE INTERIOR:
IWOKRAMA RAINFOREST AND
THE RUPUNUNI SAVANNAH
Visitors come to Guyana for two things:
pristine nature and Amerindian culture.
Both are found away from the colourful
chaos of Georgetown, in the interior,
reachable either by Guyana's main
highway that runs all the way to the
Brazilian border, or by frequent flights
made by small aircraft. Much of the road
passes through some of the oldest and
most pristine jungle on earth, home to

Essequibo and Mazaruni rivers
This popular day-trip involves a boat
journey on the Essequibo , one of
Guyana's main waterways. First stop is
the market town of Parika, then a visit to
Kyk Over Al , a seventeenth-century Dutch
fort, and a stopover in Bartica , a gritty
gold-mining town and a wonderful place
to get an insight into one of Guyana's
main trades. This is followed by a boat
trip up the smaller Mazaruni River to
the Bara Cara Falls or else Marshall Falls

TOURS OF THE INTERIOR
While travels in the interior are cheapest if you have the time and flexibility to arrange it all
independently (see box opposite), there are several reputable tour operators in Georgetown
who specialize in nature and adventure tours throughout Guyana's hinterland and who can
also arrange day-trips to Kaieteur Falls and other destinations within easy reach of the capital.
Prices are roughly as follows: tour of the city (US$30-40); day-trip to Bartica (US$120); day-trip
to Santa Mission (US$120); flight to Kaieteur Falls (US$195-240).

TOUR OPERATORS
Bushmasters W bushmasters.co.uk. Jungle survival
courses in pristine jungle and cowboy adventure tours
in the Rupununi Savannah.
Evergreen Adventures Pegasus Hotel, Seawall Rd
T 225 4484, W evergreenadventuresgy.com. City tours,
four types of Kaieteur Falls trips, day-trips up Essequibo
River and to Berbice.
Rainforest Tours 5 Av of the Republic, 1st floor
T 231 5661, W rftours.com. This longest-standing,
helpful operator specializes in overland treks to
Kaieteur Falls. Flights to the falls, Santa Mission and up
the Essequibo River also arranged.

Roraima Tours 8 Eping Av, Bell Air Park T 225 9648,
W roraimaairways.com. Linked with Roraima Airways
and offering the cheapest flights to Kaieteur Falls
(US$195). Kaieteur/Arrowpoint day tours also available.
Wilderness Explorers Cara Suites, 176 Middle St
T 227 7698, W wilderness-explorers.com. Renowned
operator specializing in custom-made adventure tours
of Guyana, but they also do shorter jaunts.
Wonderland Tours 85 Quamina St T 225 3122,
W wonderlandtoursgy.com. Trips to Kaieteur Falls,
day-trips up Essequibo and Mazaruni rivers, culinary
tours and more.