Guyana

Guyana lies in the northeast of South America, bordered by Venezuela, Suriname, Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean. There are over 1600km (965 miles) of navigable rivers in the country. The interior is either high savannah uplands, or thick, hilly jungle and forest, which occupy over 85 per cent of the country’s area. The narrow coastal strip is cultivated to produce the major cash crop, sugar. One of the most spectacular sights to be seen in the interior is the towering Kaieteur Falls along the Potaro River, five times the height of Niagara. The 19th-century wooden houses of the capital, Georgetown, are supported on stilts, and charming green boulevards laid out along the lines of the old Dutch canals give it a unique character. Some of the more impressive wooden buildings dating from the colonial past include St George’s Cathedral and the State House. Restaurants serve specialities such as Portuguese garlic pork and Amerindian pepperpot. Local rum, known as Demerara Rum, is well worth trying, while the local beer is Banks. There are numerous nightclubs and bars in Georgetown.