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Travel guide · Rainforest, savannah and a giant waterfall

Travelling to Guyana

Kaieteur Falls deep in the rainforest, the Rupununi savannah with giant otters and jaguars, and Georgetown, the wooden capital on the Atlantic. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from September to April
  • Where to eat: a Creole restaurant or a market stall
Photo: Dan Lundberg · CC BY-SA 2.0

Guyana in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Guyana are from September to April.
  • To eat like a local: a Creole restaurant or a market stall. Don’t leave without trying: Pepperpot, Cook-up rice, Roti and curry.

Guyana in November

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Guyana. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

November is one of the months when people search most for travelling to Guyana: book early. More destinations for November

When to travel to Guyana

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Guyana are from September to April.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May with warnings
  6. Jun with warnings
  7. Jul with warnings
  8. Aug with warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in January · where to travel in February · where to travel in March · where to travel in April

  • from May to August

    Main rainy season

    From May to August it rains heavily and some roads in the interior are cut off.

    What to do: The best time is September to November.

What to see in Guyana

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Georgetown

    Georgetown

    The wooden capital on the Atlantic, with its white cathedral, markets and gardens.

    • St George’s Cathedral
    • Stabroek Market
    • Botanical garden
    • Malecón
    Georgetown guide
  • Kaieteur Falls

    Kaieteur Falls

    A waterfall with a sheer drop of more than 200 metres in the middle of the rainforest, reached by light aircraft.

    • Main viewpoint
    • Golden frogs
    • Cocks-of-the-rock
    • Trail
    Kaieteur Falls guide
  • Rupununi

    Rupununi

    Savannah and rainforest in the south, with ranches, Amerindian communities, giant otters and jaguars.

    • Community lodges
    • Giant otters
    • Rupununi River
    • Kanuku Mountains
    Rupununi guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Georgetown

From Kaieteur Falls

From the Rupununi

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in Guyana

To eat like a local: a Creole restaurant or a market stall, and order pepperpot or cook-up rice. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Pepperpot

    Meat stewed in cassareep, the national dish.

  • Cook-up rice

    Rice with beans, meat and coconut milk.

  • Roti and curry

    An Indian legacy.

  • Metemgee

    A root-vegetable stew with coconut.

  • Chicken curry

    With roti or rice.

  • Demerara rum

    Famous all over the world.

The typical dish of Guyana, at home

Pepperpot
Photo: Simon Abrams from Brooklyn, USA · CC BY 2.0

Pepperpot

Guyana’s national dish, of Amerindian origin: meat stewed for hours in cassareep (a black cassava juice) with cinnamon, cloves and chilli. It’s the Christmas meal and is served with bread.

  • Serves 6
  • 3 h

Ingredients

  • 1 kg stewing beef (shin or oxtail) and, if you like, pig’s trotters
  • 150 ml cassareep (from Caribbean shops or online)
  • 1 onion
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 6 cloves
  • 2 chillies
  • Thyme, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and salt

How to make it at home

  1. Cut the meat into large pieces, season with salt and brown it in a heavy-based pot.
  2. Add the chopped onion and garlic and fry gently for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the cassareep, cinnamon, cloves, chillies, thyme and sugar, and cover with water.
  4. Cook covered over a very low heat for 2½ hours, until the meat falls apart and the sauce is thick and dark.
  5. Serve with white bread or roti.

The trick: It’s even better the next day: in Guyana it’s reheated for days.

Curious facts about Guyana

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • It’s the only country in South America with English as its official language.
  • Kaieteur Falls are among the highest single-drop waterfalls in the world.
  • St George’s Cathedral in Georgetown is one of the tallest wooden churches in the world.
  • More than 80 % of the country is rainforest.
  • Its name means “land of many waters”.
  • Pepperpot, the national dish, is Amerindian in origin.

Traditions of Guyana

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • 23 February Mashramani

    A carnival for Republic Day.

  • March Phagwah

    Holi, the festival of colours.

  • October or November Diwali

    The festival of lights.

  • Holy Week Rupununi Rodeo

    Savannah cowboys in Lethem.

What not to do in Guyana

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t go to Buxton, Lusignan or Bartica: official travel advice warns against it.
  • Don’t walk around Georgetown at night: get around by taxi.
  • Don’t drink tap water.
  • Don’t go into the rainforest without a guide.
  • Don’t forget insect repellent.
  • Don’t flash valuables.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Guyana

What people search for most before travelling to Guyana.

What’s the best time to travel to Guyana?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Guyana are from September to April.

What to see in Guyana in a week?

The essentials of Guyana: Georgetown, Kaieteur Falls and Rupununi. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Guyana?

Pepperpot, Cook-up rice, Roti and curry, Metemgee, Chicken curry, Demerara rum. To eat like a local: a Creole restaurant or a market stall.

What is the typical dish of Guyana?

Pepperpot. Guyana’s national dish, of Amerindian origin: meat stewed for hours in cassareep (a black cassava juice) with cinnamon, cloves and chilli. It’s the Christmas meal and is served with bread.

What should you not do in Guyana?

Don’t go to Buxton, Lusignan or Bartica: official travel advice warns against it. Don’t walk around Georgetown at night: get around by taxi. Don’t drink tap water.

Is it worth travelling to Guyana in November?

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Guyana. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

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Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Dan Lundberg (CC BY-SA 2.0). Georgetown, Kevin Gabbert - User: (WT-shared) Kevin James at wts wikivoyage (Public domain). Kaieteur Falls, Sorenriise at English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Rupununi, Treez44est (CC BY-SA 2.0).