Guyana
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
The Airport Departure Tax is now payable only in Guianan Dollars, not American Dollars, costing 4,000 G.D. This is with effect from March 2004. You may ned to change the information on your site in Guyna-Getting There and Away. I returned from Guyana at the end of April and found this had changed. Private bus drivers are very good at knowing street changers to get you out of this situation!
Marion Vincent, United Kingdom (May 04)
Travel Tips
We are 2 doctors who have just returned from 6 weeks in Guyana, S America. Please inform your readers that they cannot use their usual ATM cards to get cash. This is one of the many things that do not work in Guyana. The machines available do not accept the usual cards that work in Europe and most of the rest of the Caribbean. It is important to have lots of travelers checks and be prepared to spend a few minutes on line in a bank. Also, when we left the country, no cambio would give us US dollars for Guyanese currency. It is essentially worthless outside Guyana. Anitmalarial prophylaxis is essential for anyone visiting the interior. Most stores and businesses do not accept credit cards either with the possible exception of a few high end hotels and restaurants. A traveler can find himself essentially penniless in Guyana very quickly.
Elly Cucinell , May 04
In Lethem there is now a daily bus to Georgetown! The bus has 48 seats and start at around midnight. Why? Because then he reach the first ferry at the river near Kurupukari at 06:00 AM. You'll find the ticket office at the airport in Lethem, it opens at 10:00 AM. The bus fills up fast with people, so its best to make a reservation the day before. After 15 hours you'll reach Georgetown at the corner Carlotte-/ Cummings Street.
The Bus company is:
Intraserv
159 Charlotte Street
Georgetown
Tel: 226-0605
Fax: 225-1171
Here you also can find out, which time a bus is leaving for Lethem. In Georgetown Kayman Sankar and also Globe Trust & Investment do not longer cash travellers-checks. You can excange them at Scotiabank (Lamaha / Carmichael Street) or at RBTT (Charlotte / Camp Street). Scotiabank gives also cash advance for Master and VISA Cards
The bus to Corrivertown has number 63 (or catch the more frequent to Rosignol (Nr 55!) and take the ferry-then, at the other side of Canje River you find a lot of 63 busses)!!
The busses still start at Stabroek Market.
At the Surinamian Embassy in Georgetown you have to pay 30 to 50$ for a Visa. They only accept US-Dollars and don't go there with T-Shirt and/or Short's and Sandals!!
Crossing the Corentyne River to Suriname isn't a headache anymore. The office opens at around 08:00 am or so and it just takes about 15 minutes-than everything is done. The ferry now leaves Corrivertown at 11:00 AM for Suriname!! The departure time from Nieuw Nickerie to Corrivertown is still 10:00 AM.
Michael Heinel, Germany Oct 04
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
How to organise your trip to Kaieteur on your own!
Most of the few tourists visiting the Kaieteur Waterfall go on a package tour to this magic natural wonder. They spend then only 2 hours at the falls before returning to Georgetown. But you can organize your trip to the falls on your own, allowing you to stay several days at the falls for the same price as going on a package tour. The best thing is to go first to Roraima Airways 101 Cummings St. Bourda, Georgetown to check when they are normally flying from Georgetowns Ogle Airport to Lethem at the border to Brasil. Normally they fly on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. You have to tell them that you want to take that flight and that you want to stop at Kaieteur Falls. A one way ticket cost 100US$. If you want to continue anyway to Lethem later, they can pick you up at the falls on their next flight to Lethem. The flight from Kaieteur Falls to Lethem costs another 100 US$. Buy both tickets already in Georgetown, as there are no facilities to buy a ticket at Kaieteur Falls.
Staying at the Kaieteur Falls is absolutely no problem. There is a guest house which costs 6 US$ per night. Bring a hammock (with mosquito net) or a tent and sleeping bag with you. You can cook at the guest house. Bring all your food with you, as there is no official shop there. Water is available, but it is the rainwater, which is collected, so bring a filter or tablets. There is no electricity so bring a candle and a torch. The Entry-Ticket (12 US$ per stay) for Kaieteur National Park and the fee for using the Guest House (6 US$ per night) at Kaieteur Falls must be bought in advance in Georgetown at the National Park Office at the northern end of Albert St. which is open Mon. to Fri. from 8 am. till 4 pm. Sometimes Roraima Airways wants to see that you purchased the ticket and the fee for using the Guest House before the issue the ticket.
Note that Roraima Airways has a baggage allowance of 25 lbs. (ca.12kg) including cabin bagage. Each lb. excess baggage costs approx. 0,50 US$.
A taxi from Georgetown to Ogle Airport costs about 5 US$.
The weather can be very poor at Kaieteur Falls so flights can be delayed of several hours. So bring enough food with you. But eventually they will pick you up again. There is a meterological office at the Falls which can contact Ogle Airport and Lethem Airport and the arriving aircrafts in case of bad weather, for knowing what they have planned with their passenger(s) blocked at Kaieteur Falls.
The staff at the Guest House (usually one or two people) is very helpful and will make your stay as pleasant as possible!
Take all your rubbish back to Georgetown or Lethem as there are no facilities where you can leave it at Kaieteur Falls.
Lethem:
For going on a "safari" in the Rupununi Savana on your own, you can rent a bike at Don&Shirley's Airport shop for approx. 5US $ a day.
Next to the Takatu Guest house you can surf the Internet at the Amerindian Weaving Society for 0,10 US$ per Minute.
Christoph Kessel, Germany (May 02)
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