First 24 hours: Georgetown, Guyana

It’s South America, but not as you know it. Guyana’s capital has the Amazon on its doorstep and a steamy blend of Caribbean vibes and colonial architecture, writes Mark Stratton

Soak up Creole culture and colonial gems in the South American city with a West Indian soul

Before you arrive

If Georgetown is your first port of call in South America, it would be easy to imagine upon arrival that the flight had diverted and landed in the Caribbean.

Shoehorned between the Demerara River and the Atlantic, Guyana’s capital lies more or less below sea level, kept dry by an old network of sluices and canals. It’s on this sweltering coastal plain where a Creole society has simmered to fruition, fashioned by the descendants of slaves, cricket-loving colonials, Dutch plantation owners, Asian migrants and Amerindians.

For most visitors, this quaintly ramshackle city is a gateway to greater adventures in Guyana’s incredible Amazonian interior.

Yet old-fashioned Georgetown should be appreciated while you can. Its endearing slow-paced languor and a rich heritage of wooden architecture may turn into something else entirely over the next few years. Guyana’s petroleum fields come online in 2020, and its wealth may transform the capital forever. One thing that won’t change, however, is its West Indian soul.

At the airport

If arriving by light aircraft from a neighbouring country (such as Suriname), you are likely to fly into a small low-key city airport still known locally by its former name of Ogle (now Eugene F Correia International Airport). International flights from further afield land at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), 41km south of Georgetown. There are a couple of ATMs located around CJIA’s arrivals and a Digicel store for when you want to purchase a SIM card.

Getting into town

Taxis wait in the car park outside Ogle’s tiny airport terminal, and most fares heading into town shouldn’t cost more than GYD1,000 (£3.80). If arriving at CJIA, you can expect to pay from around GYD4,200 (£16) for a yellow taxi. For the time-rich and budgetconscious, the No 42 minibus takes around 40 minutes to tootle its way from the airport to downtown (GYD300/£1). ⊲

ASK A LOCAL

“You’ll fall in love from the time you arrive, and it’ll break your heart to leave. Regardless of class or creed, the hospitality of the people here is second to none. Head across to Georgetown’s Backyard Café for true Guyanese dining.”

Can’t beat City Hall Georgetown’s colonial-era City Hall is a gothic- revival wooden wonder