Adventurous tourists will want to visit Guyana to enjoy some of the most beautiful unspoiled wilderness remaining in the world. And the ideal place to begin your visit is Georgetown, the country’s capital. The largest of the country’s cities, it is the gateway to tourist spots such as the Kaieteur Falls, Shell Beach and Timberhead Resort. But Georgetown is worth visiting in its own right for its many sites of great historic value.
The city was once one of the centers of English and Dutch colonization of Guyana, and many traces of its colonial past can still be seen in the Victorian and Dutch colonial architecture of many of its buildings. One particular attraction not to be missed is St. George’s Cathedral. With its spire towering over 132 feet into the sky, the Cathedral is reportedly one of the tallest wooden buildings in the world. But don’t forget other historic attractions such as the Parliament Building, built in 1833, where the country’s slaves were able to purchase land for the first time, the Old Stabroek Market, a cast-iron building which has a working clock tower, and St. Andrews Kirk, which was erected in 1829 and is the oldest building that has continually been dedicated to religious purposes. The Stabroek market, however, is notorious for its petty crime so tourists should exercise caution when going there.
Other points of interest in the city are the Museum of Guyana, which has an excellent selection of Guyanese art and the Botanical Gardens where you can see replicas of Victorian bridges and pavilions, as well as various samples of indigenous fauna, including the Victoria Regia Lily, the country’s national flower.