Georgetown, Guyana 🇬🇾 Gringo's Guide
Possible "hidden gem" in South America...
Georgetown is an extremely quirky and interesting place. Indeed, the whole country of Guyana has kind of a strange an interesting vibe to it.
This whole country was completely off of everybody's radar until just recently, when huge offshore oil deposits were found. Now, it's in boom mode, but receives next to zero tourism.
In the solid month I spent here, the only people I ran into at the hotel were either Guyanese people living abroad or oil workers. Since the country borders Venezuela, you can also find a good number of Venezuelan immigrants here. But, by and large, people still have not heard about this place.
This may be just the ticket for you, the adventurous expat type, especially if you are like me and want to avoid all the typical tourist traps.
Georgetown, Guyana 🇬🇾
Population:
Official figures have the population of the city proper at just under 120,000 human beings.
Georgetown is pretty sprawled-out, though. Many nearby towns form the greater Georgetown area, and, including all of them, the overall population is more like 300,000 or so.
Weather:
Georgetown is at sea level and near the equator, so you'd expect it to be blistering hot, but, for whatever reason, the heat and humidity aren't that bad.
It generally stays under 90 F (33 C) in this place, all year round, with humidity usually staying in the 60-70% range. It does rain quite a bit, though, as the chart shows.
Also, when that sun is out in the middle of the day, it's a force to be reckoned with. Take standard precautions.
The biggest issue with the climate is the rain, which is pretty bad in:
May
June
July
December
You’ll still get rain in the other 8 months of the year, but nothing too bad.
Why Visit Georgetown, Guyana?
The first reason you may want to visit Georgetown is simply bragging rights. How many people can say they've been to Georgetown, Guyana?
But if that doesn’t move the needle for you, then there’s this…
You'll be one of very few expats in town
It's surprisingly well-adapted for the digital nomad lifestyle
There's plenty of great things to do as far as day trips, especially in nature
Local girls are extremely approachable and friendly
It's an English-speaking country, so there's no need to learn a new language just to communicate with the locals
Overall…
The main reasons to come here is it’s a “hidden gem” with insane nature and friendly women.
Getting to Guyana 🇬🇾
Georgetown actually has two international airports servicing it. If you are coming from outside of the area, you will almost certainly be flying into GEO, the main airport, located almost an hour south of the city:
As you can see, there are not many destinations, but the ones that exist include several key transfer points. You can fly direct from:
Toronto
NYC
Miami
Panamá
If you are already in Port of Spain (Trinidad), Bridgetown (Barbados) or St. Lucia, you can also hop on a direct flight here.
Georgetown's second airport, OGL, is located on the eastern edge of town, in a neighborhood called Ogle. You probably won't touch this airport, as it only has flights coming in from Suriname, Trinidad, Barbados, and domestic flights.
Best Neighborhoods in Georgetown 🇬🇾
Locals tell me that the best neighborhoods in this town generally have "Bel Air" in the name.
There's Bel Air, Bel Air Gardens and Bel Air Springs, all next to each other:
Further on down, there's Bel Air Park, which is also highly recommended. In between them there's a neighborhood called Kitty, which is more of a mixed bag.
It's important to note that these neighborhoods are a bit hotel-poor, so you will probably end up in an AirBnB or similar if you stay in these places.
Further south, Herstelling and Republic Park are also good options. These will put you near the Demerara Bridge — the world's longest floating bridge — which takes you to the western half of the country.
Neighborhoods to Avoid
Despite being a part of the developing world, a lot of Georgetown has kind of a solid middle-class or lower middle-class feel to it. There are a few neighborhoods that are decidedly ghetto, however.
While the rest of the city seems to be relatively safe, these four neighborhoods should be avoided, even during the daytime hours:
Tiger Bay
Leopol Street
Albouystown
Boxton
It's important to note that prices don't go down that much to stay in these areas, so you can't just set a minimum price here and expect to be in a nice place! This is one of Georgetown's many quirks, and it's an important one to keep in mind.
Places to Stay in Georgetown 🇬🇾
The map on the left shows the more central-northen areas of town. The one on the right shows the more southern neighborhoods near the bridge:
To be honest, any of the options shown above should do you just fine. And, anything over $2000 USD per month is generally a large apartment or an entire house, which is probably going to be overkill for a solo traveler.
Our best recommendation would be this place. It is located in a great central area and is very nicely appointed, and not overly large.
Hotels
I stayed at the Ramada Princess Hotel and Casino the whole time I was there, and I'm glad I did.
I wouldn't have wanted to stay anywhere else.
Rooms here go for $135 USD per night at the time of this writing. The hotel staff is exceptional — especially Rebekah at the front desk, who was a life-saver to me more than once! The hotel has an open-air bar and restaurant with a massive swimming pool:
The white building at the end of the pool houses a decent gym; the equipment was ancient but serviceable. There's also a coffee bar and a spa on premises, plus the casino.
My only complaint with the Ramada would be the hotel restaurant; the food here is very expensive, and not really worth what you pay for. Fortunately, there are food trucks right outside to remedy this, although most of them don't open until at least 3-4pm. The hotel does have a free breakfast buffet, though.
The other big hotels in Georgetown are the Pegasus and the Marriott, but are NOT recommended:
I don't recommend either of these places. If you look at a map, they look like they would be your best choices, but appearances can and will be deceiving.
These hotels are located in a neighborhood called Kingston, which is mainly made up of government offices and the like. At 5pm or so, the neighborhood completely closes down and becomes a ghost down.
Also, just south of Kingston is Tiger Bay, which is a no-go zone, so you're essentially trapped in this completely boring place. There's zero activity outside of these hotels, especially at night. Also, people don't tend to congregate there like they do at the Ramada.
There are plans to build an Intercontinental in Georgetown, but they haven't even broken ground on the building yet.
For a budget hotel option, I'd recommend the Tropical View.
It's located in the Campbellville area, and they charge around $15,000-16,000 in Guyanese dollars, which works out to around $35-40 USD or so a night. It's very basic accommodations, though.
Costs of Living in Georgetown, Guayana
As you may have noticed, for an off-the-beaten-path “shithole” in many ways, Georgetown is NOT cheap.
Here’s a quick breakdown of expenses on a monthly basis and in USD:
Airbnb Apartment in Best Area: $1,500-3,000
Hotel in Best Area: $2,500-5,000
Maid: usually included
Grocery Store: $600-700
Eating Out / Delivery: $600-700
Gym: $75
Partying / Dating / Social: $1,000-2,000
Cell Data: $50
You’re easily looking at nearly $4,000 a month here minimum. Not exactly cheap when compared with other spots in LatAm.
How Safe is Georgetown, Guyana?
In general, Georgetown is fairly safe for visitors, as long as you avoid the areas I described above.
There are a few things to keep in mind, though.
You can get the feeling that you can get away with just about anything in Georgetown, because it has a "wild wild west" feel to it. You will see people riding motorcycles without helmets everywhere, for example.
But Guyana has some of the world's strictest drug laws.
If you are a person who likes the ganja, for example, you should probably just skip this place altogether. In the worst case scenario, they could throw the book at you, which means possession of any amount of an illegal substance could land you in jail for up to 3 years!
Another thing to watch out for in Georgetown is the fact that not all streets have proper sidewalks, especially in the newer areas. And people in Georgetown drive extremely aggressively. Don't take a walk in areas like this, especially not at night!
But overall…
If you stay in a nice area here and stick to expat living, you won’t have any issues. Guyana is far safer than many other countries in the region.
The Dating Scene in Georgetown 🇬🇾
Honestly, people in Georgetown are a bit of a mixed bag.
You will run into a wide range of attitudes from people here, especially if you stay a long time. I'd look at this from a positive aspect: many of them are excellent, warm and friendly people, and you can make lifelong friendships here easily.
Morphing the discussion into the dating scene, I personally found that it's very easy to approach — and be approached by — attractive women just about everywhere in Georgetown.
There is one thing to keep in mind:
Guyana is mostly people of Indian or Afro descent. Ninety percent of the inhabitants can trace their roots back to India, Africa, or both places. If you like darker-skinned women, you will be in paradise here.
And of course…
Due to the lack of young expats with their shit together, you will have some solid options here.
Just remember this is a small place and some discretion might do you well here.
Nightlife in Georgetown 🇬🇾
As long as you aren't expecting something on the level of Mardi Gras every night, Georgetown's nightlife is perfectly acceptable.
Most of the scene in Georgetown seems pretty typical by modern standards. It's centered around a lot of lounges and gastropubs which usually serve food as well as liquor and have small dance floors.
My best recommendation is a place called Tribe, located right downtown on Church Street.
It's upscale and nice, and frequented by many of the town's hotties, especially on weekend nights.
Another good and very similar option is Montra Lounge, in the centrally-located Kitty neighborhood.
The place offers the same chill vibes and loungey seen-and-be-seen Instagram-friendly atmosphere.
My third and final recommendation is just north of Montra, it's a place called Altitude.
This is my favorite rooftop spot in Georgetown:
All three places are indoor/outdoor places — this is super common in Georgetown with its balmy weather — but Altitude lives up to its name, giving you the best view.
What Else is There to Do in Georgetown, Guyana?
The first thing to note is that there are beaches in Georgetown and the surrounding areas, and lots of them. Sometimes, the sand is really nice.
However, the water all around is extremely brackish, due to the fast-flowing rivers all around pushing huge quantities of sediment out to sea. You can see the discolored water off the coast going out for miles and miles as you fly in or out of Guyana.
In short, there are no "tropical paradise" type of beaches there.
However, there are still tons of other great things to experience in and around Georgetown: .
The "East Coast"
After the airport, there is a string of small towns on the Atlantic coast. These go on for a good four hours drive, all the way up to the border with Suriname.
Each town is interesting, and has its own character. You also have the opportunity to do things like shark fishing in the brackish waters.
The "West Bank"
Going the other way, you cross the floating bridge and head west and north up another series of rustic towns.
In about an hour, you will come to the town of Parika, which is a staging point for boat trips. Here, you can get on a private or shared boat and go on a number of cool excursions.
My friends and I took a boat ride across the river to visit the small island of Leguan, right at the mouth of the Essequibo River. At this point, you could think you were in the Amazon, the river is so big and powerful:
The town of Linden
Linden is located almost due south from Georgetown. The trip by land will take approximately a bit more than two hours.
Linden started life as a boom mining town, then went through a period of blight, and is now making a big renaissance. It is now thought of as a boutique resort town. It's dotted with trendy bars and spas, and has a beautiful surrounding area perfectly suited for hiking. This is a great day-trip spot, especially for a date.
Kaieteur National Park
I haven't personally been to this place, but many friends have. It's very remote, and you have to take a milk-run flight in, which will cost around $450 USD per person to do. If you are a nature-lover, this is probably well worth it. Spectacular waterfall.This is also your best chance to get any taste of the local indigenous culture, which only exists in remote areas like this.
How Long Should You Stay in Georgetown?
I would recommend people stay in Georgetown for a week to a few months, possibly more if you are really enjoying the activities in and around town.
How long you stay really depends mostly on your own temperament as a person, and how well you wind up gelling with the locals you meet. Of course, your success on the dating market will play a big role in this, too.
Since this is a pretty small town, some people will find life here gets boring after a few weeks or so. Others may find the slow-paced Caribbean lifestyle in Georgetown to be charming and endearing.
Best Times of the Year in Georgetown 🇬🇾
They say to avoid "rainy season" and all. But, in my own personal experience, it almost never rained for more than 30 minutes or so at any time, and I was there during "rainy season" the whole time. The clouds were generally broken or scattered, giving a nice break from the strong sun while still allowing it to peek through, and moderating the temperature.
Since the city is a mere 6 degrees and change from the equator, it's always very close to 12 hours per day of sunlight, so there isn't much to think about in this aspect, either.
Holy Week is surprisingly big in Guyana, considering that it's an Anglo country. The whole city shuts down Good Friday through Easter Monday. People fly kites. Amazingly, there is a big rodeo.
There is also a carnival held every year
And finally, there's a fairly impressive regatta which is done yearly. It takes place in the town of Bartica, south of Georgetown, some 30 miles or so upriver. There are races and demonstrations of just about every conceivable type of watercraft.
Georgetown, Guyana 🇬🇾 Overall
Every city has things that appeal to certain types of people. This is definitely true about Georgetown, Guyana.
If you want a beach and/or a big city, you can definitely count Georgetown out. However....
If you hate cold weather, like dating dark-skinned women, prefer speaking English, and like being the only expat for miles around, Georgetown may just be the perfect spot for your extended expat/digital nomad stay.
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