I did not see many local people, other than people in the rainforest lodges. Everybody seemed very friendly and helpful.
Travel between the villages seems to rely a lot on small airplanes. There is a road going north to south across the country, all the way to Brazil, but it is a long drive over dirt roads. I believe that locations away from the main road are difficult or impossible to reach by road, and rely extensively on air travel.
I stayed in four different lodges. All were run by local people. The food in all the lodges was very good. The guides from the various lodges were also very good, all were quite knowledgeable about the wildlife.
Away from Georgetown, the roads were all unpaved. Here was the road blocked by a fallen tree. (1371k) Cessna C-208B turboprop, the workhorse of air transport in Guyana. (580k) Unloading the airplane in Annai. (856k) Approach to Ogle airport in Georgetown. (550k)
Villages
Local village. (689k) School buildings in a local village. (800k) The local bar. (800k) A carved wooden pole. (503k) Detail of the carved pole. (353k) Painting by a local artist. (559k) Ancient Petroglyphs on the shore of the Essequibo River. (985k) Ancient Petroglyphs on the shore of the Essequibo River. (1198k) Ancient Petroglyphs on the shore of the Essequibo River. (957k) Aerial view of a mining project. There is a lot of mining for gold and diamonds in Guyana. (624k)
Lodges
Sunset over the Iwokrama Lodge. (607k) Iwokrama Lodge. (1110k) Guest buildings in the Surama Lodge. (697k) Display in the Iwokrama Lodge, showing skulls of various animals. (874k) Dining hall in the Rock View Lodge. (945k) Owner of the Rock View Lodge with a couple of local children. (939k) Roasting cashew nuts. (1232k) Roasting cashew nuts. (1197k) Roasting cashew nuts. (837k) Roasting cashew nuts. (1119k) Shelling cashew nuts. (1014k)
Dr. Günther Eichhorn Travel Website
Soaring website