Trips worldwide manager Hamish MacCall gives his views on Suriname and Guyana, both of which he has visited recently.
Guyana
“Guyana’s a beautiful country of spectacular rain forest, mountains and savannah. It’s slowly opening its doors to tourism, but probably only saw 1,000 pure tourists last year.
“To experience the real Guyana, it’s best to stay in privately owned ranches and homesteads. Places to visit include the spectacular Kaiteur and Orinduik Falls where you will get to see some fantastic wildlife.
“I would describe Guyana as the alternative Costa Rica, where there is some extreme adventure to be had, but most of it is what I would call soft-adventure tourism. Most of our Guyana clients will enjoy roughing it a bit and will probably have already visited other parts of Central or South America.”
Suriname
“Suriname is more fascinating as far as history and cultural experiences are concerned, but has a less-developed tourism infrastructure than Guyana.
“You can visit and actually stay in native tribal villages, such as those that belong to the Amerindians and Bush Negroes, often reaching them by dug-out canoe up roaring rivers.
“Most of our clients travel as part of a group as it’s safer and keeps the price down. A two-week tour in Suriname would cost £1,800 compared to £1,595 in Guyana. I like the idea of the three Guyanas’ Guyana Route package, but think French Guyana would be getting a lot of benefits for offering very little as there is nothing to see except for Devil’s Island and the European rocket centre.”