Guyana

With 90% of the population concentrated within a small strip of the coast, most of Guyana is an unspoilt wilderness where large rivers flow northwards towards the Caribbean Sea. It is a land of waterfalls and wetlands, jungles and savannahs where colourful birds flutter in the sky and jaguars prowl in the undergrowth.

Guyana is a land of giants with the biggest fresh-water fish, marine turtle, reptile, eagle, otter, anteater and single drop waterfall all to be found here. It is a frontier country where the Caribbean meets the Amazon. Gold diggers, Vaquerros (ranchers), Amerindians (indigenous people from the area) and Creols mix into a melting pot of cultures.

A trip to Guyana will take you off the beaten track into one of the greatest wildlife destinations in the world. Here conservation and sustainability are strongly promoted whether through the efforts of groups and individuals such Diane McTurk who works on the protection of Giant Otters or through the government which has been at the forefront of carbon trading by preserving its vast forests.

In Guyana you may find yourself measuring a Black Caiman, going on the trail of a jaguar, photographing a Giant Anteater, looking out for a Harpy Eagle, tending to an orphaned Giant Otter, sitting on the edge of a giant waterfall or sharing a meal with an indigenous family.