City hotels you can book in a minute, and interior lodges that take an email, a deposit and some patience.
Accommodation in Guyana falls into two quite separate worlds. Georgetown has international-brand hotels, older local hotels and a few characterful guesthouses in colonial houses; these are sold on Trip.com and other booking sites like hotels anywhere. Demand from business travellers has pushed rates up in recent years, so book early for weekdays.
The interior is different. Lodges are small — often only a handful of rooms — and are either family-run former ranches or owned by Indigenous communities. Rooms are simple, usually with a private bathroom, mosquito nets, solar or generator power for part of the day and no air conditioning. Rates are normally per person and include all meals and guided activities. Most are not sold on Trip.com or any online travel agency: you book by email or through a local tour operator. On this page we link directly where Trip.com lists a property; where it does not, we say so and link to the search for the nearest town.
Which base for which trip?
Base
Good for
How to book
Georgetown
Arrival and departure nights, the city, Kaieteur and Essequibo day trips
Online; book weekdays early
Iwokrama River Lodge / Atta
Rainforest, the canopy walkway, birding, a chance of jaguar
Direct or through an operator; Atta has been listed on Trip.com
Surama / Rock View (Annai)
Community life, forest and savannah edge, easy airstrip access
Direct or through an operator
Karanambu / Caiman House / Rewa
Giant otters, anteaters, caiman, arapaima
Direct or through an operator, months ahead
Lethem
The rodeo, the Brazil border, the Kanuku foothills
Small hotels: phone, messaging apps or on arrival
Bartica / Essequibo river resorts
River islands, forts, waterfalls, relaxing
Direct with the resort
Shell Beach camp
Turtle nesting
Only as part of an organised trip
Hotel links go to Trip.com. We may earn a commission on bookings at no extra cost to you.
Places to stay by destination
Hotels with a direct Trip.com link, and well-known lodges that must be booked locally.
Stay in Kingston, near the seawall, for the large hotels, or in Queenstown and the centre for smaller places in old wooden houses. Hotels near Ogle on the East Coast are convenient for early domestic flights.
Guyana Marriott Hotel Georgetown
The city’s large international hotel, on the river mouth in Kingston, with a pool and sea views. A dependable choice for a first or last night.
Sleep at one of the island or riverside resorts — Baganara, Sloth Island, Aruwai or Hurakabra — for quiet and swimming, or in Bartica for local life and lower prices. Day-trippers stay in Georgetown.
Baganara Island Resort
A private island resort south of Bartica with a river beach and its own airstrip. Booked directly or through an operator.
Not sold on Trip.com: book direct or through a local operator. The button opens the Trip.com search for the nearest town it lists.
The Almond Beach camp is the only base on the shore. Mabaruma, the small regional centre, and Santa Rosa (Moruca) have guesthouses for breaking the journey.
Shell Beach conservation camp (Almond Beach)
The simple field camp on the nesting beach — hammocks or tents and shared facilities. Available only as part of an organised trip.
Not sold on Trip.com: book direct or through a local operator. The button opens the Trip.com search for the nearest town it lists.
Base yourself in Georgetown, ideally with a hotel that makes the early drive to Ogle airport easy. The only accommodation at the falls is a simple park guesthouse, bookable through operators.
Grand Coastal Hotel (near Ogle airport)
On the East Coast road a short drive from Ogle airport — convenient the night before an early Kaieteur flight.
Iwokrama River Lodge is best for river trips, Turtle Mountain and learning about the reserve; Atta is best for the walkway and birds. They are about an hour and a half apart by road, and the drive between them is the prime jaguar stretch.
Atta Rainforest Lodge
A small lodge in a forest clearing a short walk from the canopy walkway — one of the few interior lodges that Trip.com lists.
Most visitors return to Georgetown. Linden has a few simple hotels in Mackenzie, and there are creek resorts along the highway and a community guesthouse at Rockstone.
Hotels and guesthouses in Linden
Simple town hotels and guesthouses, mainly in Mackenzie; the button searches Trip.com for Linden.
Not sold on Trip.com: book direct or through a local operator. The button opens the Trip.com search for the nearest town it lists.
Expeditions stage through Georgetown and the airstrip villages of the upper Mazaruni, such as Kamarang and Phillipai. There are no lodges; nights are in village guesthouses and hammock camps.
Expedition camps and village guesthouses
Hammock camps and simple village guesthouses arranged by the expedition outfitter. Nothing can be booked online.
Not sold on Trip.com: book direct or through a local operator. The button opens the Trip.com search for the nearest town it lists.
There is no single base. Choose lodges by interest: Karanambu for otters and anteaters, Caiman House for caiman and village life, Rewa for remote rivers, arapaima and fishing, Dadanawa or Waikin for ranch life, and Lethem for the rodeo and the border.
Karanambu Lodge
The original Rupununi ranch lodge: thatched cabins by the river, giant otters, anteaters and evenings at the family table. Booked directly or through an operator.
Not sold on Trip.com: book direct or through a local operator. The button opens the Trip.com search for the nearest town it lists.
Choose Surama for immersion in the forest and village, with simple comforts; Rock View for more comfort, a pool, good food and easy flights. The Oasis, on the main road at Annai, is a practical overnight stop for those travelling by bus.
Surama Eco-Lodge
The community-owned lodge that started it all: thatched cabins on the village edge, with Makushi guides and cooks. Booked directly or through an operator.
Not sold on Trip.com: book direct or through a local operator. The button opens the Trip.com search for the nearest town it lists.
Keep a Georgetown night at each end. Domestic flights can move by a day, and international departures are often early.
Ask what “all-inclusive” covers. Usually meals and activities; drinks, transfers and village or park fees may be extra.
Confirm how to pay. Many lodges ask for a bank transfer deposit and the balance in cash; card payments are not universal.
Tell the lodge about diets and mobility needs well in advance — supplies come from far away.
Leave luggage in Georgetown. Hotels will usually store bags while you are in the interior with your weight-limited duffel.
For how the lodges fit together into a route, see the itineraries.
Plan your Guyana trip
Secure the parts of Guyana you can book online
Seats on the small aircraft to Kaieteur Falls are limited and flights need a minimum number of passengers. Compare what is bookable from Georgetown, check live prices and reserve before you fly in.
Mostly not through booking sites. A few appear on Trip.com from time to time, but the normal route is the lodge’s own email or a local tour operator.
What are interior lodges like?
Simple, clean and close to nature: timber or thatched cabins, cold or solar-warmed showers, nets rather than air conditioning, communal meals and limited electricity. The setting and guiding are the luxury.
Where should I stay in Georgetown?
Kingston and the streets near the seawall hold the larger hotels; Queenstown and central Georgetown have guesthouses in old wooden houses. See the Georgetown guide for the differences.
Is camping possible?
Hammock camping is part of many river trips and treks and is organised by the operator, who supplies hammocks and nets. Independent wild camping is not practical; land belongs to villages or protected areas.
