Country Information

The food in hotels and restaurants reflects the range of influences on Guyanese society. On the menus of most restaurants you will often find chicken, pork and steak and, most of the time, shrimp. The best Chinese food in the country can be found in Georgetown. It is best to drink bottled water in Guyana.

National specialities:
• Curry, especially mutton, prawn or chicken.
• Foo-foo (plantains made into cakes).
• Metamgee (dumplings made from cornflour, eddews, yams, cassava and plantains cooked in coconut milk and grated coconut).
• Portuguese garlic pork.
• Amerindian pepperpot.

National drinks:
• Local rum.
• Demerara rum.
• Banks is the local beer.

Tipping: 10% at hotels and restaurants.

There are numerous nightclubs and bars in Georgetown.

Hibiscus Plaza outside the post office in Georgetown has a wide variety of local arts and crafts including straw hats, baskets, clay goblets and jewellery. On Sundays, the Parika Market, on the west coast of Demerara, sells a variety of goods and is worth a visit. Other shops sell Amerindian bows and arrows, hammocks, pottery and salad bowls. Government-run shops sell magnificent jewellery, utilising local gold, silver, precious and semi-precious stones. Prices are very reasonable for the quality of the goods. It is absolutely essential to ensure that receipts and correct documentation are retained, otherwise visitors may experience difficulty when clearing customs.

Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1300-1630, Sat 0800-1200.