Guyana is surrounded by a region rich in almost anything you could look for. The key to getting around is local knowledge and the likes of Lonely Planet and Rough Guide tend to be better geared towards giving you this information. If you are planning to travel somewhere before or after your Bushmasters trip, drop us a line and we will try and give you some local knowledge. We have spent a fair bit of time in the Caribbean (sunbathing on the beach) and in Brazil and Venezuela, so we may have some ideas you have not found before.

The Caribbean

Guyana is the headquarters of the Caribbean Community with strong links to the region. Cricket is a massive influence and Guyana like many Caribbean countries will be hosting matches in the 2007 World Cup. Sarwan and Chaunderpaul are two of the current West Indies players that will receive extra support when playing on their home turf in Guyana.

Going south

By land or air you can head down the coast to Surinam and French Guiana. Surinam is another little known country, equally blessed with rainforests and with a strong European influence, particularly from the Dutch. French Guiana is the home of the story of Papillon on the infamous Devil’s Island and the home to the European Space Agency, if you ever fancied seeing a rocket launched into space, this is a good place to go.

Venezuela

There are no direct road or air links to Venezuela, but it is surprisingly easy to get to. Via Trinidad it is a quick and very cheap 35 minute flight to Isla de Margarita and from there by cheap internal airlines to the Andes, Caracas and south to the giant Tepuis and Angel Falls. You can also go through Brazil from Guyana to Venezuela. Overland or by air to Boa Vista in northern Brazil and then onto luxury air-conditioned coaches or by air into Venezuela. The overland trip is really easy and is the route for many tourists in South America.

Brazil

There are flights now from Guyana to Boa Vista and Manaus in Northern Brazil and via Surinam and French Guiana to the mouth of the Amazon, Belem. Brazil has plenty to offer from the Amazon to Rio de Janeiro and the carnival (usually held in February each year, but check the dates at www.carnaval.com). The rest of South America is open to you, by air, water and overland to Peru, Equator, Chile and Argentina.