Guyana is the only English speaking country in South America and one of the four regions in the world that makes up the Green Shield, with 18% of the world’s tropical forests. It boasts pristine Atlantic beaches in the north, staggering mountain ranges to the west, rainforests bursting with life and never-ending savannahs in the south.

The country’s true ethos can be felt in the many community-based tourism activities while at the same time, tourism is respectful to the environment and promotes peoples and their culture which is a niche area in tourism itself. Villages have pooled their resources and come together to invest in tourism as one of their main sources of income and they have been able to manage it and not be invasive to communities who have invested into this type of tourism.

Their tropical rainforests and savannahs are known as “Land of the Giants” for being home to highly endangered species such as jaguars, giant anteaters, giant river otters and stealthy caimans.

Guyana is dedicated to culture but also to nature preservation as it promotes conservation values of protected areas and species and support biodiversity conservation through sustainable tourism.

This destination participated in the 2019 Sustainable Top 100 Destination Awards at ITB Berlin by submitting a sustainable tourism story. Keywords: eco-lodge, community empowerment, ecotourism