Guyana

Is Guyana safe to visit?

Guyana is safe enough for a planned trip, but it is not a place to wing it. The US State Department rates it Level 3, "reconsider travel", because of crime: it says violent crime is common, especially at night, and that police often lack the resources to respond. The UK calls crime levels significant and police capacity low.

The numbers back that up. The Guyana Police Force counted 130 murders in 2025, up from 117 in 2024, a rate of about 15.6 per 100,000 according to InSight Crime. That is lower than Trinidad and Tobago but several times the rate in neighbouring Suriname. The government says most killings start as arguments and brawls rather than gang wars. We score Guyana 51.

Most visitors come for the interior: Kaieteur Falls, the Rupununi savannah and rainforest lodges. Those trips, usually by small plane with an operator, carry a different set of risks (malaria, river travel, distance from a hospital) from a stay in Georgetown.

Crime in Georgetown

Street crime is the problem a visitor is most likely to meet. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says muggings have happened in broad daylight, are more common at night, and have involved knives or guns, often against people who look wealthy. It lists Stabroek Market, Tiger Bay, Albouystown, Sophia, Buxton and Agricola as places where foreigners have been targeted, and says visitors have been assaulted in the Botanical Gardens. The US bars its own staff from Stabroek Market at all times and from Bourda Market in the evening, and tells them to avoid the Seawall and National Park after dark.

A pattern worth knowing: gangs have followed cars from Cheddi Jagan International Airport and robbed passengers when they arrived. Arrange your pickup through the hotel, keep windows up and doors locked, and change money inside a bank or exchange office, not on the street.

There is also a drug-mule trap. The FCDO says scammers offer travellers elsewhere in South America free flights to Guyana, then insist they carry a "package" home. Drug offences carry at least three years in prison. Pack your own bags and carry nothing for anyone.

The roads

Road deaths are where the data disagree. The World Bank series, based on WHO's estimate, gives 22.3 deaths per 100,000 for 2019, and we score on that series to keep countries comparable. WHO's newer 2021 estimate is lower at 15.2 (122 deaths), and the police counted 137 deaths in 2025, about 16.4 per 100,000. Every one of those figures is in the same band, several times the rate in Western Europe.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary puts many crashes down to minibus drivers and warns of reckless driving, poor lighting and bad road surfaces. It suggests avoiding the airport road late at night and before dawn. Book taxis from reputable companies or hotel ranks, and do not hail them on the street.

Venezuela and the Essequibo claim

Venezuela claims the Essequibo region, roughly two thirds of Guyana's territory, and does not accept the 1899 arbitral award that set the border. Guyana took the case to the International Court of Justice, which ordered provisional measures in December 2023 and May 2025 and held hearings on the merits from 4 to 11 May 2026. No judgment had been given when we checked.

The tension is real but local. InSight Crime reported that Guyana Defence Force boats were shot at from the Venezuelan side of the Cuyuni River in February and May 2025, without casualties, and that armed groups extort boats on the river. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary also notes organised crime around the New River Triangle, which Suriname disputes. Both areas are remote rainforest that few tourists reach; check with local authorities before going near either.

Health and medical care

Malaria is the main health risk outside the towns. CDC reports transmission in all areas except for rare cases in Georgetown and New Amsterdam, with about 40% of cases caused by the more dangerous falciparum parasite, and recommends tablets for the interior. It also recommends yellow fever vaccination for all travellers aged 9 months and over. Dengue, Zika and Oropouche are spread by insects too, so cover up and use repellent.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says medical facilities are very limited even in Georgetown, almost absent in remote areas, and advises evacuation for serious treatment. Buy insurance that covers an air ambulance out of the country.

How to stay safe in Guyana

• Use hotel-booked taxis, especially at night and from the airport.
• Leave jewellery and expensive phones at the hotel; carry little cash.
• Visit markets and the Botanical Gardens by day, ideally with a guide or group.
• Use registered boats with life jackets and never travel on rivers after dark.
• Cross to Suriname only on the scheduled Corentyne ferry; water taxis are illegal.
• Emergency numbers: 911 police, 913 ambulance.

How we scored it

Natural hazards (72) and conflict (70) are the strongest factors: no terrorism, no hurricanes, and a border dispute that rarely touches visitors. Petty crime (40), road safety (42) and violent crime (44) are the weakest, with health (45) close behind because of malaria and thin medical care. Confidence is medium: police counts for 2025 are recent, but the road death figures range from 15 to 22 per 100,000 depending on the source.