British Airways is to start flying to the small South American nation of Guyana.

On 27 March 2023, a Boeing 777 will depart from London Gatwick, via St Lucia in the Caribbean, to the capital, Georgetown.

The country, formerly British Guiana, is the only English-speaking country in South America. Georgetown is home to the only Test cricket ground on the continent; Guyana forms part of the West Indies for international cricketing purposes.

The highlight of Georgetown is St George’s cathedral, which at 142ft high is said to be the largest wooden building in the world.

The capital’s museum documents the history of slavery (including a receipt for ‘Ten Negroes’, dated 1801) and displays the machine upon which the world’s rarest stamp – a British Guiana one cent – was printed in 1856.

Most travellers spend little time in the capital, instead venturing into the dense rainforest of the interior, where jungle treks and canopy walks are on offer.

The country’s highlight: the spectacular Kaieteur Falls, the world’s largest single drop waterfall.

The former colony was described by the writer Evelyn Waugh as one of the “gobs of empire” – along with the French and Dutch possessions on the shoulder of South America, Guyane and Surinam respectively.

A map of the country is enticing. The road from Georgetown to the Surinam border, for example, passes through the settlements of Success, Paradise, Profit and Whim.

Lupine Travel of Wigan is launching its first tour to the three Guianas in October. The trip has already sold out, but another is scheduled for March 2023.

Dylan Harris, founder of Lupine, said: “For a small country, Guyana packs a lot in. There’s also the chance to drop into neighbouring Suriname with its huge array of wildlife.

“It’s then a short hop into French Guiana [Guyane] where you’ll have the chance to visit Devil’s Island to view Papillon’s prison, and – if you’re lucky – watch a rocket launch from the Guiana space centre.”

British Airways will also start services from Gatwick to Aruba in the Netherlands Antilles from 26 March 2023. Other carriers have served Aruba from the UK for some years.

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