The Official Guyana Rum Route: Discovering the home of the world's best rum

Georgetown, Guyana (February 14, 2020): The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has launched its official rum route in collaboration with the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Capitalising on Guyana’s rich agricultural traditions, local cultural heritage and cuisine, the Guyana Rum Route is a 200-kilometre journey which blends the past and present into one exhilarating experience. Guyana is the first Caribbean country to establish a heritage route as part of a regional product development thrust being championed by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

“Set along the vibrant coast, the route offers a sensory experience of the role of rum and sugarcane in Guyana’s economy and its indelible mark on the landscape and people,” explained Brian T. Mullis, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority. “Rum flows throughout the Caribbean, connects us culturally, and is known to heighten the Caribbean experience.” 

Neil Walters, Acting Secretary General & CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organization reiterated that “Guyana's official Rum Route is part of CTO's regional Heritage Routes programme. This programme is centered on creating thematic routes or trails that tell the story of a destination through indigenous and local goods including foodstuff like sugarcane, cocoa, spices and other tangible and intangible aspects of cultural heritage.”  

Guyana’s Rum Route covers three areas that can be experienced individually as day or overnight tours, or combined into a multi-day tour. These areas include Georgetown, Berbice, and the East Coast Highway (Half-day, Full-day & Overnight Tour options); West Coast Berbice (Overnight Tour options) and West Coast of Demerara (Half-Day, Full-day & Overnight Tour options). Highlights for interested travellers include: 

• Immerse yourself in the history of rum and retrace the steps of the Dutch and British on former plantations like Uitvlugt Estate and Blairmont Estate; 
• Gain insights into the experiences of slaves and indentured labourers who sustained a sugar economy for over two centuries;
• Experience local rum shops, tour the Demerara Distillers Limited Distillery and production plants; and
• Sample local rum-infused recipes, and taste Guyana’s world-famous rums.

This is a new offering in Guyana of which the two licensed operators are offering certain sites or elements of the areas listed above. For more information, contact Dagron Tours at 223-7921 or dagrontours@gmail.com and Wilderness Explorers at 226-2085 or info@wilderness-explorers.com. Alternatively, visit the GTA’s website for an overview of the Guyana Rum Route.