RainforestTours

Rainforest Tours mission is to celebrate the rich natural and cultural heritage of Guyana by highlighting its beauty and serenity. Rainforest Tours encourages community pride and has a commitment to build bridges between communities along the route; to stimulate eco-tourism and economic development; promote preservation of natural cultural heritage; and to improve the quality of life for future generations of Guyanese through tourism.

We are the "Adventure People" and have the eco-system in the forefront of our minds. Through a dedicated family an exciting company was born with a vision of traveling while respecting the land and her people. While others focus on attractions and creating a western environment, our vision is face to face travel at a grassroots level. Our groups are small and sustainable tourism is on the forefront of our agenda. Rainforest Tours defies the mainstream on a quest to define the spirit of adventure in our wonderland of Guyana.

Our priority is to satisfy every customer, every time, through outstanding, personalized service. We are dedicated to the customer experience and are constantly evaluating how we can improve this experience.

Guyana

Guyana was discovered in 1498 by the Europeans, its history; therefore stretches back a bit more than 500 years!. Guyana's past is punctuated by battles fought and won, possessions lost and regained as the Spanish, French, Dutch and British wrangled for centuries to own this land.
"Guiana" was the name given the area sighted by Columbus in 1498, comprising modern Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and parts of Brazil and Venezuela. The Dutch settled in Guyana in the late 16th century, when the Amerindians welcomed them as trading partners. However, colonial government and exploitation of the Amerindians--and later of African slaves--followed. Interrupted briefly by the French and British, Dutch control ended when the British became the de facto rulers in 1796. In 1815, the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice were officially ceded to Great Britain at the Congress of Vienna and, in 1831, were consolidated as British Guiana.

Following the abolition of slavery in 1834, thousands of indentured laborers were brought to Guyana to replace the slaves on the sugar cane plantations, primarily from India but also from Portugal and China. The British stopped the practice in 1917. Many of the Afro-Guyanese former slaves moved to the towns and became the majority of the urban population, whereas the Indo-Guyanese remained predominantly rural. A scheme in 1862 to bring black workers from the United States was unsuccessful. The small Amerindian population stills live in communal settlements in the interior.

The peoples drawn from these diverse origins have coexisted peacefully for the most part. Slave revolts, such as the one in 1763 led by Guyana's national hero, Cuffy, demonstrated the desire for basic rights but also a willingness to compromise. Labor disputes in the period following emancipation showed similar characteristics. The development of organized labor was led by H.N. Critchlow, the father of local trade unionism. Racial disturbances between East Indians and blacks erupted in 1962-64. However, the basically pacific nature of the Guyanese, contributed to a deescalating of racial tensions.