Guyana

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Guyana is known as the land of giants — giant river otters, giant anteaters, giant water lilies, and one of the tallest waterfalls in the world, Kaieteur Falls. And the South American nation is soon to loom large for travelers: Visits were up 10 percent in 2019 from the already-record highs of 2018, and new direct flights on American and JetBlue and global industry accolades for ecotourism promise still more growth in 2020. (It doesn’t hurt that it’s the continent’s only English-speaking country.) Guyana’s unique offerings recall the Costa Rica of 40 years ago: nighttime ride-alongs with naturalists who are trapping and tagging wild caimans; horseback rides on the savannah in search of anteaters; stays at indigenous-owned eco-lodges in picturesque mountain villages. Over 75 percent of the country is rain forest and about seven percent is savannah, which means there’s plenty of opportunity to catch a glimpse of one of the 900 animal species that make it their home. — Judy Koutsky