The hook
One of the most powerful single-drop waterfalls on Earth, where a jungle river plunges over a sheer cliff nearly five times the height of Niagara in a single, thundering fall, deep in pristine rainforest and almost entirely to yourself.
01Why it's worth it
Guyana is one of the least-visited countries in South America, English-speaking, Caribbean-cultured, and covered in some of the most pristine rainforest on the continent, and its natural wonder is Kaieteur Falls. Deep in the interior, the Potaro River pours over the edge of a sandstone plateau and falls in a single, unbroken drop of over two hundred metres, far higher than Niagara or Victoria Falls, and because of its combination of great height and substantial volume, it ranks among the most powerful single-drop waterfalls in the world. What makes the experience extraordinary is the setting and the solitude: the falls sit in untouched wilderness with no development, no railings-and-crowds infrastructure, so a handful of visitors flown in for the day can stand almost alone at the very brink, feeling the ground tremble and the spray rise, with the jungle stretching unbroken to the horizon. The surrounding forest holds special creatures too, including the tiny golden frog that lives in the giant tank bromeliads. It is a genuine wonder of the world, seen the way few great sights still can be, wild and uncrowded.
02How to experience it
The usual way is a small-plane day trip from the capital, Georgetown, landing at the airstrip and walking a short trail to viewpoints at the very lip and face of the falls; longer overland-and-trek adventures are possible for the hardy. Go with a tour operator, and savour the rare solitude at a world-class waterfall.