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Guyana was not a destination I had ever considered visiting, especially not just for a (long) weekend. But when the opportunity arose, on a Wednesday, to fly to Guyana the next day and stay until the Monday, I didn't have to think about it too long. I was going to take this chance to explore a new country!

Insel Air had kindly invited some journalists on its inaugural flight from St. Maarten, via Curaçao to Georgetown. The schedule was arranged in such a way that the flights connected perfectly, with a minimum waiting time in Curaçao. After arriving in Guyana, our group was met by Roraima Airways CEO Gerry Gouveia. Roraima is the handling agent for Insel Air, but also offers complete tour packages including accommodation in its own hotels, and visits to tourist highlight in Guyana on its own fleet of aircraft.

I quickly found out that Gerry was an enigmatic figure, who was very well known and respected in the Georgetown area, and probably far outside the city. He insisted that Roraima would sort out all my travel plans, and that I was welcome to stay in their hotel. He also asked me to join a tour planned by Roraima the following day, which I gladly accepted!

The first night, I stayed with the rest of the group in Park Vue, a pleasant roadside hotel within close proximity to the airport. I didn't get much time to enjoy the room, which could have comfortably housed a large family, as it was close to 2:30am when I checked in. This hotel was also my first experience with what I later started to recognise as typical Guyanese hospitality. Staff persons were at hand for every small request, and seemed to just be happy we were there.

The following morning at 7:00, I was picked up by Roraima's small tour bus. The friendly driver had already picked up my fellow passengers on the tour: an older Guyanese couple of Chinese descent, along with their relatives who had left Guyana for Canada, and were back visiting.

The drive gave me the first real glimpse of Guyana. We drove along a highway which appeared more like a village road. Small shops, many mosques and Hindu temples mixed with Caribbean style houses and many people and animals in the road reflected the melting pot of cultures that makes up this small South American country with its Caribbean influence.

After 40 minutes, we were dropped off at a jetty, where our tour guides for the day awaited. Edward Wilams and his colleague Ted, both Guyanese Arawak Amerindians, helped everyone into life vests and onto a small speedboat which would take us into the jungle, to the Amerindian settlement Santa Mission and the Arrowpoint Resort. The boat ride was an attraction in itself, and showed that the jungle highway of the Demerara River was far more effective than the highway for cars. Local people buzzed past us in small boats, on their way to work or taking their children to school. Most people reacted enthusiastically to the waving tourists on our boat.

The views were magnificent. The water in the river was almost black, and early in the morning, was so quiet that the shore was reflected in it, giving an almost surreal double view of trees, boats, and jetties. On the shore was a number of traditional houses, and children could be seen playing and swimming, while their mothers washed clothes. A wide variety of trees and plants vied with each other to display the most vivid shades of green.

We came past "Tiger Farm," a farm which had been unsuccessful at attempts to keep animals, because pumas kept appearing from the jungle to snatch away the livestock. We saw an area with a lot of bamboo shoots. This used to be "Hopetown," a 1700's Chinese settlement where a group of former indentured labourers had lived under the leadership of a Chinese missionary. It was rumoured this missionary had an affair with a black woman, and disappeared after getting her pregnant. Ultimately, this led to the settlement being abandoned.

We continued our trip along the river to Santa Mission, a settlement of Arawak Amerindians, which is a self-contained village with a school, a church and a small shop. Although a lot of local produce is used, bigger purchases still have to be collected from Georgetown. On the day of our visit, the last Friday before Christmas, the majority of the residents had gone by boat to Georgetown to do their Christmas shopping.

The first thing we saw in the village was an incredible tree, with enormous roots. It took pride of place in a central position in the village, which mainly consisted of wooden structures, but also had a roundhouse which featured a small tourist shop. In this shop, woven baskets and other items could be purchased, made by the women using the Ete Palm. The prices here were much lower than in Georgetown.

There are often events in Santa Mission, and when groups of tourists come, the Amerindians sometimes wear traditional dress, showcase dances or demonstrate traditional crafts. In our case, we saw the village on an ordinary day, which saw the women who were not on the shopping trip cleaning and children playing, while the men went out to work.

As we prepared to re-embark, our attention was drawn to a group of children swimming in the river. The group, ranging in age from around seven to 11, swam through the water faster than any adult I ever saw, racing each other to get to shore. After reaching the shore, they continued playing in the water, laughing at one little girl's effort at making a dive bomb.

Leaving the mission and the children behind, we continued our trip on the river. Amongst the variety of birds we observed was a very large eagle who soared above our heads. He was not the only one hunting for fish. Along the shore, we saw many people fishing, including young boys in a number of boats. About a mile upstream, much to the excitement of the tourists on board, we saw an enormous anaconda floating on the water. Anacondas are not the only occupants of the river; at night, caiman (small crocodiles) viewing tours are organised! Our tour guide explained that at night, only their eyes are visible. My thoughts immediately went back to the swimming children who appeared to be completely at ease in the river. (We were later informed the anaconda had been killed by the villagers).

Not long after, we arrived at Arrowpoint Resort. The piece of land was bought by Roraima, and developed together with the Arawak Amerindians living in the area. It was made into an eco-friendly resort, which provides responsible tourism with nature tours, information and relaxation for tourists, and job opportunities and protection for the Amerindian population. The first things we saw on entering Arrowpoint were two hammocks. They were occupied by a young American couple spending a couple of weeks backpacking in Guyana; they had stayed overnight in one of the jungle huts which Arrowpoint offers staying guests.

Arrival at Arrowpoint, we were treated to unlimited drinks and delicious coconut cake prepared by a young Arawak woman named Mona Lisa, in the main wooden building with a living room for guests and a kitchen. We were given time to relax before being taken to an outdoor briefing area, where the plans for the day were laid out. We would first go on a jungle walk with our guides, after which we would be met at a creek with canoes. We would then paddle back to the resort, where lunch would be served. After lunch, there would be time for mountain biking, swimming and more hiking.

We walked up to the edge of the resort, where a sign warned tourists not to enter the jungle in case they got lost. However, our guides had excellent knowledge of the jungle; Edward in particular gave a wealth of information, ranging from medicinal uses of plants, to how to hunt for pumas. Despite Edward's attempts at whistling to attract birds or monkeys, we did not see any animals of note. The hike wasn't too challenging and was suitable for all levels of fitness. After about 40 minutes, we reached the creek where canoes were brought for us. We then paddled downstream in the creek, back to the river. People could opt to paddle, or to sit with one of the guides to enjoy the views, which were incredible. Due to leaves and red mud on the riverbed, the water appeared a coppery red in certain spaces. The water was only knee-deep, and very clear up to the point we re-entered the river.

After about an hour, we were back at Arrowpoint, where Mona Lisa awaited us with a delicious lunch of cook-up rice – a dish of rice with coconut and various ingredients – followed by ginger cake. Our group opted to forego the mountain biking, and instead enjoyed the afternoon swimming and relaxing in hammocks, enjoying the many sounds of the jungle with its birds singing and crickets chirping. Around 4:00pm, our guides brought us back by speedboat, another enjoyable trip where we enjoyed river life passing us by. On route, we were greeted by a boat full of Amerindians from Santa Mission, heavily laden with Christmas purchases!

The mini-bus awaited us, and took me to Roraima Residence Inn, a pleasant and luxurious boutique hotel with a bar, restaurant and swimming pool. The Roraima tourist office is on base with its helpful and friendly staff, who went through great length to make me feel at home. A young man named Kennedy at reception even offered to have shopping delivered for me as he felt uncomfortable about me going out alone at night. A lady called Meena immediately started making phone calls to arrange a tour for me to visit the famous Kaieteur; the largest single-drop waterfall in the world, and an attraction that the Guyanese are rightly proud of.

It had been a long but enjoyable day, with many new impressions and experiences. Despite the temperature only being slightly cooler than in St. Maarten, I was happy to take a hot shower (not something which can be taken for granted in Guyana!), and have an early night, in preparation for more exploring the following day! Next week, the story continues as I share more about my trips to Georgetown and the Kaieteur waterfall!

Insel Air has flights from St. Maarten to Georgetown, via Curaçao, twice a week on Thursday and Sunday afternoon, and back on Monday and Friday morning. Tickets currently start at NAf. 601 for a return trip as a special deal. For more information, visit www.fly-Insel Air.com.

Roraima is available to take care of all your travel needs, including all tours, accommodations and flights within Guyana. For more information, visit www.roraimaairways.com