Guyana Botanical Gardens

Parks & Nature · Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana

Laid out in the late 1870s on the former Vlissengen sugar estate, Georgetown's botanical gardens are a shady retreat of palms, lotus-filled canals and Victorian-era bridges, including the much-photographed kissing bridge. Manatees glide in the ponds and will drift over if you offer a handful of grass, while the adjoining zoological park cares for native wildlife. It is also one of the best easy birdwatching spots in the capital.