No. 63 Beach

Guyana's coast is mostly mud and mangrove, which is why No. 63 stands out: several kilometres of firm sand on the Corentyne shore, wide at low tide and hard enough that people drive onto it. It is the coastal holiday spot for Berbice, busiest at Easter and on public holidays when families come down with vehicles and food. The water is the brown of the Atlantic off the Guiana coast, carrying Amazon silt, rather than the clear sea visitors sometimes expect.

What you actually see

• The sand strip - several kilometres of firm beach, unusual on this coast.
• The low tide flats - wide hard sand that vehicles drive onto.
• The holiday crowds - Berbice families in numbers at Easter and public holidays.
• The Corentyne - the wide river mouth and the coast running southeast.

When to go

September to April is drier and the most comfortable. Easter and public holidays are the busiest days by a wide margin. Low tide is when the beach is at its widest.

Honest expectations

The water is brown with Amazon silt and the sea is not clear; visitors expecting Caribbean water are disappointed. There are no lifeguards and currents run along the shore. Facilities are limited to stalls on busy days.

Nearby

New Amsterdam is northwest, and the Corentyne coast runs southeast.