Lighthouses of Guyana

The Co‑operative Republic of Guyana is an independent nation located on the north coast of South America just east of Venezuela. Colonized initially by the Dutch, it was conquered by the British during the Napoleonic Wars and became the colony of British Guiana in 1831. The country gained its independence in 1966.

The coastline of Guyana is 459 km (285 mi) long, oriented northwest to southeast; it has mostly a low, sandy or marshy shoreline. Georgetown, the national capital and major port, is also the site of the country's one traditional lighthouse. New Amsterdam is the second international port. English is the official language, although a regional creole language is spoken.

Venezuela has a long-standing claim to a large part of the territory of Guyana, a dispute going back to colonial times. An arbitration in 1899 was largely in favor of Britain, but Venezuela now rejects that settlement on the grounds the Britain unfairly influenced the arbitrators. In 2023 the International Court of Justice agreed to take up the case, following a request from the United Nations, but no ruling has been made yet.

Aids to navigation in Guyana are presumably operated by the Maritime Administration Department within the Ministry of Public Works.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Guyana
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas; the Guyana photos are by Capt. Peter Mosselberger ("Capt. Peter").
Lighthouses in Guyana
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Guyana
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Leuchttürme Südamerikas auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.
OpenSeaMap.org
Navigational chart for Georgetown harbor.
Google Maps
Satellite view of coastal Guyana. The dashed line on this map is the border claimed by Venezuela.


Georgetown Light, Georgetown, January 2021
Instagram photo by Tourism Guyana
Essequibo River (Essequibo Islands - West Demerara Region) Lighthouse
Essequibo Middle Ground
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); white flash every 10 s. 9 m (30 ft) white skeletal tower on a platform supported by piles. No photo available and the light is not seen in Bing's satellite view. Located in the entrance to the Essequibo River. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6836; NGA 17278.

Georgetown Area (Demerara-Mahaica Region) Lighthouses
Georgetown Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white flash every 5 s. 17 m (56 ft) skeletal tower, painted white, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The front range tower has a focal plane of only 8 m (26 ft). Located on the west side of the entrance to the Demerara River. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6843.1; NGA 17300.
* Georgetown (2)
1830 (station established 1817). Active; focal plane 31.5 m (103 ft); flash every 60 s, red or white depending on direction. 30 m (98 ft) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white vertical stripes. A 2021 photo posted by Tourism Guyana is above, Amanda Richards has a wider view, John and Elaine Chesterton have a 2013 photo, a 2021 drone view and a 2011 photo is available, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Nigel Durrant's August 2011 photo shows the lighthouse freshly repainted and he also has a good photo of the historical display on the lighthouse. Lightphotos.net has a historic postcard photo. The lighthouse is a principal tourist attraction in Georgetown, the nation's capital. In 2003 a team from the Smithsonian Institution cleaned and restored the clockwork mechanism that rotates the lens. Visits to the lighthouse were suspended in September 2015 due to the need for repairs. As of May 2023 it is still closed. Located at the end of Water Street, marking the east side of the mouth of the Demerara River. Site open, tower closed pending repairs. . ARLHS GUY-001; Admiralty J6841; NGA 17292.
Clonbrook (1?)
Date unknown. Inactive since about 2010. Listed as a 26 m (85 ft) skeletal tower, painted yellow. This tower has been abandoned. Amanda Richards has a 2013 photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on the Atlantic coast about 25 km (15 mi) southeast of Georgetown. Site status unknown. ex-Admiralty J6852; ex-NGA 17312.

New Amsterdam Area (East Berbice-Corentyne Region) Lighthouses
[#Berbice River]
Date unknown (lightship station established 1902). Destroyed. This light was listed as a 12 m (39 ft) skeletal tower on a wood platform. NGA notes that the light was reported extinguished in 1996 and Capt. Peter found that only stubs of the pilings remain. Located about 10 km (6 mi) north northeast of the mouth of the river. ex-Admiralty J6854; ex-NGA 17320.
Berbice Entrance Range Front (2)
Around 2011. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); quick-flashing white light. 13 m (43 ft) square skeletal tower mounted on a wood platform supported by wood piles. The tower also carries a diamond-shaped slatted daymark, painted red. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2012 photo but Google's satellite view does not show the light. This light replaced a light, formerly listed by NGA, that had a focal plane of only 6 m (20 ft). According to Capt. Peter, the range lights were upgraded after large quantities of bauxite began to be shipped from New Amsterdam. Located off the entrance to the Berbice estuary, which leads to the port of New Amsterdam. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6858; NGA 17324.
Berbice Entrance Range Rear (2)
Around 2011. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 5 s. 18 m (59 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white and mounted on a wood platform supported by wood piles. The tower also carries a diamond-shaped slatted daymark, painted red. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2013 photo (also seen at right) but Google's satellite view does not show the light. This light replaced a light that had a focal plane of only 12 m (39 ft). Located 1.4 km (0.9 mi) south southwest of the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J6858.1; NGA 17328.
#New Amsterdam
1909. Inactive since sometime before 1975. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) square cylindrical wood tower of the New Amsterdam Town Hall. Wikimedia has a historic (1950) photo and Huelse has a historic postcard view. Capt. Peter visited New Amsterdam in January 2013 and was told that the old town hall had been demolished in 2012. The Guyana Chronicle has photos of the deteriorated tower being removed by a crane on 10 June 2012. There is interest in rebuilding the tower, but no one has the $16.5 million this is estimated to cost. Located in downtown New Amsterdam, on the east bank of the Berbice River about 7 km (4 mi) south of the river's mouth.

Berbice Entrance Range Rear Light, New Amsterdam, January 2013
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Suriname | West: Eastern Venezuela

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Posted July 7, 2003. Checked and revised September 7, 2026. Lighthouses: 7. Site copyright 2026 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.