Mosquitoes in Guyana: Malaria, Yellow Fever & the Rupununi Lodges (2026)

The CDC recommends malaria prevention medicine for every part of Guyana except the cities of Georgetown and New Amsterdam, and yellow fever vaccine for all travelers. Dengue is endemic, Georgetown included, and the Rupununi lodges add open-air nights and daytime black flies.

Are there mosquitoes in Guyana? Yes, in every month, and outside the cities this is malaria country. The CDC recommends malaria prevention medicine for all of Guyana except Georgetown and New Amsterdam, and yellow fever vaccine for all travelers. In Georgetown, dengue is the everyday risk.

Disease risk ElevatedCDC recommends malaria medicine for all of Guyana except Georgetown and New Amsterdam and yellow fever vaccine for all travelers; dengue is endemic, with over 10,000 cases in 2024 by the health minister's count.

Bite nuisance AnnoyingBites in Georgetown tend to be occasional; open-sided rainforest and savanna lodges call for repellent, bed nets and long sleeves, with black flies by day on the Rupununi.

CirculatingMalaria (outside Georgetown)Dengue (endemic)Yellow fever (vaccine advised)Chikungunya (sporadic)No malaria medicine for Georgetown-only staysNo YF vaccine required on direct US flights

CDC noticesNo country-specific notice for mosquito-borne disease

Travel clinicCDC recommends malaria medicine for all areas except the cities of Georgetown and New Amsterdam, which includes Kaieteur Falls, Iwokrama, the Rupununi lodges and Shell Beach, and yellow fever vaccine for all travelers 9 months and older. See a travel clinic 4–6 weeks before departure.

When to goBetter: roughly September to April, the drier months in the Rupununi, when reviewers at Rewa report fewer biting insects; on the coast, September–November and February–April tend to be driest. Worse: the main rains, about May to August. The malaria and yellow fever advice applies in every month.

Data checkedOctober 2026 · sources

Malaria and yellow fever on an interior trip

The CDC lists atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine and tafenoquine for every area outside Georgetown and New Amsterdam, where it reports rare cases and recommends bite precautions only. At the health ministry's year-end press conference, Health Minister Frank Anthony put 2024 malaria cases at about 24,000, Guyanese press reported in January 2025. The ministry has prioritized interior Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9 for bed-net campaigns because of high case numbers linked to mining.

For yellow fever, the CDC's wording is "Vaccine is recommended for all travelers ≥9 months old." PAHO reported one yellow fever death in Guyana in 2025, a person likely exposed during logging, farming and mining work around Sukapai in Cuyuni-Mazaruni, and no further cases as of March 2026.

What we suggest you do with this: for any trip beyond Georgetown, book a travel-medicine appointment 4–6 weeks before departure. The CDC recommends malaria medicine for "All areas (except the cities of Georgetown and New Amsterdam)," which includes Kaieteur Falls, Iwokrama, the Rupununi lodges and Shell Beach, and yellow fever vaccine for all travelers 9 months and older. Guyana requires yellow fever vaccination for travelers 1 year and older arriving from countries with yellow fever risk, including airport transits or layovers over 4 hours there. Our malaria-zone checklist covers the rest.

Malaria mosquitoes bite from dusk to dawn. At the lodges that means repellent at sunset, long sleeves for dinner, permethrin-treated clothes on forest trails and savanna drives, and a bed net you check for holes.

Dengue by day, black flies on the savanna

Dengue is endemic, and at the same press conference the minister put 2024 dengue cases at more than 10,000. Chikungunya returned in late 2025 with a handful of locally acquired cases, the first in eight years. Both spread through Aedes mosquitoes that bite in daylight, so repellent goes on in the morning in Georgetown too.

The Rupununi savanna has its own biter. A 1973 entomology study of its "kabowra fly" problem, based on visits in 1969 and 1970, found four biting black fly species there, with one causing the nuisance at Lethem and Manari. Black flies bite by day near running water, so cover up with sleeves and repellent on savanna drives and river trips. The CDC also lists leishmaniasis, spread by sand flies from dusk to dawn, Chagas disease and New World screwworm. For screwworm, it advises keeping wounds clean and covered and avoiding time around livestock, which matters on Rupununi ranch stays.

When to go

The Rupununi tends to have one main wet season, roughly May to August, and Rewa reviewers report fewer biting insects from September to April. The coast tends to have two rainy seasons, roughly May to August and December to January, with September to November and February to April usually the driest. The CDC's malaria and yellow fever advice doesn't change by month.

Where you're going

city

Georgetown

Disease risk ModerateBite nuisance Occasional

The CDC reports only rare malaria cases in the capital and recommends no malaria medicine for it, though its yellow fever recommendation still covers all travelers. Dengue is endemic, so wear repellent in the daytime.

jungle

Kaieteur Falls

Disease risk ElevatedBite nuisance Occasional

Usually a day flight from Georgetown, and inside the CDC's malaria-medicine area and its all-traveler yellow fever recommendation. Tell the travel clinic whether you're flying in for the day or staying overnight.

jungle

Iwokrama & the Rupununi lodges

Disease risk ElevatedBite nuisance Annoying

Open-sided rainforest and savanna lodges with bed nets, mosquitoes at night and black flies by day on the savanna. The CDC's malaria medicine and yellow fever vaccine advice applies, and these interior regions are a focus of the health ministry's malaria control.

beach

Shell Beach

Disease risk ElevatedBite nuisance Noticeable

A remote turtle-nesting beach in Barima-Waini, one of the interior regions the health ministry targets for malaria bed-net campaigns. The CDC's malaria medicine and yellow fever advice applies, and repellent goes on at dusk.

Adding Suriname? Guyana alerted its health facilities to chikungunya in January 2026 after the outbreak there, and our Suriname briefing covers that side of the border. Our Brazil briefing covers Manaus and the Amazon lodges.

The Guyana kit

The spray covers Georgetown. The interior needs all three.

Picaridin 20% travel sprays: odorless in the humidity and layers over sunscreen. One 3.4 oz bottle covers about a week of daily use for one person.
A full-size backup in the checked bag, since day-and-night use empties a travel size fast.
Permethrin 0.5% for lodge clothes: treat a long-sleeved shirt, trousers and socks at home 48 hours before you fly. It goes on clothing, never on skin.

Carry-on trio → 8 oz backup → Permethrin → Full rankings

What travelers report

Paraphrased from a TripAdvisor review and linked so you can read it in full. It isn't dated, and bites at the interior lodges vary with the season and the lodge.

Rewa Eco Lodge (North Rupununi)
The reviewer's headline called Rewa one of the most remote places on earth and gorgeous, with a caveat to bring bug spray. TripAdvisor ↗

One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Guyana and whether you went to the interior. Malaria can show up weeks after you get home.

Traveler questions

Do I need malaria pills for Guyana?

For anything beyond the two main cities, the CDC recommends them. Its line is "All areas (except the cities of Georgetown and New Amsterdam): Atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline, mefloquine, tafenoquine." That takes in Kaieteur Falls, Iwokrama, the Rupununi lodges and Shell Beach. For Georgetown and New Amsterdam, it recommends insect bite precautions and mosquito avoidance only. Which medicine fits you is a call for a travel clinic, made 4–6 weeks before departure with your full route. Our malaria-zone checklist covers the rest.

Do I need a yellow fever vaccine for Guyana?

The CDC's recommendation is "Vaccine is recommended for all travelers ≥9 months old," Georgetown included. Guyana doesn't require it on a direct trip from the US. It does require proof from travelers 1 year and older arriving from countries with yellow fever risk, including airport transits or layovers of more than 4 hours there, so bring your whole route to the travel clinic.

Are the Rupununi lodges buggy?

They can be. Many are open-sided, so the bed net does the work at night. Reviewers of Atta Rainforest Lodge at Iwokrama describe netted beds without window screens and disagree on how many mosquitoes there are. Rewa reviewers advise bringing your own repellent and coils, and Karanambu reviewers describe good nets, lodge-supplied spray and bats eating insects after dark. Black flies bite by day on the savanna. Rewa reviewers report fewer biting insects from September to April.

Is there dengue or chikungunya in Georgetown?

Dengue is endemic. Health Minister Frank Anthony reported more than 10,000 dengue cases for 2024 at the ministry's year-end press conference, Guyanese press reported in January 2025. Chikungunya returned in late 2025 with a handful of locally acquired cases, the first in eight years, and PAHO counted two confirmed cases in 2026 through mid-September. Both spread through a mosquito that bites by day, so repellent goes on in the morning. The CDC also lists Zika for Guyana, so if you're pregnant, talk with a healthcare provider before the trip.

Sources

Health authorities, surveillance reports and news coverage of official bulletins used for this briefing, last checked October 2026. Traveler reports are linked where they appear. This page summarizes public-health guidance and is not medical advice.

Outside Georgetown, Guyana is malaria country.