Fort Zeelandia on Fort Island

About this place

Fort Zeelandia is a small red-brick fort on Fort Island, a river island in the Essequibo delta west of Georgetown. Thick old walls with gun ports, green lawns and trees surround it, and the wide river rings the island. The present brick fort was built in 1743 for the Dutch colony of Essequibo, replacing a wooden fort from 1726, and it is among the oldest buildings in Guyana. It became the seat of the Essequibo capital in 1739, replacing an older fort upriver. It measures 15 by 20 m with ramparts at its four corners and guarded the river mouth. You walk around the fort and between its walls, looking through arched windows and gun ports at the trees. The island has other old Dutch buildings too. It is quiet, and most visitors come on a river trip. The island is about 39 km in a straight line west of Georgetown, reached by boat or with a tour. We found no fee for the fort. Bring water and insect repellent; the sun is strong on the water.