GUYANA IN FOCUS

Photographer Ike Edeani captures the wild beauty of a secluded South American frontier.

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OF ALL THE NATURAL SPLENDORS photographer Ike Edeani witnessed in Guyana—dinosaur-like reptiles, murderous-sounding monkeys, needle-nosed anteaters—the sight that stayed with him the longest was that of a single white flower.

“We were on a boat on a massive pond, surrounded by lily pads,” Edeani said. “As soon as the sun dipped, the lily buds slowly started to open. They’re called Victoria amazonica, and they only bloom at dusk. By nightfall, they were fully open. It was pretty incredible. It felt like being on another planet.”

Edeani, who was born in Nigeria and lives in Brooklyn, does not consider himself an outdoorsy person. He has previously photographed Tim Cook, André Leon Talley, Adrien Brody, and Lena Waithe; for Travel + Leisure, he shot a feature on city life in Lagos. But when the opportunity arose to photograph Guyana—a country he knew little about—he embraced the adventure. “I love to put myself in situations that are uncomfortable or different,” he said. “Or places that I haven’t been.”

A jungle-cloaked country on the northeastern coast of South America, Guyana is short on paved roads, modern airstrips, and reliable electricity—not to mention luxury resorts and Michelin-worthy restaurants.

Whatever comforts it may lack, however, the country more than makes up for in unspoiled natural beauty. About 60 percent of its landmass is covered with virgin rainforest, which is home to more than 820 species of birds, 320 documented species of reptiles and amphibians—some of which are unique to the region—and some 228 species of mammals, including the jaguar, Guyana's national animal. There are also more than 8,000 species of plants, with botanists discovering new varieties every year. Kaieteur Falls, in central Guyana, is the world’s tallest single-drop waterfall at 741 feet, roughly five times higher than Niagara Falls.