Yes, tours to the former Jonestown settlement in Guyana reportedly began in January 2025. That launch report does not establish whether tours are accepting bookings now. Jonestown is a remote, overgrown site—not a developed memorial museum—and reaching it involves difficult travel. Anyone considering a visit should confirm current arrangements directly with the operator and weigh the ethical debate around tourism at a mass-death site.
Are Jonestown tours running now?
The San Diego State University Jonestown archive reports that tours began in January 2025. Its page was last modified October 10, 2025, and the report is evidence of a launch, not confirmation of bookings as of October 8, 2026. The available sources do not establish current tour dates or availability.
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Wanderlust Adventures GY, a Georgetown-based private operator, proposed the trip in late 2024. The Guyana Tourism Authority announced it among seven destination experiences on November 29, 2024. Before making plans, contact the operator directly to verify whether it is operating and confirm transport, lodging, itinerary, trail conditions, and what visitors can actually see.
What is the trip to the site like?
Jonestown lies inland near Port Kaituma in northwestern Guyana. The Associated Press reported in December 2024 that travelers reach Port Kaituma by boat, helicopter, or plane, then face about six miles on a rough, overgrown trail to the abandoned settlement. The reporting does not establish road access, public facilities, or current safety conditions.
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The SDSU archive describes an itinerary involving flights, an overnight stay in nearby Port Kaituma, a visit to the area being reclaimed by jungle, and promised firsthand accounts from a witness. Its account also mentions possible hiking, river tubing, and birdwatching. The operator’s June 2025 brochure describes a 27-hour overnight tour with a return flight to Port Kaituma. These are descriptions of the advertised trip, not confirmation that every element remains available.
What happened at Jonestown?
Jonestown was a settlement established by Peoples Temple, the movement led by Jim Jones. On November 18, 1978, more than 900 people connected to the community died there. The Associated Press described Jones ordering followers to drink poison and reported that many had endured beatings, forced labor, imprisonment, and rehearsals for a mass suicide. The same day, Rep. Leo J. Ryan and four others were killed at the Port Kaituma airstrip.
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The death toll varies by source and phrasing. The Associated Press uses “more than 900”; the Network of Concerned Historians’ 2025 Annual Report gives a figure of 909. “Mass deaths” is a useful neutral description, while “mass murder and suicide” reflects the coercion and lethal violence documented in accounts of the event. Describing the deaths as simply voluntary would erase the reported abuse and Jones’s role.
What remains at the former settlement?
The Associated Press described an abandoned commune reclaimed by vegetation, with fragments of a cassava mill and main pavilion and a rusted tractor among the remains. Its reporting does not describe a reconstructed compound or a developed memorial museum in Guyana. Visitors should not assume the site offers preserved exhibits, visitor services, or a formal interpretive center.
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Why is tourism at Jonestown controversial?
Supporters have presented the tour as heritage travel that could help people understand the site. The AP reported that Guyana’s tourism minister, Oneidge Walrond, said the government supported the effort and had helped clear the area, while acknowledging opposition.
Critics argue that commercializing a mass-death site risks disrespecting victims and could put visitor curiosity ahead of survivors, families, and Guyanese communities. University of Guyana law professor Neville Bissember called the proposal a “ghoulish and bizarre idea,” as recorded in the Network of Concerned Historians’ 2025 report. In AP’s December 2024 report, survivor Jordan Vilchez, whose sisters and nephews died, said: “Then on the other hand, I just feel like any situation where people were manipulated into their deaths should be treated with respect.” These are competing views, not a dispute the sources show as settled.
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Fielding McGehee, co-director of the Jonestown Institute, also questioned the project’s economic feasibility and warned that stories passed down through generations can become inaccurate. A witness account may add a personal perspective, but it should not be treated as independently verified history by itself.
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How to approach a visit responsibly
- Verify that tours are operating and ask exactly what transport, overnight arrangements, and site access are included.
- Ask what historical context is provided and how the tour incorporates survivor and Guyanese perspectives.
- Approach the visit as a place connected to real people and profound loss, not as entertainment or a spectacle.
- Use established historical sources to check claims and distinguish documented events from recollections or retellings.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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