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Route:
Technical Characteristics:
Route Profile: Medium. Suitable for people with a good fitness level who enjoy hiking, adventure, wildlife, nature and pristine environments.
Travel Season: Departures Saturday January 14; February 4; March 11; April 1; August 19; September 9; October 14 and December 2, 2023
Other dates available on request
*Group rates available for this tour. As this is a guided tour, the pricing improves with more people participating. Please ask us for details.
Accommodation:
Guests are accommodated in a mix of a heritage house hotel, rainforest and savannah lodges, and indigenous community lodges
This classic small group scheduled departure takes in many of the highlights of Guyana: start in historic Georgetown with a market and city tour. Fly across endless rainforest into the heart of the country to visit Kaieteur Falls, the tallest single-drop waterfall in the world. Continue to the one million acre Iwokrama Rainforest Reserve for jungle hikes, boat trips, the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, and the chance to see the elusive jaguar. Stay in the Makushi village of Surama before going into the savannahs in search of giant river otters, giant anteaters and taking part in the black caiman research project at the indigenous community of Yupukari.
Itineraries
Day 1
Arrival to Georgetown
Pickup from Cheddi Jagan International Airport and transfer to Georgetown and your hotel, Cara Lodge.
Day 2
Day Trip to Kaieteur Falls
Take a scheduled flight over hundreds of miles of unbroken tropical rainforest to land at Kaieteur Falls, the world’s highest free-falling waterfall. Kaieteur which was first seen by a European on April 29, 1870 is situated in the heart of Guyana. The water of Kaieteur flows over a sandstone conglomerate tableland into a deep gorge - a drop of 247 meters or 5 times the height of Niagara Falls. There are no other falls in the world with the magnitude of the sheer drop existing at Kaieteur. Amerindian legend of the Patamona tribe has it that Kai, one of the tribe’s chiefs (after whom the falls is named), committed self-sacrifice by canoeing himself over the falls. It was believed this would encourage the Great Spirit Makonaima to save the tribe from being destroyed by the savage Caribishi.
Day 3
Flight to the interior. Trail walks and caiman night spotting. Overnight at Iwokrama River Lodge
Board scheduled flight for journey to the interior and transfer to the Iwokrama River Lodge. Explore the trails around the lodge with an Iwokrama Guide. Iwokrama is home to many bird species including some Guiana Shield endemics and the forest is also the habitat for many mammals and you may see Red-rumped Agouti and various species of monkey including Red Howler, Black Spider, Wedge-capped and Brown Capuchins. Three neo-tropical species in the Iwokrama forest of high interest are the White-winged Potoo, Rufous Potoo, and Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo.
Day 4
Indian House Island boat tour, Turtle Mountain hike, rapids and petroglyphs. Overnight at Iwokrama River Lodge
Making an early start, we’ll embark on the Essequibo and circumnavigate nearby Indian House Island, before returning to the River Lodge for breakfast. Leave the lodge by boat, birdwatching along the way, for the hike to Turtle Mountain. A well maintained trail winds through the forest before an exhilarating climb up the mountain to its summit at approximately 360 meters. The effort is more than worth it for the breathtaking views over the forest canopy and chances to see green aracari, white bellbird or a fly-by of one of five types of eagles. This trail is also a great location for seeing black spider and red howler monkeys. If you think this hike may be too strenuous you can take an alternative boat trip to Stanley Lake to search for giant river otters and black caiman.
Day 5
4x4 through rainforest with opportunity for jaguar. Iwokrama Canopy Walkway. Overnight Atta Rainforest Lodge
Explore the trails or just have a look for the resident Caiman, Sankar, near the landing before breakfast and departure. Transfer by 4 x 4 along the dirt road that is one of the best places to see the elusive Jaguar. No promises, but many have been lucky! This road is the only north-south access in Guyana and links the country to Brazil. Even so, traffic is only very occasional and wildlife is often seen along the road, such as Agouti, Tayra, Tapir and Black Curassow. Along the road, we will watch for the myriad of bird species that frequent the forest edge, including crimson and Purple-necked Fruit-crow, and Gray-winged Trumpeter.
Day 6
Bird watching from the canopy walkway, wildlife spotting, and nature trail walks. Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge
Before dawn, we will head to the canopy walkway where we can birdwatch easily and from this treetop vantage, you can sometimes see Red Howler and Black Spider Monkeys. The walkway has four suspension bridges leading to three platforms, the highest of which is over 30 meters above the ground, and these will allow great looks at a range of canopy species, many of which you would struggle to see well from the forest floor. The walkway is also an excellent place to look for various species of cotinga including the poorly known and range-restricted Dusky Purpletuft and if there are any suitable fruiting trees nearby, you stand a good chance of seeing this bird, as well as the more widespread Purple-breasted Cotinga. Apart from the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway itself, you can enjoy wildlife and birdwatching walk on the trails around the area. For those interested in botany many of the trails have the key tree species marked. Many bird species, stunning insects, noisy amphibians, and playful primates make the surrounding forest their home. Deer, Tapir and Agouti are also regular visitors to the lodge. Serious birders will want to search the undergrowth for the rarely seen Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo.
Day 7
Guianan Cock-of-the-rock lek, and the indigenous community of Surama. Overnight at Surama Eco Lodge
Welcome the dawn chorus from the canopy walkway and then return to the lodge for breakfast before departure. Transfer by vehicle through the Iwokrama rainforest to Corkwood where there is a comparatively short trail to hopefully see the amazingly brilliant Guianan Cock-of-the-rock. This trail is through interesting and pristine rainforest and the guides can explain how the plants are used for medicine and other purposes. Continue the journey to the community of Surama.
Day 8
Surama Mountain hike and Burro Burro River boat trip. Overnight at Surama Eco-Lodge
Rise before dawn for a walk across the savannah and then climb up Surama Mountain for incredible views across the village and savannah to the Pakaraima Mountains. This is not a technical climb but can be arduous, especially after rain, and not for everyone. Your guides will happily offer alternative activities if you prefer not to do this climb.
Day 9
Nature trail, birdwatching and cashew nut roasting. Overnight at Rock View Lodge
Enjoy dawn breaking across the rainforest. You can choose from a forest walk to look for wildlife and birds or relax around the lodge before breakfast and departure. Transfer by vehicle from Surama through the rainforest and savannah to Rock View Lodge at Annai.
Day 10
Dawn mountain hike, Giant River Otters, Victoria Amazonica and Black Caiman spotting. Overnight at Karanambu Lodge
At dawn, take a hike in the foothills of the Pakaraima Mountains on the Panorama Trail where you might see Cinereous Mourner, Finsch’s Euphonia, Reddish Hermit, Rufous-bellied Antwren, Green-tailed and Yellow-billed Jacamar. The views across the savannah and villages as the sun rises are spectacular. Return to the lodge for breakfast before departure. Travel south by road from Rock View Lodge to Ginep Landing where we will take a boat trip on the Rupununi River to Karanambu Lodge. Depending on the river level, this trip offers an excellent opportunity to look for Giant Otters as there are several family groups which live along this stretch of the Rupununi River.
Day 11
Search for Giant Anteater, explore the savannah and river. Overnight at Karanambu Lodge
This morning we may make an early start to reach an area of rolling grasslands, which is home to a population of Giant Anteaters. With luck, we shall locate one of these six-foot long animals excavating its breakfast from one of the red termite mounds that stud the savannah. The Giant Anteater, also known as the ant bear, is a large insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is recognizable by its elongated snout, a bushy tail, long fore-claws and distinctively coloured pelage. It feeds primarily on ants and termites, using its fore-claws to dig them up and its long, sticky tongue to collect them. Though giant anteaters live in overlapping home ranges they are mostly solitary except during mother-offspring relationships, aggressive interactions between males, and when mating. Mother anteaters carry their offspring on their backs until weaning them.
Day 12
Black Caiman research project and Yupukari village. Overnight at Caiman House Field Station
In the event, you did not see a Giant Anteater the previous morning, there is time to travel out to search the savannah again. Or explore the Rupununi River in search of wild Giant River Otters, Black Caiman and Arapaima, making a boat journey along quiet stretches of the river. Return to the lodge for breakfast before saying your goodbyes and transfer upriver by motorized boat to the nearby Amerindian village of Yupukari and Caiman House.
Day 13
Fly to Georgetown. Georgetown city tour. Dinner at Backyard Cafe. Overnight at Cara Lodge
After breakfast transfer by vehicle to the border town of Lethem where you will board a scheduled flight to the Eugene F. Correia International Airport in Georgetown. Enjoy a guided tour of Georgetown, the chief port, capital and largest city of Guyana situated on the right bank of the Demerara River Estuary. The city was designed largely by the Dutch and is laid out in a rectangular pattern with wide tree-lined avenues and irrigation canals that criss-cross. Most of the buildings in the city are wooden with unique Guyanese-colonial architecture dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. A few of these that should not be missed is the residence of the Prime Minister, Statehouse built in 1852 and St. Georges Cathedral which is one of the world’s tallest free-standing wooden building, Town Hall, a splendid example of Gothic architecture, the Victoria Law Courts, St. Andrews Kirk and Stabroek Market, the largest and oldest market of its kind in the Caribbean built in the year 1881.
Day 14
Departure
Pickup and transfer to Cheddi Jagan International Airport for your departing flight.
Prices
Included:
- Airport transfers
- Double or twin accommodation
- Meals as listed (13 breakfasts, 10 lunches and 11 dinners)
- Limited local bar at Karanambu Lodge
- All road and river transfers
- Internal flights in Guyana
- Activities as described
- Local guides
- Kaieteur National Park fee
- Iwokrama Forest User Fee
- Iwokrama Canopy Walkway fee
Not Included:
- Items of a personal nature
- Alcoholic drinks except where mentioned above
- Departure tax
- International flights
- Visa if required
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