Rainforest and Mighty Rivers
Guyana is seldom visited by tourists and birdwatchers yet it offers all the avian richness of the lowland forests of adjacent Venezuela and a tourist infrastructure that makes it accessible in far greater comfort. Plenty of fascinating bird species await and you will certainly get close to nature as you explore the rainforest by foot, 4x4 and canoe. Not only is the wildlife fascinating, but you will also get the chance to get a real feeling for daily life in this small and off-the-beaten track country as you visit several small Amerindian villages and communities.
On this trip made for those with an interest in wildlife and birds, you will visit the coastal plain, the sandbelt forest, the seemingly limitless forests of the interior and the Rupununi Savannah along the Brazilian border. You will travel on a number of small watercourses and two great rivers, the Demerara and the Essequibo, as well as visit the Kaieteur Falls, the world’s highest single drop waterfall and among its most imposing scenic wonders.
Saturday
Arrive in Guyana and transfer to Georgetown. Overnight at Cara Lodge, a 150-year old historic building that has been converted into a beautiful small hotel.
Sunday
We fly by chartered aircraft over the Demerara and Essequibo Rivers and hundreds of miles of unbroken tropical rainforest to land at Kaieteur, the world’s highest free-falling waterfall. Though Venezuela’s Angel Falls are greater in total height, their filamentous drop occurs by stages whereas Kaieteur is a single, massive, thundering cataract 100 meters wide created as the Potaro River makes a sheer drop of 228 meters, nearly five times the height of Niagara. The spectacle is even more impressive for its remoteness and it is quite possible that we’ll be the only people viewing it.
Here we will hope to find White-chinned and White-tipped Swifts swirling over the gorge, and perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to see the astonishingly colorful Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock. Taking off again, we continue to the Brazilian border and Orinduik Falls, where the Ireng River thunders over steps and terraces of solid jasper, a semi precious stone. Take a dip in the cool water of its natural jacuzzis. Set against the backdrop of the rolling grass covered hills of the Pakaraima Mountains, this is truly one of the most beautiful locations in Guyana’s hinterland.
Overnight at Cara Lodge. (B/L)
Monday
We once again depart on a flight over the rainforest to the Rupununi Savannah and land at Annai, where we transfer to a four-wheel drive and travel northward to the Amerindian community of Surama. The village is set in five square miles of savannah and surrounded by the densely forested Pakaraima Mountains. Surama’s inhabitants are mainly from the Macushi tribe and still observe many of the traditional practices of their forebears. Our accommodations will be in the Eco Lodge, and our meals will consist of excellent local produce, in order to support this little community. (B/L/D)
Tuesday
We rise before dawn to walk across the savannah and make the easy ascent of Surama Mountain in the cool of the morning. Breakfast will be served at a view point overlooking the village, whilst looking for Pearl Kite, White-tailed and Savannah Hawk, and with a broad prospect of savannahs and the rounded peaks of the Pakaraima.
We return to the village for lunch and later, as the afternoon begins to cool off, make our way on foot through the rainforest to the Burro Burro River, where we spend the night in a hammock camp at Carahaa Landing. (B/L/D)
Wednesday
Soon after daybreak we’ll set out on the river for a quiet and skillfully guided paddle, listening to the voices of a multitude of birds singing in near darkness in the forest – we see many of them later on when the light grows stronger. We search the river banks for mammals such as Giant River Otter, Tapir, Tayra and the active Black Spider Monkeys.
After a delicious lunch we leave Surama by 4x4 Land Cruiser and travel north through the rainforest stopping at a trail where we hope to find the Guianan Cock-of-the Rock at a locality where the birds are known to display and nest. The journey continues onto the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway. Here we can bird watch from the vantage of 35m up in the canopy. After dinner we return to the walkway to experience the canopy at night.
Overnight in Iwokrama Atta Rainforest Lodge. (B/L/D)
Thursday
This morning we awake to the dawn chorus from the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway. After breakfast we are off by 4x4 along the trail where there is a good chance we will see the elusive Jaguar. The Iwokrama forest is rapidly gaining an international reputation for its healthy jaguar populations that don’t seem to be troubled by the appearance of curious humans. No promises, but many have been lucky! Eventually we reach the Essequibo River and the Iwokrama Field Station.
We then set out by boat for half an hour or less to the foot of Turtle Mountain, where we explore the trail for a few hours, visiting Turtle Ponds and climbing to an elevation of about 900 feet for a spectacular view of the forest canopy below. On the return trip we visit Fair View, a nearby Amerindian village and in late afternoon we take a walk on Screaming Piha Trail near the Field Station. Finally, after dark, we go for a paddle on the river once more, in hope of spotting caimans and listening for the voices of nocturnal birds.
Overnight at the Iwokrama Field Station at Kurupukari. (B/L/D)
Friday
Today we embark in the early morning on the Essequibo and circumnavigate nearby Indian House Island, before returning to the Field Station for breakfast. The wildlife is always easiest to spot at this time of the day. We leave the station with a packed lunch, travelling to Mori Scrub, an region characterized by an unusual low, sandy forest. This supports an interesting variety of bird species, among them Rufous-crowned Elaenia, Black Manakin and Red-shouldered Tanager.
In the afternoon we continue by 4x4 back towards the Rupununi Savannha and Annai, its northernmost community. Rupununi is to Guyana what the Gran Sabana is to Venezuela, an extensive area of grassland with termite mounds and scattered or riparian woodland. Needless to say, the birdlife here is markedly different from that of the rainforest.
Overnight at Rock View Lodge. (B/L/D)
Saturday
With its tropical gardens and flowering trees, our lodge resembles an oasis in the savannah, and attracts many species of birds, particularly nectar feeders and frugivores. Nearby patches of light forest are home to certain antbirds and flycatchers, and of course the grasslands support an avifauna of their own. We explore the area on foot, and as the afternoon cools we’ll travel a short distance for birdwatching in the Pakaraima foothills.
Overnight at Rock View Lodge. (B/L/D)
Sunday
This morning we travel across the savannah to Ginep Landing and the Rupununi River, where we travel upstream to Karanambu Ranch. This is the home of Diane McTurk, widely known for her work rehabilitating orphaned Giant River Otters. Our birdwatching here will be largely in woodland patches or gallery forest along the river where we hope to find species such as Spotted Puffbird, Striped Woodcreeper and Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin.
When water levels are appropriate a wooded swamp near the ranch is the site of a surprisingly large colony of Boat-billed Herons, and at any season the river and airstrip provide habitat for no fewer than eight species of nightjars.
Overnight at Karanambu Ranch. (B/L/D)
Monday and Tuesday
Birdwatching from daybreak to nightfall or later, we’ll devote this entire day to exploring Karanambu and its varied habitats, traveling by boat to certain localities up and downstream, and by Land Rover to one or another forest patch. Double-striped Thick-knees are among the sparse inhabitants of the grasslands, and at widely scattered ponds we may find concentrations of storks and other waterbirds.
Overnight at Karanambu Ranch. (B/L/D)
Wednesday
After some early morning birdwatching nearby we fly to Baganara Island Resort. Baganara is pre-eminent among the three hundred and sixty-five islands in the mighty Essequibo. This wonderful little island paradise has one hundred and eighty-seven acres of lush green foliage and colourful tropical flowers.
Located five miles south of Bartica, it is the gateway to the unspoilt rainforest of Guyana and the junction where the great Essequibo and Mazaruni Rivers meet. You can sit on the balcony and simply enjoy the view, or take a long walk along the pristine white sand beach.
Overnight at Baganara Island Resort. (B/L/D)
Thursday
Today we leave on a jungle trail where you find many different species of flora and fauna or you can try your hand at a variety of other outdoor activities including canoeing, fishing, water skiing, volleyball, table tennis, riding wave runners, or simply sunbathing and swimming.
Overnight at Baganara Island Resort. (B/L/D)
Friday
After watching the sunrise over the vast expanse of the river, we board a motorboat and travel down to Parika. We continue by road east, along the sea and will see the system of canals and polders that allow sugar and rice cultivation on land below sea level, and reaching Georgetown by crossing the Demerara on the world’s longest pontoon bridge.
In the afternoon we take a tour of the city to see its extraordinary wooden architecture and to shop in its exciting markets and craft shops. Ouor city tour ends at the extensive and beautiful Botanic Garden where, if we are lucky, the trip’s ornithological finale will be Blood-colored Woodpecker, an astonishingly colorful Veniliornis found only in the Guianas and even there almost wholly limited to the narrow coastal plain.
Overnight at Cara Lodge. (B/L)
Saturday
Transfer to the airport for your departing flight. (B)
Please explore our many Guyana birdwatching options. We have a Rupununi Savannah & Ranches trip, or a trip to see the Harpy Eagle and Iwokrama Forest.
You can always contact the office for more information on tailor made and group options.
Our price includes:
Airport transfers, double or twin accommodation, camping equipment, meals as listed, all road and river transport, internal flights, local guides, activities as described, local bar at Karanambu.
Notes on Accommodation: Camping sections will be in hammock style camps. Single supplement provided where possible.
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