From: £1,547
From: $2,060
Arrival in Georgetown.
Pick up and transfer to Cara Lodge, a 150-year-old heritage building converted into a beautiful small hotel.
Georgetown the chief port, capital and largest city of Guyana is situated on the right Bank of the Demerara River Estuary.
It was chosen as a site for a fort to guard the early Dutch settlements of the Demerara River. The city of Georgetown 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 the city.
Most of the buildings in the city are wooden with unique architecture dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
Your guide will show you around Bourda Market, the largest of the four markets in Georgetown. This will be an exciting opportunity to see what is on sale, from food to haberdashery – the guide will tell us all about the local fruits and vegetables unique to this part of the world.
You then continue on your tour of Georgetown with an experienced guide who will provide you with all the history, traditions and facts.
On this mix of vehicle and walking tour, you will see many of Georgetown’s historic buildings and visit the botanical gardens, which are home to an extensive collection of tropical flora and the endangered West Indian manatees.
You will visit the National Museum and the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, which houses a beautiful collection of artefacts to bring the Guyanese history and lifestyle to life.
After our city tour, it’s off to a local restaurant for lunch.
It is an early start as you depart Georgetown at 6.30am for an 8 hour journey inland. Once past the town of Linden, you see nothing but beautiful verdant rainforest and rolling hills.
You will reach the busy gold-mining town of Mahdia, and on to Pamela Landing.
This is where you meet the boat for a final 2 ½ hours journey to Amatuk, a beautiful island of white sand. The stunning 50m high Amatuk Falls are close to the camp where we set up for the night.
The river is suitable for swimming and what better way to freshen up before dinner!
Overnight in hammocks at Camp Amatuk.
Today, you set off on foot as adventure awaits, with some swimming across creeks and walking across jungle bridges (tree trunks)!
A short boat-ride and you arrive at Waratuk where you will either trek for 4hrs if you like a bit more challenge, or transfer to another boat for an hour’s boat ride to Tukiet.
The impressive Ibini mountain range towers over you as you make your way to Tukiet, which lies at the foot of the Kaieteur Falls.
Here, you will be treated to a stunning view of the gorge and – you guessed it – a possible dip in the river.
Overnight at Tukiet Guesthouse in hammocks.
Today get ready for the big challenge! It’s a four hour climb to the top of what (at least in part) the locals call the ‘O my God’ mountain. Did you say you liked challenges?
There is some scrambling involved to reach the top, but the sense of achievement on taking in that view from the top, will make up for all hardship.
Here you have arrived at the mighty Kaieteur Falls, the highest single-drop waterfalls in the world.
Overnight at Kaieteur Guest House, in hammocks.
This morning explore Kaieteur Park and of course take advantage of the many excellent photo opportunities, too.
Those with a bit of patience might get a glimpse of the beautiful but poisonous ‘golden frog’ and hopefully you will spot the brightly coloured, orange ‘Cock-of-the-rock’.
Your guide will help you spot as much as possible and draw attention to the unique flora around.
Overnight at Kaieteur Guest House, in hammocks.
After another night at the top of the Kaieteur, it is time to say farewell.
Return on a small aircraft and hope to get a final, farewell view of the Kaieteur Falls from the air – saying goodbye to the gorge you camped at only a few nights ago and the awe-inspiring expanse of rainforest and rivers.
Overnight at Cara Lodge.
Optional (at extra cost) evening tour.
Georgetown’s Seawall comes alive as families, courting couples and friends promenade along the oceanfront every Sunday evening.
There is a variety of unique pop-up cocktail bars, street food stalls and all to the backdrop of Caribbean tunes. It’s an atmosphere not to be missed and your guide, who knows all the best places, will make sure you taste the best street food as well as visiting other local bars around the city.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your return flight home.
Being mainly rainforest, and because much of the trip takes place in the rainforest, you will sleep in beds surrounded by mosquito nets.
Sleeping within the rainforest and savannah is a fantastic experience, and comes as second nature after a day or two.
While no one comes to Guyana looking for a luxury travel experience, welcome creature comforts are on offer at the charming colonial boutique Cara Lodge in Georgetown as well as the storied Pegasus on the city’s northwest corner.
This has been classified as an easy-to-moderate trek and is more like an overland tour.
You need a reasonable level of walking fitness to hike to Kaieteur Falls. The climb up from the Gorge to the top of the Falls is a hot and hard one, which will take 4-6 hours, depending on the weather and your fitness levels. Most days, you will walk for a few hours, spot birds, and search for wildlife.
The humidity can make a short walk feel a lot harder than it is, and take on board lots of water.
The trip is open to anyone who wants to experience the rainforest, but particularly for those with an interest in hiking and wildlife.
Almost all dietary requirements can be catered for – please enquire in advance as we have to organise supplied.
Whilst on tour the food is of a very good standard with fresh beef, chicken and fish and plenty of vegetables and fruit.
On camping trips/in remote areas, use is made of dried and salted produce, supplemented by fishing.
The blend of different ethnic influences – Indian, African, Chinese, Creole, English, Portuguese, Amerindian, North American – gives a distinctive flavour to Guyanese cuisine.
Try dishes such as Pepper Pot, meat cooked in casareep (bitter casava) juice with peppers and herbs. Garlic pork, a specialty at Christmas. Curry and Roti is popular everywhere. Seafood is plentiful and varied, as is the wide variety of tropical fruit and vegetables. Try casava and yams.
Rum is the most popular drink and Guyana blends some of the worlds best. There are many inexpensive rums that are an excellent rum with mixers. The better rums such as Banks Extra, Banks XM 10 Year and DDL’s 12 year old King of Diamonds are smooth rums and great straight or on the rocks. DDL’s 15 year old El Dorado was voted the best rum in the world in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and is as smooth as a good brandy. The local Banks Beer is a good beer.
The water from the tap is brownish in colour, which is from the tannin in the water, and not polluted. However, it is recommended that bottled water, which is readily available, is used for drinking. Remember to drink plenty of it to prevent dehydration as it does get humid in Guyana.
A variety of expert guides may accompany on this tour, all of whom have many years’ experience and plenty of enthusiasm to make sure your trip is a great one.
Below are a few of the guides.
Wally Prince: Unrivalled expertise and experience leading tours and teams in Guyana.
Wally is one of the most sought-after guides for professional birders, documentary teams, and scientific expeditions visiting Guyana. He served for seven years as the guide coordinator, resident wildlife biologist, chief trainer, and operations manager at Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development. He has identified more than 700 of the 800+ bird species recorded in Guyana and is intimately familiar with their habitats, behaviours, vocalisations, and mating rituals. He grew up wandering through Guyana’s lush and biodiverse interior.
Gary Sway: Amerindian, Expert Naturalist
Gary Sway is a Macushi Amerindian from the village of Surama. Having grown up in the rainforest he has a great understanding and affinity for his natural surroundings and the wildlife. He has been a guide at Surama Eco-lodge for nearly 15 years and is well loved by those who have explored and seen the rainforest through his eyes. Gary is also an experienced birding guide and has represented Guyana at the Bird Expo in Columbus Ohio, USA. His patience and keen eye means great rewards for those birding with him. In his spare time Gary is a leading player in the Surama Makushi culture group.
Nadir (Carlos) Allie: Guide, Bird Expert
Nadir (Carlos) Allie was originally from the west coast of the ancient county of Berbice. His family were rice farmers, but Carlos did not want to follow this path, and moved to Georgetown to learn his father’s profession and became a tailor. From an early age Carlos always had a love and passion for birds. He never joined the other boys in trying to shoot them with a slingshot, preferring to rescue and care for the injured ones.
In Georgetown, through his love of birds he became friends with Andy Narine and together they formed the Guyana Amazon Tropical Birds Society (GATBS). Through GATBS, Carlos was able to get involved in many different projects including bird counts for some of the interior lodges, and also collecting information on the avifauna of Guyana for a new Guyana bird list. Over the years Carlos has become an experienced bird guide, leading tours to Guyana’s top birding locations especially along the coastlands where he was born and continues to live. Carlos loves to share his passion and love of birds with visitors and locals whenever he gets the opportunity. He is especially fond of leading tours of the Botanical Gardens in Georgetown.
Outstanding communication and expert planning made Andean Trails the clear choice for a perfectly organised South American adventure.
A remarkable Guyana adventure filled with wildlife, cultural warmth, and exceptional hospitality in the heart of the rainforest.
Travel on foot and canoe as you journey to Kaieteur Falls, the world’s highest single-drop waterfall, five times the height of Niagara Falls.
After a city tour, we leave civilisation and enter Guyana’s beautiful rainforest.
Walking along small jungle trails and over tree-trunk bridges gives you a real sense of adventure and allows you to get as close as possible to lush, green nature.
The lucky ones amongst you might even return home having seen a jaguar.
Guyana has five natural habitats to discover, the most famous of which is is its dense rain forest.
This ‘jungle’ is also known as the Forested Highland Region and is in the south of the country, and is very sparsely populated.
The majority (around 90%) of Guyana’s population lives in a marshy plain on the Atlantic coast, known as the low coastal plain.
Most of the country’s mineral deposits (bauxite, gold, diamonds) are found a little further inshore in that is called the white sand belt.
The south west of the country gives way to a desert savannah which then becomes an interior savannah.
From here, the grasslands and mountains of the interior highlands start to rise towards the borders with Brazil and Venezuela.
This is the largest of Guyana’s geographical areas and consists a series of plateaus, flat-topped mountains, and savannahs.
The Pakaraima Mountains dominate the western part of the interior highlands and include Mount Roraima, Guyana’s highest peak at 2,772m (9,094 ft) on the Venezuelan border.
The largest expanse of grassland, the Rupununi Savannah, covers about 15,000 square kilometres in southern Guyana.
Guyana has three large rivers, the Essequibo at 1,010km(628 miles), the Courantyne River (which forms a natural border with Suriname) at 724kms (450 miles), and the Berbice – 595kms (370 miles).
Guyana is the only English-speaking country on the South American continent and has a Caribbean feel.
It is a destination for the nature lover looking for an off-the-beaten-path destination with many attractions. Guyana offers pristine rainforest, abundant wildlife, jaguars and the mighty Kaieteur Falls.
Start your adventure in the melting pot that is the country’s capital – Georgetown. Here Hindu, Muslim and Christian cultures blend in harmony.
Head off to visit the breathtaking Kaieteur Falls – the world’s highest single-drop waterfall.
Then the interior beckons. Jungle and Savannah await. With luck you might spot the Cock o’ the rock or a harpy eagle.
Bigger mammals such as the ant eater might surprise you or if incredibly lucky the mighty jaguar. Travel by road or river and stay in rustic but comfortable lodges – all with an authentic Guyanese welcome.
Guyana will be an unforgettable adventure.
Good kit is vital for every trip.
Book with Andean Trails and get 15% off Páramo’s fantastic ethical and high performance outdoor gear.
Guyana is a hot and humid country.
Take sunscreen, sun glasses and a hat to Guyana.
It can rain at any time, so always have a poncho/waterproof jacket handy.
Give plenty of thought to kit selection, and try to keep weight down.
Passenger/s traveling on internal flights in Guyana are allowed a free baggage allowance of 20lbs/9.1KG exceeding this weight passenger/s will incur a cost of GY$150.00 (price subject to change) equivalent to US$ 0.77cents per pound. Please note that additional baggage allowance is subject to availability and cannot be confirmed until day/time of check-in by the airline. We can book excess weight on your behalf but it is subject to being within the payload of the aircraft and at the discretion of the airline. We understand you may want more than 20lbs/9.1KG of baggage and wish to have guaranteed excess baggage/weight and so an alternative is to pre-book an extra seat on the flight which will afford you 175lbs/79.4KG for you to use individually or for your group.
Below is a more detailed guide.
Miscellaneous others
Guyana is a hot and humid country. February and March are prime times to visit, along with Aug-Jan. Read our guide to Guyana’s weather for more.
The mean shade temperature is 27°C, while maximum is 31°C and the minimum is 24°C. The heat is greatly tempered by cooling breezes from the sea.
There are two wet seasons in the north of the country, from May to June, and from December to January.
The south and the Rupununi region receive one wet season from May to July.
All wet seasons may extend into months either side.
Rainfall averages 2,300 mm a year in Georgetown.
Outstanding communication and expert planning made Andean Trails the clear choice for a perfectly organised South American adventure.
A remarkable Guyana adventure filled with wildlife, cultural warmth, and exceptional hospitality in the heart of the rainforest.
