Itinerary Highlights
- Spectacular Kaieteur Falls
- Iwokrama Jungle Hikes, Boat Trips & Canopy Walkway
- Spot the Elusive Jaguar
- Makushi Village of Surama
- Giant River Otters, Giant Anteater, Black Caiman
- Exceptional Birdwatching opportunities
What's Included
- Flights
- Accommodation Throughout
- Travel Guide
- Transfers
13 nights from £6,495 per person
Sarah Frankish
Travel Specialist
This adventurous itinerary takes in many of the highlights of Guyana: visit Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls before travelling to Iwokrama 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 black caiman.
This itinerary is costed based on a minimum of two people travelling together and can be operated as a group tour with a maximum of 12 participants and set departure dates as per the below. Should you prefer to travel independently, it and can also be arranged on a private basis. If you would like to know about single room supplements, these are available on request, and please note also note that pricing is subject to availability of flights. Should you wish to amend your trip dates and extend the trip, please just get in touch.
Group Tour departures for 2024:
• 24 February – 7 March
• 30 March – 11 April
• 20 April – 2 May
• 17 August – 29 August
• 7 September – 19 September
• 5 October – 17 October
• 2 November – 14 November
Itinerary
Day 1 UK - Georgetown
Daytime flight to Georgetown and transfer to Cara Lodge. Dating back to the 1840's, the hotel is one of the oldest wooden buildings in the city. Over the years it has hosted many dignitaries including George V who back in 1923 planted the sapodilla tree in the front garden. Rooms are in keeping with the traditional style of the property and ooze old world charm.
Day 2 Kaieteur Falls
Take the scheduled flight over the Demerara and Essequibo Rivers to Kaieteur Falls. From the air marvel at the lush green tropical rainforest before landing at the local airstrip. At 228 metres, Kaieteur falls is almost five times the height of Niagara Falls and a truly wonderful sight.
Staying at
Cara Lodge
Day 3 Iwokrama
Take a scheduled flight over hundreds of miles of tropical forest to Fair View Airstrip and transfer by road to Iwokrama River Lodge. The Iwokrama Rainforest stretches over one million acres and is a specially protected area located inside one of the last remaining untouched tropical forests. Inside the Iwokrama Rainforest, the Makushi people have lived for the last thousand years. In the afternoon, explore the trails around the lodge which is home to many bird species as will as many mammals; you may see Red-rumped Agouti and various species of monkey including Red Howler, Black Spider and Wedge-capped and Brown Capuchins. Under the cover of darkness head out in search for caiman, snakes, tree frogs, night birds and cabybara.
Staying at
Iwokrama River Lodge
Day 4 Iwokrama
In the early morning you head out on the Essequibo River and to Indian House Island spotting birds along the way before returning to the lodge for breakfast. After breakfast, climb for just under two hours up to the peak of Turtle Mountain where you can enjoy amazing forest canopy views with possibilities to spot the red howler monkeys amongst the trees. After lunch at the lodge you travel to Kurupukari Falls by boat to see the Amerindian petroglyphs.
Staying at
Iwokrama River Lodge
Day 5 Atta Rainforest Lodge
This morning explore the trails surrounding the lodge accompanied by an Iwokrama ranger before setting off in a vehicle in search for the illusive jaguar. Along the road, look out for the myriad of bird species. The journey ends at the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway with its four suspension bridges leading to three platforms, the highest of which is over 30 metres above the ground, allowing for great views into the canopy. Another area where we will want to spend some time is the clearing around the lodge, as this is one of the best places to see another of Guyana’s “must see” birds, the Crimson Fruitcrow. This species is seen here on a reasonably regular basis, as it often comes to feed in some of the nearby trees. The clearing is also a reliable site for Black Curassow as there is a family party which has become habituated to people and regularly passes through the clearing. Spend the night at Atta Rainforest Lodge, close to the canopy walkway.
Day 6 Atta Rainforest Lodge
Before dawn return to the canopy for birdwatching and monkey spotting from this treetop vantage. Apart from the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway itself, here you can enjoy wildlife and birdwatching walks on the trails around the lodge. For those interested in botany many of the trails have the key trees species marked. Many bird species, stunning insects, noisy amphibians, and playful primates make the surrounding forest their home and you can be fairly certain to spot some extraordinary wildlife without even trying too hard. Deer 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.
Staying at
Atta Rainforest Lodge
Day 7 Surama Eco-Lodge
Welcome the dawn chorus from the canopy walkway and then return to the lodge for breakfast before departure. After breakfast travel by 4x4 to a trail in the Iwokrama to try and spot the Guianian Cock-of-the-rock. Afterwards you will travel to another Amerindian village, Surama, which is located deep within the rainforest and surrounded by forest clad hills. At Surama, you will be welcomed by the people and taken to the simple accommodation and afterwards you will go on a tour of the village seeing the church and school. In the evening there will be a wildlife walk and you will have the opportunity to see the forest by night.
Staying at
Surama Eco-Lodge
Day 8 Rock View 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. You return to the lodge and then begin the transfer from Surama to Rock View Lodge at Annai. Rock View Lodge is located where the savannah meets the forest-covered foothills of the Pakaraima Mountains, and attracts many species of birds, particularly nectar feeders and frugivores. Nearby patches of light forest are home to certain ant birds and flycatchers, and of course the grasslands support an avifauna of their own.
Day 9 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 to Ginep Landing, where you then 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. Karanambu is located in a 110-square mile former cattle ranch located in the North Rupununi, was the home of the late Diane McTurk, conservationist and a world-renowned expert on giant otters. Known for its expansive wetlands and savannah, as well as its biological and cultural diversity, Karanambu encompasses savannah, marshy ponds, riparian forest, and a 30-mile stretch of the Rupununi River.
Day 10 Karanambu Lodge
This morning make an early start to an area of rolling grasslands, home to a population of giant anteaters navigating between termite mounds that stud the savannah. Later today there is an evening river excursion or for birders the option to explore woodland patches or gallery forest along the river where there's good chances of spotting a great variety of species. A feature bird for the area is the Agami Heron. An evening walk along the airstrip offers seven species of nightjar and among the grasslands the Double-striped Thick-knees.
Staying at
Karanambu Lodge
Day 11 Caiman House
This morning is another opportunity to either go out again onto the Savannah in search of spotting a giant anteater, or explore the Rupununi River in search of wild Giant River Otters, Black Caiman and Arapaima. After breakfast back at the lodge, travel by boat to the nearby Amerindian village of Yupukari and Caiman House. At the edge of Yupukari Village in the Central Rupununi is Caiman House Field Station, a combination guest-lodge and education centre focused on research and conservation projects along the nearby Rupununi River. The Field Station is the hub of several participatory development projects, including the introduction of classroom libraries in all three village schools and an Internet-enabled public library. Visitors may have the opportunity to meet local craftspeople, including the furniture builders at Yupukari Crafters, The Wabbini craft house, and the ladies that grow and process cotton and make lampshades.
Day 12 Georgetown
Today travel from Caiman House to Lethem where you then take the flight to Georgetown. This afternoon, enjoy a tour of the city of Georgetown with an experienced guide who gives you a full overview of this intriguing city.
During your visit there are a number of interesting sights that should not be missed such as Stabroek Market - once described as a “bizarre bazaar, and St. George’s Cathedral which is one of the world’s tallest free standing wooden buildings. Other historic buildings along this promenade are the Public Library, City Hall, the Victoria Law Courts and St. Andrews Kirk. Visit the National Museum, which contains a broad selection of our animal life portrayed in taxidermy in beautiful old glass cases, and the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, which houses a wonderful collection of artefacts and explains Amerindian history and lifestyle.
Staying at
Cara Lodge
Day 13 Georgetown - UK
Transfer to Georgetown airport for your return overnight flight to the UK.
Sarah Frankish
Travel Specialist
Pricing Information & Dates
13 nights from £6,495 per person
Itinerary Dates
Pricing
24th Feb 2024 -
7th Mar 2024
7th Mar 2024
£6,495
30th Mar 2024 -
11th Apr 2024
11th Apr 2024
£6,495
20th Apr 2024 -
2nd May 2024
2nd May 2024
£6,495
17th Aug 2024 -
29th Jan 2024
29th Jan 2024
£6,495
7th Sep 2024 -
19th Jan 2024
19th Jan 2024
£6,495
5th Oct 2024 -
17th Oct 2024
17th Oct 2024
£6,495
2nd Nov 2024 -
14th Nov 2024
14th Nov 2024
£6,495
7th Dec 2024 -
19th Dec 2024
19th Dec 2024
£6,495
Sarah Frankish
Travel Specialist
Price Includes
- Return International Flights as per the itinerary
- All airport taxes and security charges
- Accommodation and meals as specified
- Transfers as specified
- Activities and excursions as specified
- All entrace fees on sightseeing tours as specified
Rate Includes:
- airport transfers
- double or twin accommodation
- meals as listed
- limited local bar at Karanambu Lodge
- all road and river transfers
- internal flights in Guyana
- activities as described
- local guides
- VAT
- Kaieteur National Park fee
- Iwokrama Forest User Fee
- Iwokrama Canopy Walkway fee
Price Excludes
- Travel Insurance
- Any meals not specified in the itinerary
- Tips and gratuities
- Optional excursions
Not Included :
- items of a personal nature
- alcoholic drinks except where mentioned above
- departure tax
- visa
Pricing Notes
This itinerary is costed based on a minimum of two people travelling together and can be operated as a group tour with set dates and a maximum of 12 participants. Should you prefer to travel independently, it and can also be arranged on a private basis. If you would like to know about single room supplements, these are available on request.
Group Tour departures for 2024:
• 24 February – 7 March
• 30 March – 11 April
• 20 April – 2 May
• 17 August – 29 August
• 7 September – 19 September
• 5 October – 17 October
• 2 November – 14 November
• 7 December – 19 December 2024
Why Choose Us?
Passionate travel experts
- We've been leading wildlife travel since our first South Africa tours over 25 years ago
- Our Travel Specialists have lived in their specialist area for years
- We work with local guides to immerse you deeper in our diverse range of experiences
Personal & tailor-made
- You'll speak to your own expert who'll share their first-hand knowledge
- We'll make your itinerary seamless with 24/7 emergency contact available
- Your Travel Specialist will listen to ensure you have the best chance of seeing the wildlife you love
Responsible by nature
- We take care to actively contribute to the conservation of environments we visit
- For select countries, we make a charitable donation on your behalf when you make your booking
- We've partnered with conservation experts and NGOs to curate responsible tours
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office check www.gov.uk/travelaware
