Tailormade Holidays in Guyana

A short flight from Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown provides access to the remote Kaieteur Falls, with passengers treated to a stunning aerial view of this extraordinary natural wonder. At 251 metres tall, the Kaieteur Falls are around five times the height of the Niagara Falls and it is one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world! Being in Guyana, however, spectator crowds are absent and visitors often have this awe-inspiring scene to themselves. The area is also home to some superlative wildlife such as the Kaieteur Golden Rocket Frog which is found nowhere else on Earth, and the beautiful Guianan Cock-of-the-rock. At dusk one million swifts return to their roost behind the tumbling cascade – one of the greatest daily mass movements of wildlife to be seen anywhere on the planet!

The Iwokrama Rainforest is a vast wilderness area covering nearly one million acres. The wildlife of this rainforest is outstanding and such special mammals as Guiana Spider Monkey, Southern Tamandua, Kinkajou and even Jaguar are sometimes seen from the extensive network of forest trails. Iwokrama also boasts an avifauna of over 450 species, including representatives from virtually all Neotropical families, and daily views of several species of beautiful macaws, toucans and parrots are possible. Boat excursions provide a magical opportunity to experience the dawn chorus and to look for Giant Otters, while at night it is possible to spotlight for caiman, frogs and snakes. A daytime walk up to Turtle Mountain reveals sweeping views across the pristine forest canopy over which a Harpy Eagle or majestic Orange-breasted Falcon may be seen. Here too, through the petroglyphs carved into the stones along the Essequibo River and elsewhere in the forest, you can see evidence of human occupation dating back 5,000 years.

The village of Surama is situated in a small savannah clearing that lies among hills clad in dense rainforest. The Makushi people who live here are incredibly warm and welcoming and form an integral part of any stay, introducing guests to the exceptional wildlife and offering insights into their traditional way of life. About 500 bird species occur here, among them such highlights as Capuchinbird, Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo and Harpy Eagle, and one of the best ways to go in search of them and other wildlife is by means of a canoe trip along the local Burro-Burro River where it is also possible to see such mammals as White-faced Saki and Guiana Spider Monkey. The Makushi people manage and operate the only lodge here: the simple Surama Village Eco Lodge, which has attached bathrooms and flush toilets.

The Rupununi Savannah is a vast land of far horizons – the seasonally sun-scorched floodplains of the Rupununi River, broken by patches of scrub and riparian woodland and interspersed with swamps and lakes. This is one of the best places in Guyana to search for Giant Otters and the quiet backwaters here are also home to the legendary Arapaima, the largest of all scaled freshwater fish. These lakes and ponds are teeming with birdlife such as Jabirus, egrets, herons and other waterbirds, and blanketed by the enormous pads of the water lily, Victoria amazonica. The savannah is also home to Giant Anteaters and these intriguing animals are regularly seen here. The Rupununi Savannah is quite different from any other habitat in Guyana and is, without doubt, a wildlife highlight of the country!