Wings and Wonders of Guyana - A Naturalist's Paradise

You can arrive anytime today. You’ll be met at the airport and transported to the historic Cara Lodge . Built in the 1840s and home to the first Mayor of Georgetown, this magnificent wooden colonial home turned hotel offers the tradition and nostalgia of a bygone era. It is the perfect place to rest and refresh before starting our journey. We’ll meet in the lobby at 6 pm for a welcome and introductions along with a brief trip overview, before sharing our first dinner together at the hotel restaurant. (D)

Our adventure starts with a one-hour chartered flight over miles of pristine tropical rainforest to land at Kaieteur Falls, the world’s highest free-falling waterfall. There are no other falls in the world with the magnitude of the sheer drop existing at Kaieteur! The waterfall also supports Giant Tank Bromeliads - the largest in the world - in which the tiny Golden Frog spends its entire life. Re-boarding our plane, we continue our journey to the Fairview Airstrip and then board private vehicles along the trail known for sightings of the elusive jaguar. Along the way to the Atta Rainforest Lodge, we may see myriad bird species such as the Crimson and Purple Necked Fruit Crow, Crimson Topax, Green Oropendula and the Spotted Guianan Puffbird. Atta Rainforest Lodge offers comfortable private-room accommodation with ensuite bathrooms, delicious home-cooked meals, and traditional Amerindian hospitality. The communal building houses the bar, dining area, and kitchen and is open-sided with views across the gardens to the towering forest, which completely surrounds the lodge. Hammocks and outdoor benches enhance the lovely gardens which include a variety of Heliconia flowers that attract hummingbirds, close enough for the perfect photo. One of the highlights of our stay here is the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway. The walkway has four suspension bridges leading to three platforms, the highest of which is over 100 feet above the ground, which allows a great look at a range of canopy species, many of which we would struggle to see well from the forest floor. Guided walks on the Walkway are available both early morning and evening when birds are most active. Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge. (B, L, D)

After a pre-dawn visit to the Walkway for those who choose, we’ll spend the morning on wildlife and birdwatching walks on the trails around the area. For those interested in botany, many of the trails have the 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. In the afternoon we’ll be treated to a cultural presentation by the Surama cultural group. In costumes made of homegrown and spun cotton, beads and other forest seeds, and beautiful feathered headdresses, the cast of dancers and musicians perform about traditional songs and poems. The Surama Cultural Group has performed for many audiences, including Prince Harry during his visit to Guyana! After this enchanting presentation, we will take a drive through the forest in an area known for Jaguar sightings. This elusive cat is a marvel to behold and there is a reasonable chance you’ll have a sighting. After dinner at the lodge, we might join a guide for a night walk - something interesting or new always seems to pop on to the scene along the transnational road near the lodge. Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge. (B, L, D)

We’ll start the day by welcoming the dawn chorus from the canopy walkway and then return to the lodge for breakfast before departure. From the Atta Rainforest Lodge we travel through the rainforest to Kwatamang Landing with a short hike along the way. This easy trail leads us to hopefully see the brilliant Guianan Cock-of-the-rock. While strolling, we’ll learn about the medicinal uses of plants lining the trail and then we’ll enjoy lunch at nearby Rock View Lodge before continuing on to the boat dock. Cruising along the Rupununi River, we may see wild Giant River Otters and Black Caiman. The journey is 50 miles long but could be as short as 2 hours or as long as 4 hours depending on water levels. At the end of our memorable river journey awaits a small slice of paradise, the Rewa Eco Lodge. Villagers here practice subsistence farming, fishing, and hunting with little opportunity for cash employment. In 2005 the community constructed the Rewa Eco-lodge so that they could establish a sustainable eco-tourism business owned and operated by the community. Later this afternoon, we’ll take a short boat ride from the lodge to the opposite bank on the Rupununi River. A brief walk leads us to a hidden oxbow lake, home to the Victoria Amazonica, the world’s largest water lily and the national flower of Guyana. The flowers which bloom at dusk are white on the first night - by the third night they change to a lovely pink. Tonight we’ll experience the amazing hospitality of our hosts, not to mention delicious freshly prepared food, and drift off to sleep lulled by the sounds of the jungle. Overnight at Rewa Eco-lodge. (B, L, D)

This morning we’ll travel up the Rupununi River into an oxbow lake to begin a hike up Awarmie Mountain. The climb is steep in a few sections, and approximately 2 miles one way with an elevation gain of about 1,000 feet. Our effort is rewarded at the summit with a 360-degree view across undisturbed rainforest and savannah. From here we can see the distant Kanuku Mountains in one direction and Makarapan Mountain, the oldest mountain in South America, in the other. There is also good wildlife viewing along the trail and we may get some close-up views of Black Spider Monkeys. If you prefer not to hike and would rather stay at the base, or even stay back at the lodge, that is certainly an option as we will be returning to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, our hosts will take us on a guided walk of the community of Rewa to learn about local life and customs, such as grating cassava, weaving baskets, and tending kitchen gardens. We then continue up the river for an easy nature walk through the rainforest. Afterward, we’ll travel up the Rewa River to a location known as Seawall, watching for red howler, squirrel, and brown capuchin monkeys along the way. This rock formation is a great place to fish or take in the beauty of the location, especially for sunset. After toasting to the beauty around us, we’ll boat back to the lodge for dinner. Overnight at Rewa Eco-lodge. (B, L, D)

We say goodbye to Rewa this morning as we travel by boat along the Rupununi River to Kwatamang Landing. Following along a road that skirts the foothills of the Pakaraima mountains, we’ll visit the village of Aranaputa to tour their Peanut Butter Factory before arriving for lunch at the Pakaraima Mountain Inn. Onwards to Ginep Landing, we take another boat trip on the 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 that live along this stretch. Karanambu encompasses savannah, marshy ponds, riparian forest, and a 30-mile stretch of the Rupununi River. It is located in the middle of a beautiful and fascinating biological hotspot with at least 600 species of bird and over 200 species of mammals, including the Giant Otter, Black Caiman, Jaguar, Giant Anteater, and Arapaima. Once we get settled in at Karanambu Lodge we can jump back in the boats to look for more River Otters. Our accommodations are in traditionally made clay brick cabins, each with en suite bathrooms and a veranda with hammocks. Overnight at Karanambu Lodge (B, L, D)

This morning we’ll get an early start to an area of rolling grasslands, home to a population of giant anteaters. With luck, we’ll find one of these six-foot long animals excavating its breakfast from one of the termite mounds that stud the savannah. Though giant anteaters live in overlapping home ranges they are mostly solitary. Mother anteaters carry their offspring on their backs until weaning them. We’ll return for lunch at Karanambu before setting off on an afternoon 3-mile hike through the shaded riparian forest and past the Honey Ponds. Evening finds us back on the river or, if you are more interested in bird watching, you can explore woodland patches or gallery forest along the river where there are usually a variety of species, including the Agami Heron. An evening walk along the airstrip offers seven species of nightjar birds and among the grasslands the Double-striped Thick-knees birds. Overnight at Karanambu Lodge (B, L, D)

Before breakfast, we’ll have a last opportunity to look for anteaters on the savannah or Giant River Otters, Black Caiman, and Arapaima along quiet stretches of the river. After breakfast we’ll transfer by 4x4 across the savannah to the airport at Lethem, stopping at Manari Ranch for lunch. We’ll be back in Georgetown about 5:30 and after the wilderness of the last week, it will be a bit of a shock. In the evening, Georgetown’s Seawall comes alive as families, courting couples and friends promenade along the seawall, enjoying the Atlantic sea-breeze. The narrow strip becomes a hive of street food vendors and Caribbean music. Our guide, who knows all the best places, will take us into the heart of the scene for dinner options. Overnight at Cara Lodge (B, L)

This morning we make an early start to have breakfast at one of the local food stands with our host, guide and culinary master, Chef Delven Adams. Chef Delven will guide us around Bourda Market, the largest of the four markets in Georgetown. We will start our tour at the Guyana shop which has all the local products produced and packaged in Guyana before heading over to the market where we will meet some of the vendors who Chef buys from daily. He will then head home to start preparing food, while we continue on a tour of Georgetown. Once we’ve worked up an appetite, we’ll dine at Chef Delven’s Backyard Cafe. After lunch, we will visit the Botanical Gardens, home to an extensive collection of tropical flora, and the Zoo which has become a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center housing over one hundred different species of tropical wildlife. Nearby we can feed the endangered West Indian Manatees. In the afternoon we will slowly cruise along the bank of the Demerara River and learn about the history of the famous buildings along the waterfront as well as the Demerara Harbour Bridge, once the longest floating bridge in the world at 1,851 meters. We will cross under the bridge and tie up our boat near a mangrove. As the sun sets over the river we can enjoy flocks of brilliant Scarlet Ibis and three kinds of Egrets among others as they fly across the sky and settle into the mangroves for the evening. Tonight we’ll enjoy our final farewell dinner at a delightful local restaurant, Aagman, which offers an epicurean Mughlai Cuisine from the imperial kitchens of India. It’s a delicious end to an amazing experience. Overnight at Cara Lodge (B, L, D)

You are free to leave anytime (lodge check out is at 12 pm) and you will be transferred to the airport for your flight. (B)