Birding the Rainforest and Savannah of Guyana
This sample itinerary can be scheduled at a convenient time for your group.
Day 1 Arrival in Guyana. Arrive in Guyana on Caribbean Airlines at 22h20. Transfer to Georgetown. Overnight at Cara Lodge .
Day 2 Georgetown and Karanambu Ranch. This morning we will have an early start at the Botanical Garden with our guide. A total of 179 species of birds have been found in these gardens. If we are lucky, the trip’s first ornithological highlight will be the Blood-colored Woodpecker, an astonishingly colorful Veniliornis found only in the Guianas and even there almost wholly limited to the narrow coastal plain. A large variety of parrots and macaws can be found roosting here in the early morning, as well as Limpkins and the Black-capped Donacobius feeding among the Lotus plants. Black Caiman and Manatees also make their homes in the waterways here.
We will return to the hotel for breakfast before heading out to Ogle Airstrip for a flight to Karanambu Ranch. Karanambu 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’ll hope to find such species as Spotted Puffbird, Striped Woodcreeper, Saffron-crested 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, as well as Capped, Cocoi, and Agami Herons. Red-capped Cardinals are common here, but an early morning boat trip will provide the chance to find the elusive Crestless Curassow. At any season the river and airstrip provide habitat for no fewer than eight species of nightjars. Overnight at Karanambu Ranch. (B, L, D)
Day 3 Karanambu Ranch. Birdwatching along with other activities from daybreak til after nightfall, 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 for Blue- backed Manakin & Capuchinbird. Double-striped Thick-knees and Blue Ground-Dove are among the sparse inhabitants of the grasslands, and at widely scattered ponds we may find concentrations of storks, ibis and other waterbirds. Jabiru Storks make their enormous nests in the trees at Karanambu. Here also you can find the giant water lily, Victoria Amazonica, with its leaves three foot in diameter. When Diane has otters to care for, as she usually does, you may be able to swim and play with them in the water or feed them piranha that are caught just for them.
After lunch we will travel upriver by boat, birdwatching along the way, to the Amerindian village of Yupukari. We will have some time to visit the village and meet Peter and Alice Taylor at Caiman House. Peter will show you his collection of snakes, spiders and insects. After dinner accompany Peter and his crew as they capture and release Black Caiman on the Rupununi River. They are conducting research on the Black Caiman and you can observe their work and even join them as the weigh, measure and collect other scientific information on the species. Return in the night to Karanambu Ranch. Not only caiman, but also nightjars and owls may be found by their eyeshine in the spotlights. Overnight at Karanambu Ranch. (B, L, D)
Day 4 Wowetta and Rock View Lodge. After an early breakfast we will transfer by boat to Ginep Landing and then by road to Wowetta, a Macushi Amerindian community. The trek this morning is on a well maintained trail through virgin rainforest to a lek of Guianian Cock-of-the–rocks (Rupicola Rupicola), to view them in their natural habitat. February is peak season for mating activity and you may have the opportunity to see up to a dozen individuals performing their mating dance on the lek, bathing in pools, nesting in caves, and perched in trees for perfect viewing. The guided birding walk to the lek is a community based project managed by the Indigenous Community of Wowetta. The trail also passes through an area with an active lek of Golden-headed Manakins and another area with a large lek of Long-tailed Hermits. In the late afternoon we transfer to Rock View Lodge at Annai. 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 Guianian Slaty Antshrike, Plain-crested Elaenia and Black-capped. The grasslands support an avifauna of their own such as the Wedge-tailed Grass Finch. We’ll explore the area on foot, and as the afternoon cools we’ll travel a short distance for birdwatching in the Pakaraima foothills. If some members of the group are interested in more of a cultural exchange we may be able to arrange a visit for them to the nearby Amerindian village of Annai. Overnight at Rock View Lodge. ( B, L, D)
Day 5 Surama Village. We will enjoy some birding on the grounds of the lodge before driving by 4x4 vehicles to the Amerindian community of Surama. We will stop along the way to bird in savannah and forest. Here you may find Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Pompadour Cotinga, Black Nunbird, Forest Elaenia, Violaceous Euphonia and Finsch’s Euphonia. Green Aracari and Black-throated Aracari are here, as are Great Jacamar and Paradise Jacamar. The village is set in five square miles of savannah and is 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. This afternoon we can birdwatch in the forest close to our lodge. The White-fringed Antbird is spectacular among the ant followers to be found here that also include Spot-backed Antwren, Mouse-colored Antshrike and Jet Antbird. Our accommodations will be in “benabs” (thatched sleeping cabins) and our meals will feature excellent local produce. Overnight at Surama Eco-lodge (B, L, D)
Day 6 Burro Burro River and Iwokrama Canopy Walkway. In the cool of pre-dawn take a 3-mile walk across the savannah and through the rainforest to the Burro Burro River, hearing the voices of many birds singing in near darkness in the forest, and seeing many of them later when the light grows stronger. Soon after daybreak set out on the Burro Burro River for a quiet and skillfully guided paddle. We’ll also search the banks for such mammals as Giant River Otter, Tapir, Tayra, Black Spider Monkey and more. In the afternoon we’ll travel by 4x4 along a route through the rainforest. The journey will end at the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, a series of suspension bridges and decks up to 100 feet above the Iwokrama rain forest floor and 460 feet in length. The Iwokrama Canopy Walkway gives visitors a view of the mid and upper canopy of the forest and allows wildlife to be relatively free from human intrusion. Our last trip here we saw Spangled Cotinga, Pompadour Cotinga, Spangled Cotinga and Purple-breasted Cotinga as well as Guianian Puffbird and Guianian Toucanet. The forest around the walkway contains some important flora and fauna. Among these are endangered and protected species such as the bullet wood tree, greenheart and the waramadan (endemic in Guyana only to the Iwokrama Rainforest). We will stay up on the walkway as the sun sets to experience the canopy at night and try our luck at calling in Spectacled Owl or Ferruginous Pygmy Owl. The Iwokrama rainforest is rapidly gaining an international reputation for its healthy jaguar populations that seem not to be troubled by the appearance of curious humans. We may well find one of these magnificent big cats on a night drive here. Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge. (B, L, D)
Day 7 Mori Scrub and Iwokrama Field Station. This morning we welcome the dawn chorus from the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway. Then we will travel by 4x4 to a locality known as Mori Scrub, characterized by an unusual low, sandy forest. This supports an interesting assemblage of bird species, among them Guianian Red Cotinga, Gray-winged Trumpeter, Rufous-crowned Elaenia, Black Manakin and Red-shouldered Tanager. We continue on slowly birding along the road, and eventually we reach the Essequibo River and the Iwokrama Field Station. In late afternoon we’ll take a walk on Screaming Piha Trail near the Field Station. The Iwokrama International Center is comprised of 1 million acres set aside for research and students from around the world come here to study the secrets of the rainforest. This forest and riverine habitat is exceptionally rich in birdlife and you may add Slate-colored Grosbeak, Spectacled Owl, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Guianian Streaked Antwren as well as a whole host of skulking ant followers to your list. Overnight at Iwokrama Field Station - Kurupukari. (B, L, D)
Day 8 Turtle Mountain. This morning we set out by boat and then follow a trail to the foot of Turtle Mountain. We’ll explore the trail for a few hours, visit Turtle Ponds and then climb to an elevation of about 900 feet for a spectacular view of the forest canopy below. On the return trip we’ll visit Fair View, a nearby Amerindian village. Finally, after dark, we’ll set out on the river once more, in hopes of finding one or another of its four species of caiman, and listening for the voices of nocturnal birds. Iwokrama is an area where jaguar are frequently encountered and our last trip found a jaguar on the trail up Turtle Mountain. After dark we may again drive the road slowly in search of this large cat that dominates the forest. Overnight at Iwokrama Field Station - Kurupukari. (B, L, D)
Day 9 Kaieteur Falls and Georgetown. Making another early start, we’ll embark on the Essequibo River and circumnavigate nearby Indian House Island, before returning to the Field Station for breakfast. Then we’ll enjoy more birding in the forest around the Field Station. After an early lunch we transfer a short distance to an airstrip for a flight to Kaieteur Falls, where we will spend 2 hours on the ground (see description below). There is a small but dependable lek of Cock of the Rock here as well as Orange-breasted Falcon, White-chinned and White-tipped Swifts. Here also you will find the golden frog whose entire life cycle plays out in the water that collects in the giant bromeliads here. Our return flight will take us to Ogle Airstrip where we transfer back to Georgetown. Overnight at Cara Lodge. (B, L)
Day 10 Depart Guyana. Transfer by vehicle to Guyana’s international airport for your departing flight at 09h35. B
Prices per person in double : $3250 with 8 in group; $3525 with 6; $4420 with 4. Single supplement is $210 where available.
Price Includes : - airport transfers
- double or twin accommodation
- meals as listed
- limited local bar at Rock View Lodge and Karanambu Ranch
- all road and river transport
- internal flights
- local guides
- Kaieteur National Park fee
- Iwokrama Forest User Fee
- Iwokrama Canopy Walkway User Fee
- VAT
Not Included : - items of a personal nature
- alcoholic drinks except where mentioned above
- international flights
- visas (at present none are required for U.S. citizens)
- departure tax
The Kaieteur Falls which was first seen by a European on April 29, 1870 is situated in the heart of Guyana on the Potaro River, a tributary of the Essequibo. The water of Kaieteur, one of the world’s natural wonders, flows over a sandstone conglomerate tableland into a deep gorge - a drop of 822 feet or 5 times the height of Niagara Falls.
There are no other falls in the world with the magnitude of the sheer drop existing at Kaieteur. Amerindian legend of the Patamona tribe has it that Kai, one of the tribe’s chiefs (after whom the falls is named), committed self sacrifice by canoeing himself over the falls. It was believed this would encourage the great spirit Makonaima to save the tribe from being destroyed by the savage Caribishi.
Kaieteur supports a unique micro environment with Tank Bromeliads, the largest in the world, in which the tiny Golden frog spends its entire life. The magnificent Guiana Cock-of-the-rock nests close by and is frequently seen here. The lucky visitor may also see the famous flights of the Kaieteur Swifts or Makonaima Birds which nest under the vast shelf of rock carved by the centuries of water, hidden behind the eternal curtain of falling water.
