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Discover Guyana

This custom itinerary was crafted based on Cindi’s Agent FAM trip March-April of 2022. If offers a 9nt itinerary with some different add on options!

It is not one of the scheduled departures. There must be at least 2 participants to make this work!

9 Night Basic Itinerary:

Friday

Pickup and transfer from Cheddi Jagan International Airport to Georgetown and your selected hotel.

Cara Lodge was built in the 1840s. It has a long and romantic history and was the home of the first Lord Mayor of Georgetown. Over the years, the property has been visited by many dignitaries including King Edward VIll who stayed at the house in 1923. Other dignitaries have included President Jimmy Carter, HRH Prince Charles and Mick Jagger. This magnificent wooden colonial home turned hotel offers the tradition and nostalgia of a bygone era.

Overnight at Cara Lodge. (Check in time 1400hrs, Check out time 12midday)

Saturday

Today we will be doing a seven-curry tour. We will meet to discuss our plans for the day. We then head over to a nearby canal to gather our own lotus waterlily leaves which will be our plates. We then take off to Bourda market to purchase some of the vegetables to make the 7 curries. We will meet Buddy who has been selling water coconuts for over 50 years and have a delicious cold-water coconut.

After this we make our way to Tony’s Favourite Puri shop where you will be able to watch a demonstration of how the Dhal puris are made. We will see as Tony prepares the puri ball then throws it to his nephew who rolls it and then throws it to Tony’s son who cooks it right in front of you. We will take puris to go with the 7 curries but as they are so delicious, we will, of course, have a fresh one right there served with a filling of your choice and local fresh fruit juice.

We will then head over to Jessica and Ion’s secret garden. 7 curry is traditionally cooked outside so you will be taken through the process of how each curry is made and learn some of the techniques from Eon John the Singing Chef. As soon as the curries are all cooked, we will all sit down together under the gazebo and enjoy. Photo opportunities abound as you are pictured making the curries and then eating them from your own gathered waterlily leaf in a beautiful setting.

To finish Eon will take to the stage for your own private concert of lovingly crafted Guyanese songs.

This afternoon we will take a drive through the heart of the city to the Stabroek Market area. Here we will join the afternoon commuters using the old ferry stelling to board the river taxis which are used to cross the Demerara River. The river taxis are a faster alternative route to using the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

We will slowly cruise around the Demerara River while your guide will give a brief history of the famous buildings along the waterfront. We then continue our trip to see the Demerara Harbour Bridge, once the longest floating bridge in the world at a total length of 1,851m long. We will cross under the bridge and tie up our boat near a mangrove that is the nightly roost for a variety of birds. As the sun sets over the river, we will have a cold drink and some snacks (or cutters as we call them here in Guyana) as we enjoy flocks of brilliant Scarlet Ibis, Snail Kites, Herons, and three kinds of Egrets as they fly across the sky and settle into the mangroves for the evening.

Soon after the sun sets, we return to the ferry stelling while enjoying the city and ship lights from the river.

Overnight at Cara Lodge. BL

Sunday

After breakfast transfer a short distance to the Eugene F. Correia International Airport. We’ll fly by chartered aircraft to the majestic and breathtaking Kaieteur Falls. (spending 2hrs on the ground).

Kaieteur thunders over a precipice, plummeting 224 m (741 feet), making it the longest single drop waterfall in the world. This is Guyana's trademark and one of the most impressive and beautiful sights in the world. A solid column of water in a perpendicular drop into cascading foam and spray over the great boulders at the foot of the cliff, producing breathtaking rainbows across the gorge.

Kaieteur supports a unique micro environment with Tank Bromeliads, the largest in the world, in which the tiny Golden frog spends its entire life and the rarely seen Guiana Cock- of-the-rock nesting close by. The lucky visitor may also see the famous Kaieteur Swifts or Makonaima Birds which nest under the vast shelf of rock carved over millions of years by the black water of the Potaro River.

A tour around the Kaieteur Park will prove to be a truly fascinating experience. You will get the chance to view the Falls from several vantage points that offer excellent photo opportunities. The knowledgeable tour guide is a vault of information that is simply incredible. With stealth and a little patience, you can get a close- up view of the beautiful, but tiny ‘golden frog’ and, if you’re lucky you’ll catch a glimpse of the brilliantly coloured, orange ‘Cock-of-the-rock’. You will also make the acquaintance of several pretty carnivorous plants. There are lots of beautiful wild flowers too, including decorative Heliconias, Bromeliads and endemic Orchids.

It is then time to re-board our aircraft for flight to the village of Apoteri where we will board a boat and travel along the Rupununi River with opportunities to see wild Giant River Otters and Black Caiman.

Rewa Village is located where the Rewa River runs into the Rupununi River in the North Rupununi. The surrounding area is rainforest, mountains and oxbow lakes and teeming with wildlife birds and fish. The community of approximately 220 persons is predominately Macushi with a few families of the Wapashana and Patamona tribes. Villagers 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 that is owned and operated by the village. The lodge itself is situated on the river bank overlooking the river. Along the river bank tables and benches offer a relaxing location to enjoy the river. The grassed clearing in the rainforest houses three benabs and six cabins. The largest benab is the kitchen and dining area, with an outlook to the river. Accommodation is in two benabs each with two bedrooms and a large patio with hammocks for relaxing and six individual cabins.

Later this afternoon take a short boat ride from the lodge to the opposite bank on the Rupununi River. Hidden after a ten-minute walk from the boat is a lovely oxbow lake. The magical setting is enhanced with a wooden deck out over the pond, allowing close-up views of the Victoria amazonica, the world's largest waterlily and the national flower of Guyana. The leaves that float on the water grow up to 3 metres in diameter with a submerged stalk of 7 to 8 metres. The flowers which bloom at dusk are white on the first night. By the third night, they change colour to pink and also change to a male flower. The golden colours across the pond at dusk combined with birds coming into roost provide a lovely nature experience. Overnight at Rewa Eco-lodge. BLD

Monday

Enjoy breakfast at dawn overlooking the river.

Then head out by boat, into an oxbow lake to begin a hike up Awarmie Mountain. The climb is steep in a few sections but in general not too difficult.

There is good birding along the trail with White Bellbirds calling both from the scrubby woodland at the beginning of the trail and again from the forests far below you when reach the summit. Other species you may see include Ornate Hawk-eagle, Black Curassow, Red-fan Parrot, Guianan Puffbird, Todd’s Antwren, Spotted Tanager and Bay-headed Tanager. The area also has a high density of macaws including Scarlet, Blue-and-yellow and Red-and-Green.

There is a small plateau on the top of the mountain and in one direction, there are uninterrupted views back to the Rupununi River, some patches of Savannah and across to the distant Kanuku Mountains. In the other direction, there is a near vertical drop of at least 200m and the view is across great swathes of undisturbed forest to the distant Iwokrama Mountain and much closer, Makarapan Mountain. Makarapan is the oldest mountain in South America if not the world clocking in at an amazing two thousand million years old.

Lunch at the bottom of the mountain.

We then head out up the Rewa River to a location known as Seawall. This rock formation is a great place to fish or take in the beauty of the location. Visit sandbanks where river turtles come to lay their eggs. Along the river banks, you may see red howlers, squirrel and brown capuchin monkeys.

We continue up the river and then hike through the rainforest to an area where we can observe the Goliath bird-eating spider, the largest spider in the world by mass and size.

Despite its name, it is rare for the Goliath bird-eating spider to actually prey on birds. In the wild, they have been observed feeding on rodents, frogs, toads, lizards and even snakes.

On our way back to the lodge by boat, we will stop for sundowners (Alcoholic beverages, clients to pay Rewa) and dinner on a sandbank.

Overnight at Rewa Eco-lodge. BLD

Tuesday

After breakfast say goodbye to staff and newfound friends and board boat for travel along the Rupununi River to Kwatamang Landing.

Pickup and transfer from Kwatamang Landing through the rainforest to Corkwood in the Iwokrama Forest. Here there is a comparatively short trail to hopefully see the amazingly brilliant Guianan Cock-of-the-rock. This trail is through interesting and pristine rainforest and the guides can explain how the plants are used for medicine and other purposes.

Continue to Atta Rainforest Lodge, home of the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway.

The Iwokrama Canopy Walkway is situated near the southern boundary of the Iwokrama Reserve in central Guyana. The walkway has four suspension bridges leading to three platforms, the highest of which is over 30 metres above the ground.

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. The clearing is also a reliable site for Black Curassow as there is a large and growing family party which has become habituated to people and regularly passes through the clearing.

Atta Rainforest Lodge is 500 metres from the base of the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, offering 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 varieties of heliconias that attract over ten different hummingbirds, close enough for the perfect photo. Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge. BLD

Wednesday

Before dawn we will return to the canopy where we can birdwatch easily and from this tree top vantage you can sometimes see Red Howler and Black Spider Monkeys.

Apart from the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway itself you can enjoy wildlife and birdwatching walks on the trails around the area. 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.

As darkness falls on the canopy walkway, you may see the White-winged Potoo. Night walks are also possible and something interesting or new always seems to pop on to the scene including one of the six different cats to be found along the transnational road near the lodge. Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge. BLD

Thursday

Welcome the dawn chorus from the canopy walkway and then return to the lodge for breakfast before departure.

Transfer from Atta Rainforest Lodge through the Iwokrama rainforest to Ginep Landing.

From Ginep Landing we 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, 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. The number of species found here is much higher than expected given its size with at least 600 species of bird, and over 200 species of mammals. The seasonally flooded savannahs and forests also draw substantial fish migrations with as many as 700 species of fish — more than anywhere on Earth.

This region is rich in history and is the homeland of the Makushi and earlier peoples dating back more than 7,000 years. Several prominent explorers and naturalists have written about their experiences here, including Robert and Richard Schomburgk, Charles Waterton, Evelyn Waugh, and Gerald Durrell. A very young David Attenborough spent time here and wrote about it in his early book< “Zoo Quest to Guiana”.

With both the river and the savannahs close at hand there is a wide variety of activities to be enjoyed at Karanambu. Two guided excursions are provided each day — one early in the morning and another late in the afternoon and into the evening. These are usually the best times to see the different birds and animals. Trips may be on the river by boat, on the savannahs by 4 by 4 or along forest trails on foot to the different ponds in the area.

Late in the afternoon we will travel by boat to look for wild Giant River Otters and as dusk falls to the ponds to see the giant Victoria amazonica waterlily, bloom at dusk. On the return trip we will spotlight for Black Caiman and birds and creatures of the night.

Accommodations are in traditionally made clay brick cabins, each with en suite and veranda with hammocks.

Overnight at Karanambu Lodge. BLD

Friday

This morning we make an early start to an area of rolling grasslands, home to a population of giant anteaters. With luck we shall locate 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 except during mother-offspring relationships, aggressive interactions between males, and when mating. Mother anteaters carry their offspring on their backs until weaning them.

Evening river excursion or if you are interested in bird watching you can explore woodland patches or gallery forest along the river where we’ll hope to find a 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.

Overnight at Karanambu Lodge. BLD

Saturday

Transfer by vehicle from Karanambu Lodge across the savannah to Lethem.

Scheduled flight to Eugene F. Correia International Airport.

Pickup and transfer from Eugene F. Correia International Airport to Georgetown.

Today enjoy a tour of the city of Georgetown with an experienced guide who will give you the history, rumour and facts on Georgetown and its citizens. We will begin our tour at the Georgetown Seawalls before continuing into the heart of the 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 including an amazing extinct giant sloth. The Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology houses a wonderful collection of artefacts and explains Amerindian history and life style, in a beautiful colonial wooden building that is worth a visit on its own.

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 centre that houses over one hundred different species of tropical wildlife. We will also pay a visit to a pond either in the gardens or the National Park, to feed the endangered West Indian Manatees.

This evening pickup at your hotel and transfer to the Backyard Cafe.

Backyard Café is located in the West Ruimveldt area where our host, guide and culinary master, Chef Delven Adams will greet you as you enter.

This as the name suggests, is a backyard that Chef has turned into an exclusive little hidden gem of a restaurant. His menu is whatever is in season at the time. It is a Guyanese fusion from all over the world.

If you are interested, Chef has a smoker and small fireside right outside and sometimes will prepare the fresh fish right there and you can certainly help him and learn his secrets. His garlic fish is out of this world! You can sit under the arbor and sip unique blends of juice or enjoy a cold Banks Beer, while taking in the sounds and smells of a delicious meal in the making in a secluded back yard in Georgetown.

Once he is ready, we will start eating our way through the courses. We will start with an appetizer, to an entrée and end up with a dessert, which we may be hard pressed to fit in, but we will give it our best shot and remember to pace yourself as you will want to try it all.

Overnight at Cara Lodge. BD (Check in time 1400hrs, Check out time 1200hrs midday)

Sunday

Pickup and transfer to Cheddi Jagan International Airport for your departing flight. B

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RATES 2024:

Single Supplement: $581
* This price applies in Double or Twin Room

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