We wake up at 6 AM and do some late packing before breakfast at 6:45. And then we take our backpacks out and wait. And wait some more. The guides become impatient and stressed and start calling around to find out where our replacement minibus is. Finally it arrives and we have the worst minibus driver we have ever seen, he is driving fast, honking everywhere and we are really happy when we make it alive to the airport. This time we go to the smaller airport that is close by versus the major one that we arrived from the USA. The entrance is quite weird with elephants and bald eagles, neither that can be found in Guyana, so weird.
After passing through a cursory security check we enter the small waiting room decorated with peacocks, really weird again as they are not native either. There is a small kiosk selling food but that is not something we need after the extensive breakfast. And then we find the news, they weren’t able to find a plane for everyone so they will fly two planes and we with a guide will be on one of them while everyone else will be on the second larger one. So it is an opportunity for a bigger adventure than we expected, one that we take happily.
Leaving is quite interesting, we pass through the hangar where all the planes are kept and then we walk through the plane that just gets loaded up with some goods. We can see why there was no place for luggage, there is no way the plane could have taken anything heavy in our opinion. Closing the door is an adventure, we strap in, we find out we have Wifi on this plane, there is more luxury here than in many US planes we have flown :).
We are second in line for take off and soon we are in the air. This is the first time we are sitting right behind the pilots in a small plane so we hear everything they talk with the tower but not the reply, you need headphones for that.
We strafe the airport and watch the second plane take off as we make our way towards the shore.
Soon we reach the seawall area and then the plane turns and follows the shore towards the Demerara River mouth so we pass the whole Georgetown downtown area that we visited prior and have an opportunity to view it from the air.
As we reach the Demerara River we turn inland and see the docks that we walked on via our guide, quite fun. And then we pass the newest addition to Georgetown and Guyana the New Demerara River Bridge opened in October 2025, close to the now abandoned historical pontoon bridge. Since we arrived we heard quite a few opinions about the new Chinese built bridge but it seems like a good addition to enable easier movement towards the north part of the country if you ignore the cost I guess.
We follow the river inland but even so soon all traces of habitation disappear and all we can see are trees in every direction. We are now flying above the jungle and we can’t wait to explore it, but in a more controlled fashion.
From time to time there are some signs of civilization, abandoned airfields, remote outposts but mostly we are just flying over the virgin jungle which is what we prefer.
And then the hills appear. It is something we were looking for because there can be no waterfall without a drop and for a drop there has to be a mountain range. It is quite a spectacular place, no wonder that Conan Doyle set the Lost World mesa in this setting, we would not be surprised if dinosaurs suddenly started flying next to the plane.
And soon after we reach the Guianan Shield we start seeing waterfalls. Many small ones first but then we notice a huge drop, it is Kaieteur. Unfortunately the pilot tells us that it still is cloudy so we won’t do a loop over it now but we will likely do it when we leave, if the clouds lifted by then.
Right next to it we see a habitated area with a landing strip and wouldn’t you know it, it is the visitor center and the landing strip for Kaieteur. As we left first we also are the first to land, no issues when landing even though it is the first time we did it in a small plane.
Soon the other plane is arriving and we decide to explore the visitor center before the rest of the group is joining us.
It is a large visitor center but not a lot of things to do besides exploring the gift shop and using the facilities. We wait for everyone to arrive and we receive two extra guides from the National park and then into the forest we go, a group of 8 tourists with 4 guides, luxury.
It has rained here recently, not a surprise it is a rainforest after all, and as such as we walk on the plateau there are quite a few puddles of water but they are easy to avoid. We find one rare bird already here at the beginning of the trail, a relatively tame Rufous-crowned Elaenia that flies over us a few times before settling down.
A major attraction here are the golden rocket frogs that leave in the water accumulated in the giant bromeliad plants. Throughout the walk we and the guides look in many bromeliad plants trying to find them but no luck unfortunately.
We are quite happy when we re-enter the jungle area of the trail. We are waiting for jaguars and other mammals to jump from behind every tree but it is actually quite quiet. It is difficult to see anything given the density of trees so it is more hear it first and look for it later.
However there is one exception to this rule, as always. And that is something so colorful that when you see it you cannot even believe it is real, the Guianan Cock of the Rock. As soon as we get to the lek everyone is looking around and soon we see a male waiting and then everyone is taking a turn at taking a photo. Here we are really in the jungle on faded trails and it feels that if you get off trail in the jungle you might get lost for months and becoming an Nat Geo documentary if you are ever found.
Back on the trail we soon reach the first view point of the Kaieteur Falls. It is quite wild with no barrier at the precipice so we approach it carefully to ensure it is safe. Kaieteur is the largest single drop waterfall in the world, we were surprised to learn there are sooo many ways to classify waterfalls as being the most something in the world.
Slowly, slowly we make our way to the edge and finally see the end of the waterfall, it is really quite huge. And given that we are here during the rainy season there is a huge volume of water going over and the sound is really overwhelming. And we get drenched in the spray from the waterfall as expected but it is worth it.
There is also some light birdwatching on the edge, there are two Cliff Flycatchers that seem to consider the viewpoint their territory and they do no care about whether humans are there and they come quite close for some good photos. They are the only easy birds though, most of them are small and in the canopy and quite difficult to see. Our guide is rattling ten birds being there and we barely see one. At least we are not the only ones as the other participants also appear to be shell shocked but in the end we all see most of the birds before moving on.
Next is another viewpoint but this one is less impressive especially given that the spray from the waterfall seems to be aimed in this direction so it is difficult to take photos and the ground is slippery.
And then we finish the loop and suddenly are walking on the runway, it is the first time we walked on an active runway so we are a bit apprehensive. Still it makes for great photos and an interesting moment.
And then after a quick restroom break we are in the plane for the one hour flight to Iwokrama. But before leaving the Kaieteur area the pilot keeps his promise of overflying the waterfalls. The view from the plane is majestic and the clouds are mostly gone, it was a great idea to wait till now for the overflight.
The loop seems to take forever which is not something that we mind as we take in the views and try to discover the points we have been to, quite exciting to see an area you just visited from the plane.
And then as the pilot closes the loop we see the other plane taking off, we feel like in an action movie where we could jump from one plane onto the other.
The pilot does a second loop which is also quite impressive and we take slightly different photos, quite happy that he was willing and able to do these overflights!
And then it is time to leave towards Iwokrama mostly following rivers. There are lots of them and they are a natural way of connecting the many disparate communities of indigenous people. This is also the reason why most of them are situated next to the river, besides the advantage of having a ready food and water supply.
We know we are close to Iwokrama when we see the only major road through the jungle and the ferry crossing over the Essequibo river, both things that we were looking for as we knew they are near the lodge.
There is time for one more lifetime first as we notice that the runway is packed dirt and not asphalt, like in one of those bush movies. We don’t have time to scream as our pilot simply drops, or so it feels, on the runway and then we are again on terra firma and await the other plane before it is time to take the minibus to Iwokrama for lunch and an afternoon boat tour on the Essequibo.
