Returning from the morning birding at 10:30 we have extensive time to finish packing before lunch at 12. In fact we have time to also walk the grounds once more to escape the heat in the room, the fan is not working during the day which makes it uncomfortable to stay too much inside.
Then it is time for our last lunch in Guyana, we will be in US for the next lunch. We are now used to the choices chicken, rice, vegetables and here as a bonus fried plantain. We make our last bird list for the day and then back to the room we go after finding the plane assignments. Supposedly they were not able to book all of us on the same plane so the guide and one from our group will fly on a small plane with some luggage and everyone else on the expected larger plane.
We stay in the room for another two hours as we have to drive to the airport only at 2 PM. We say goodbye to Manari Ranch and then make the short drive to the airport where we say goodbye to the vans, drivers and the local guide. And also find out that there was a change and the person flying on the small plane is one of us not the original person which was not part of a couple. A bit annoying but not a lot that can be done so we check in the luggage as needed and then split into the groups going on each plane.
Accessing the small plane is funnily quite simple. You just walk from the waiting room, the blue house in the photo, through an open gate onto the tarmac where the plane awaits. We load the luggage onto the plane and the pilot brings an extra huge pumpkin and then it is time to leave.
As we leave it starts to rain and there is some wind so we are both afraid and a bit relieved that maybe the plane won’t take off. But the pilot has no issues and up into the air and wind gusts we go.
Luckily the rain and wind calms down soon and we can enjoy the views below us of the savanna and then jungle. We can even identify some areas we have visited as the plane follows the road for quite some time especially in the beginning.
It takes about two hours but we make it safely to Georgetown, easily identifiable by the new Chinese built bridge. Also we can follow our route in the plane as the small plane has free Wifi, larger airlines could learn from this.
Leaving the airport is surprisingly simple as we just exit it via an open door that staff is pointing to, quite a different experience versus the second group.
The second group is flying commercial but without a guide. There is no info on when the plane is coming and what to do and in the end they leave almost 1:30h later than the small plane. While the plane is bigger it is not big so we were lucky that the smaller plane could take some extra luggage. Arriving there is another issue as they actually have to pass through airport security and there is an ask for passports with the top lister being quite annoyed and arguing for some reason. Yes it is weird but who cares, we just want to go to the room and go to sleep.
We stay overnight again at Cara Lodge but now we get a better room and more central. Of course we will not be able to use it that much as our shuttle to the airport will arrive at 2AM, quite depressing.
But before that we have one more dinner paid, this time the guide confirms that alcohol is included as it is a celebratory dinner. At the table we find out that 3 more from our group, everyone that goes to the US basically will also be on the same flight as us, cool.
We eat a la carte, only here was this possible in Guyana, and then go back to the room to rest before our very early shuttle. In fact the shuttle is so early as the expectation is that with construction on the way we will be delayed one hour or more.
We get the driver we didn’t like previously, always talking while we are trying to sleep, shouting and so on. Everyone is happy when we arrive at the airport with no delays which means we have to wait an hour in the airport before they even open the check in. Inside we offer our tour mates to join us in the lounge, well only to the ones we find which is one out of three. The flight to Miami is uneventful however the lounge in Miami is choke-full, basically we almost have to eat standing. And then it is time for the last flight and soon we are home after an exciting but tiring trip with over 300 birds photographed and more heard and seen. Quite special even though tours are not really our cup of tea.
