Guyana is the third smallest state on the South American continent and the second least populous one as well as one of countries with the lowest population density on earth. Besides a stretch of coastal habitation that sustains the vast majority of its population the majority of the inland is covered in dense primary jungle and is part of the Guianan Shield. The capital, Georgetown, is a coastal city and the largest in Guyana and the point where most of the trips start. The majority of attractions in Guyana are nature related starting with the famous Kaieteur waterfall and continuing with remote lodges from where you can take guided hikes and drives to see the high biodiversity of the as yet to be developed country interior.
Guyana is one of the countries where doing an exploration on our own seemed to be almost prohibitive from the difficulty of renting cars to the complexity of arrangements needed to book and get to the remote lodges and find special birds and mammals. As such we decided to use a reputable tour operators focused on birds for our almost two week exploration of this fascinating Equatorial country. Overall we visited on our own historical Georgetown and with the tour Kaieteur waterfall and the many lodges seeing lots of birds and some interesting mammals while getting almost cooked due to the heat and missing AC in the lodges.
Map of Travels
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Trips
- Returning to Georgetown and US
After the morning birding tour we have lunch and then return to Georgetown from Lethem airport and then to the US with a late night departure - Ending the trip on a high note
Our last adventure takes us to the border with Brazil via some waterlogged roads to see some rare and range restricted birds before our return to US - On the trail of the Red Siskin
Today is spent in search of the Red Siskin and other border area specialties around Sand Creek with a group of local guides with a lot of successful sightings - Birding at Manari Ranch
We end the day at Manari Ranch walking the grounds and adding a few more range restricted birds to our list before a homemade dinner - Quest for the Sun Parakeets near Karasabai
Today we are looking for the rare Sun Parakeet in the area near Karasabai and find it as well as multiple other birds and even an anteater - Rock Lodge and back into the jungle
After lunch we explore the grounds finding the local cache before the afternoon birding outing back into the jungle near Surama - Boat ride on the Rupununi River
The morning starts with our last boat trip in Guyana down the Rupununi River exploring the pristine area and finding lots of birds - Savanna birding near Rock View Lodge
After relaxing at the lodge we explore in the afternoon the savanna and riparian area around Rock View Lodge before a hearthy dinner - From jungle to savanna
The morning is spent exploring the access road to Surama followed by lunch at the inn at the intersection before following the road into the savanna to Rock View - Harpy Eagle Quest
The whole day is dedicated to our quest to see a Harpy Eagle with adventurous boating through the jungle and a successful sighting of a chick - On the Burro Burro Trail and around Surama
The morning is spent exploring the Burro Burro Trail with many interesting birds including capuchinbirds while the afternoon is spent near the main road due to rain - Afternoon exploring around Surama Lodge
We spend the afternoon in Surama and vecinity looking for special birds and finding some interesting night birds like pauraques - Cock of the Rocks on the way to Surama
Today we move from Atta to Surama Lodge stopping on the way for birding and a short trail to an active Cock-of-the-Rock lek - Canopy Walkway and trails around Atta Lodge
The whole day is dedicated to Atta Lodge and its surroundings especially the famous Canopy Walkway which allows us to see rarely observed canopy birds - Birding on the road between Iwokrama and Atta
After leaving Iwokrama and also during the afternoon after a bout of rain we bird mostly the main road with some impressive birds like curassows and scaled pigeons - Birding near Iwokrama Lodge
In the evening and the morning we walk around the Iwokrama Lodge on the many trails finding exciting birds and dodging rain and sun - Turtle Mountain Trail into the jungle
In the morning we take a short boat ride to the Turtle Mountain trail where we will bird looking for the elusive Red and Black Grosbeak - Birding on the Essequibo River from Iwokrama
After getting settled in and having lunch at Iwokrama lodge we spend the afternoon on the river looking for birds and finding some petroglyphs - Adventurous flying and wild Kaieteur Waterfall
We start our jungle adventure with a flight to Iwokrama with a stop of two hours in Kaieteur to visit the largest one drop waterfall in the world - Birding the Botanical Garden
We end a full day of birding at the Botanical Gardens this time with a focus on birds like Toco Toucan and Festive Amazon and less on historical sites - Birding along the seawall
We spend the time before lunch exploring the seawall and the shore and looking for birds like Scarlet Ibis and Rufous Crab Hawk - Hoatzins on the Mahaica River
After an early start the first stop of our birding tour is a Mahaica River boat cruise seeing fascinating Hoatzins and lots of other birds - Surprise National Park visit
We end our tour with a surprise visit to the National Park to see captive manatees returning at Cara Lodge to have our first dinner with the birding tour participants - Historical downtown and Botanical Garden
After lunch we drive to the Botanical Garden and Burnham Mausoleum through the historical center of Georgetown stopping at the 1763 Monument on the way - Guyana National Museum and the Cathedral
After the Museum of Anthropology the next stop is the downtown area with the National Museum and St George Cathedral followed by lunch - Small but interesting Museum of Anthropology
Next on our tour is the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology a small but very instructive museum about the cultures and crafts of Guyana - Exploring the Seawall of Georgetown
Today we spend most of the morning exploring Georgetown starting with the ocean shore and the attractions along the famous seawall - First steps in Guyana at Cara Lodge
We start our expedition into Guyana with a full day at Cara Lodge recuperating after an eventful arrival and enjoying birds and nice weather