Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive Guyana
Arrival Guyana. Transfer to Georgetown. Overnight at Cara Lodge.
Overnight at Cara Lodge


Day 2 - Fly to Annai Village, visit Surama Village
Rupununi Savannah/Surama Village. Depart on a morning scheduled flight across the lush rain forest and extensive Rupununi Savannah, landing at Annai. Following lunch at the Rock View Lodge, we’ll travel by 4x4 vehicle northward to the Amerindian community of Surama. The village is set in five square miles of savannah and 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. On arrival in Surama receive a welcome from a village counselor then join a local guide for a short walk on trails to observe the forest and bird life as well as a tour of the village. Tonight enjoy an educational walk to observe wildlife and experience the mystique of the forest after dark. Accommodations will be in “benabs” (thatched sleeping shelters). (B,L,D)
Overnight at Surama Eco-Lodge


Day 3 - Hike to Harpy nest
Harpy Eagle Nest (Providing the nest is active). After an early breakfast take a 1 1/2 hour hike to the site of a Harpy Eagle nest. Spend the day observing the nest for views of the adults and chicks as well as other birds and wildlife. (B,L,D)
Overnight at Surama Eco-Lodge


Day 4 - Breakfast on Surama Mountain, explore the Burro Burro River
Rise before dawn for a walk across the savannah and then the gentle climb up Surama Mountain in the cool morning air. This is the best time to observe bird life along the trail. Breakfast will be served at a point overlooking the village, whilst looking for Pearl Kite, White-tailed and Savannah Hawk. In the cool of late afternoon take a 3-mile walk across the savannah and the rain forest to the Burro Burro River. (B,L,D)
Overnight at Carahaa Landing Hammock Camp


Day 5 - Wildlife spotting on Burro Burro River, drive to Iwokrama Canopy Walkway
Soon after daybreak set out on the Burro Burro River for a quiet and skillfully guided paddle, hearing the voices of many birds singing in near darkness in the forest, and seeing many of them later when the light grows stronger. We’ll also search the banks for such mammals as Giant River Otter, Tapir, Tayra and Black Spider Monkey and many more species. After lunch back at Surama village, we will depart by 4x4 to the Iwokrama rain forest and the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, a series of suspension bridges and decks up to 30 meters above the Iwokrama rain forest floor and 154 meters 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. 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). The forest is also rapidly gaining an international reputation for its healthy jaguar populations, so you may be lucky to view this elusive cat! (B,L,D)
Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge


Day 6 - Guinanan Cock-of-the-Rock, birdwatching on the Rupununi savannah
Guianan Cock-of-the–Rock Lek/Rupununi Savannah. This morning welcome the dawn chorus from the tree-tops, then travel by 4x4 to the Amerindian village of Wowetta. From here we will trek along 5kms of well maintained trail through virgin rain forest to a Guianan Cock-of-the–Rock (Rupicola Rupicola) lek, with over 30 birds. See them nesting in caves, performing their mating dance on the lek, bathing in pools and perched in trees for perfect viewing. Late afternoon we’ll drive into the Rupununi Savannah and Rock View Lodge in Annai. Here the savannah meets the forest-covered foothills of the Pakaraima Mountains. The birdlife here is markedly different from that of the rain forest . With its tropical gardens and flowering trees, the lodge attracts many species of birds, particularly nectar feeders and frugivores. Nearby patches of light forest are home to certain ant birds and flycatchers, and of course the grasslands support an avifauna of their own. (B,L,D)
Overnight at Rock View Lodge


Day 7 - Fly to Georgetown, city tour, Botanical Gardens
This morning birdwatch in the magnificent gardens, join the vaqueros on horseback as they round up the cattle, hike along the foothills of the Pakaraima Mountains or explore nearby Amerindian villages. After lunch we will fly back to Georgetown. Enjoy an afternoon Georgetown city tour to see its beautiful wooden architecture and to shop in its exciting markets and craft shops. We’ll also visit the extensive and beautiful Botanic Garden, where, if we are lucky, the trip’s ornithological finale will be Blood-colored Woodpecker, an astonishingly colorful Veniliornis found only in the Guiana’s and even there almost wholly limited to the narrow coastal plain. (B,L)
Overnight at Cara Lodge


Day 8 - Depart Guyana
Transfer by vehicle to Guyana’s international airport for your departing flight.

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