Category: Travel & Tourism

Suspended some 33 metres above the rainforest floor on the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway is a breathtakingly incredible experience that you can never forget. A series of suspension bridges and four spacious platforms provide views of birds and other wildlife you simply won’t get from the ground. Those who have experienced the walkway speak of being “eye to eye” with the birds and other wildlife. Constructed of aluminium and suspended by steel cables, the canopy, built to Canadian outdoor construction standards, is the only tourist canopy walkway in the Guiana Shield.…

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Honey Pond, located in Region Nine, is known for its rich biodiversity. Teeming with various species of birds, fish and other animals, like the magnificent black caiman, Honey Pond is a highlight location when visiting Karanambu Lodge. Karanambu encompasses approximately 110-square miles of savannah, marshy ponds, riparian forest, and a 30-mile stretch of the Rupununi River. The Lodge provides guests with the opportunity to experience the wildlife of Karanambu. Settled in 1927 by Tiny McTurk, Karanambu was once a working cattle ranch and Balata collection station. It is now an…

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The Rupununi Savannah, which is characterised by flat grasslands and mountainous terrains, is located in Guyana, between the Rupununi River and the Brazilian border, in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region. The savannah, an extraordinary natural area in southern Guyana, is teeming with wildlife, including 500 bird species; 1,500 different plant species; more than 400 species of fish; 120 species of snakes, lizards and frogs; 105 mammal species including the elusive jaguar, which roams the hills and mountains while the Harpy Eagle flies overhead. Three of Guyana’s Amerindian tribes, Wapishana, Wai…

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The expanding town of Lethem lies on the Takutu River, which forms the border with Brazil, opposite the Brazilian town of Bonfim.  It is the main commercial centre of the Rupununi in Region Nine. It is also the largest town and the administrative centre of the Rupununi region, and includes a hospital, a police station, an army camp, a telecommunications station, schools, guesthouses, restaurants and stores. The indigenous population comprises mainly Macushi and Wapishana tribes. Taking a bus from Georgetown to Lethem can be rough but adventurous. Along the way…

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The Mashabo Amerindian community, located several miles aback Huist T’Dieren village on the Essequibo Coast, is a small village rich in agriculture. Villagers clear once forested land to plant the area with bitter cassava. The village has become self-sufficient in the production of cassava bread and cassareep. The village is also involved in chicken-rearing. Visitors can get a firsthand experience on how the residents survive on what Mother Nature provides and learn about their rich indigenous traditions. Notably, the watery trails add to the adventure at Mashabo. It is a…

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Located in Region Nine on the banks of the mighty Essequibo River, Fairview is the only indigenous community within the Iwokrama preserve. Also known as Kurupukari, Fairview is an Amerindian village whose residents are mostly from the Macushi tribe that live mainly by hunting or fishing, or working at the Iwokrama Field Station. Fairview villagers are now part of Iwokrama, working on every aspect of the project; cooking meals and looking after guest rooms, guiding hikers as rangers, and sharing in the profits from lumber felled in their part of…

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A journey along the Potaro River reveals scenic views of mountains, dense forest and stunning waterfalls. A tributary of Essequibo River, the source of the Potaro is in the Mount Ayanganna area of the Pakaraima Mountains in the North Rupununi savannahs. Majestic waterfalls are found on the Potaro River, most notable being Kaieteur and Tumatumari Falls. Below Kaieteur Falls are Amatuk and Waratuk Falls. In the 1930s, the Denham Suspension Bridge, also known as the Garraway Stream Bridge, was constructed over the Potaro River in an area known as Garraway…

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In Moruca in Region One, there is a cluster of small Amerindian villages which, during the rainy season, become islands in the savannah. One such village is Santa Rosa. The village spreads out in the savannah wetlands along a 10-mile stretch of the Moruca River. In Santa Rosa, stands the well-known Santa Rosa Mission, also known as “White Chapel on a Hill”. It has been serving now for more than 100 years not only as a religious building but as a significant part of the Santa Rosa community, keeping it…

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Rupununi research and conservation part of the highlights at Yupukari At the edge of Yupukari village in the Central Rupununi is Caiman House Field Station, a combination guest-lodge and education centre focused on research and conservation projects along the nearby Rupununi River. The Field Station is the hub of several participatory development projects, including the introduction of classroom libraries in all three village schools and an internet-enabled public library. Visitors have many opportunities to observe- or become involved with- the projects at Caiman House. A popular night time excursion allows…

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Surama village is a small Amerindian community of the Makushi people living in the north Rupununi, Region Nine. The word Surama, originally “Shuramata”, means the place of spoiled Bar-B-Que (or where Bar-B-Que spoiled). The name was derived during a tribal conflict between the Makushi and Carib many years ago. The village is situated in five square miles of savannah land, surrounded by forest, hills and mountains of the Pakariama mountain range. The life of the people is in the art and understanding of how to live with nature. It is…

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