Day 1: Arrive Georgetown — The Garden City
Arrive at Cheddi Jagan International Airport. Transfer to your hotel in Georgetown, a city of wide tree-lined avenues, wooden colonial buildings on stilts, and a distinctly Caribbean rhythm. Afternoon orientation: St. George’s Cathedral, one of the world’s tallest wooden buildings (43.5 meters); the Stabroek Market with its iconic cast-iron clock tower; and the Botanical Gardens with its Victoria Amazonica lily pond. Visit Bourda Market with Chef Delven Adams for an introduction to Guyana’s diverse culinary heritage — African, Indian, Chinese, Amerindian, and European influences create one of South America’s most interesting food scenes. Overnight Georgetown at Cara Lodge, a beautifully restored 1840s colonial mansion.
Day 2: Kaieteur Falls — The World’s Greatest Waterfall
Early morning transfer to Ogle Airport for your charter flight to Kaieteur National Park. The 60-minute flight over pristine rainforest is an experience in itself — the canopy stretches unbroken to every horizon, a vast green sea punctuated only by the silver-brown threads of rivers. Then, suddenly, Kaieteur appears. The Potaro River, 120 meters wide, plunges 226 meters in a single vertical drop — five times the height of Niagara Falls — into a gorge carved over millennia. The scale is impossible to capture in photographs. You land at the Kaieteur airstrip, a gravel strip in a clearing, and spend 2 hours exploring the falls from multiple viewpoints: Johnson’s View, Boy Scout View, and Rainbow View (where the spray creates permanent rainbows). The endemic golden frog lives in the giant tank bromeliads that line the trails. Your guide explains the legend of Kai — an Amerindian chief who sacrificed himself by canoeing over the falls to appease the great spirit Makonaima. Return flight to Georgetown. Overnight Georgetown.
Day 3: Iwokrama Rainforest — Into the Green Heart
Morning flight from Ogle to the Iwokrama airstrip (or drive 5-6 hours via the Linden-Lethem road, depending on conditions). Iwokrama Forest Reserve covers 371,000 hectares of pristine rainforest — one of the last four intact tropical forests in the world. Settle into the Iwokrama River Lodge on the banks of the Essequibo River. Afternoon: walk the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, a series of suspension bridges 30 meters above the forest floor, bringing you into the canopy where toucans, howler monkeys, and red-and-green macaws are at eye level. The 154-meter walkway rises to 35 meters at its highest point. At dusk, take a boat safari on the Essequibo: black caimans (some exceeding 4 meters) patrol the banks, their eyes glowing red in the spotlight. Overnight Iwokrama River Lodge.
Day 4: Surama Village & Rupununi Savannah
Morning hike to Turtle Mountain (290 meters, 1.5-hour climb) for one of Guyana’s most spectacular panoramas — an unbroken view of the Iwokrama canopy stretching to the horizon. This is what the world looked like before humans. Continue by road into the Rupununi savannah, a vast grassland dotted with termite mounds and occasional woodland islands. Arrive at Surama, a Makushi Amerindian village that runs its own community-based eco-tourism program. The Makushi have lived in this region for thousands of years. Afternoon: village walk with community guides, learning about traditional medicine, cassava processing, and the Makushi way of life. Climb Surama Mountain for savannah sunset views. Dinner prepared by the community — perhaps pepperpot (a slow-cooked meat stew) or freshly caught fish. Overnight Surama Eco-Lodge.
Day 5: Giant Anteaters & Return to Georgetown
Pre-dawn drive across the Rupununi savannah to search for the giant anteater — a surreal animal that can reach 2 meters in length, with a bushy tail and a tubular snout that homes in on termite mounds. The Rupununi is one of the best places in South America to see these extraordinary creatures in the wild. After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for your flight back to Georgetown. Afternoon at leisure — perhaps the National Museum or a last walk through the Botanical Gardens. Transfer to Cheddi Jagan Airport for evening departure.
