Rupununi Trails: Eco Adventure Tours in the Guyana Shield
The Maparri Rainforest Adventure - 10 Days
Trip Description
A journey on the Rupununi River through the Kanaku Mountains of southern Guyana. Unlock the mysteries of this pristine rainforest region, witness exotic flora and fauna, majestic rivers and waterfalls and visit indigenous communities as well as the Rupununi's cattle ranches. Accommodation varies from private rooms with showers, to rustic hammock camps.
Daily Itinerary
Day 1: Fly to Georgetown
Scheduled international flights to Georgetown, Guyana.(avg. 4 hours from Miami, 6 hours from NYC Or Toronto, 10-12 hours from Europe via Barbados or Trinidad and Tobago). Private transfers and night at the 5-star Meridien Pegasus hotel in Georgetown. Dinner not included.
Day 2-3: Karanambu
Early morning flight to Karanambu Ranch, home to Diane McTurk's renowned orphanage for giant river otters. Enjoy breakfast and a destination briefing. Visit Simoni Lake to see capuchin and squirrel monkeys, giant black caiman, and river otters. Fish for peacock bass, arawana, saber-toothed payara, and catfish. Visit Crane Pond to see Victoria water lilies, and many varieties of water birds. This comfortable lodge offers private cabanas with showers, a dinner to remember and a treasury of the Rupununi's history and folklore.
Day 4: Rupununi River
Depart from Karanambu by boat up the Rupununi River, where you will be able to observe an abundance of wildlife. Monkeys, macaws, caiman, capybara and even the elusive jaguar frequent the water’s edge. The night will be spent at a riverside hammock camp.
Day 5: Mapari Wilderness Camp
A morning's excursion up the Mapari River may reveal river otters and other fauna as we wind our way through its narrow passage of clear water before arriving at our Mapari wilderness camp in time for lunch. The camp faces one of the many waterfalls on the river. An exploration of this most isolated river's bank is scheduled for the afternoon.
Day 6: Mapari Wilderness Camp
A morning's walk in the rainforest to observe birds, including macaws, parrots and toucans, and the rarely seen cock of the rock. You will notice the changes in the vegetation and the height of the canopy of the forest, and will have time to explore the area with detailed explanations from your guide.
Day 7: Down Mapari and Up Rupununi
Our journey continues up the Rupununi River to Sand Creek Village. This Wapishana village of some 800 people is typical of a traditional South Rupununi community coping with the advance of modern civilization. After exploring the village and meeting its inhabitants, we continue to Dadanawa Ranch.
Day 8: Dadanawa
Accommodation is in typical stilted ranch housing facing the savannah and offering panoramic views of the Kanuku Mountains. Here, cattle are still worked by the barefooted vacqueros in their time-honoured ways. You can ride with them, visit ancient rock carvings, fish, go birding, or simply relax and soak in this veritable big sky country.
Day 9: Lethem and Manari Ranch
The journey to Lethem is an off-road 4x4 adventure on savannah trails hugging the side of the Kanuku Mountains and passing through Shulinab Village, the only settlement of the Macuxi tribe in the South savannahs. In Lethem you'll have an opportunity to buy local handicraft, including fabulous hand-made Wapishana hammocks and Wai Wai ornaments.
Day 10: Fly to Georgetown
Breakfast. Fly to Georgetown and transfer to Cheddi Jagan International Airport.