Itineraries
3-5 Day Tour
A 3-5 day tour is perfect if you have limited time for a remote wilderness experience customized to your interest. A variety of daily activities such as birding excursions, wildlife spotting, hikes on forest trails, quiet drifts on the creek at dawn or dusk, and night drifts using the beam of a spotlight can all be arranged.
Day 1 Your adventure begins at the rustic but comfortable Caiman House in the indigenous village of Yupukari. Travel south, up the Rupununi River by boat, spotting birds and wildlife as you pass through the savannas into primary rainforest. As the river winds through high banks, Giant Black Caiman may be seen basking and lurking along the banks. Black Skimmers and Large-Billed Terns pursue the river surface whilst Jabiru Storks watch unconcerned.
After a few hours,birding along the way, we arrive at Mapari, a cool clear water creek flowing from the eastern flank of the mountains. Arrive at the end of the day to a comfortable hammock camp set in a shady spot overlooking Mapari Falls.
Day 2 With coffee cup in hand, have an early morning river drift down the creek, floating silently and listening to the dawn chorus of the forest, whilst birding and keeping an eye out for monkeys, giant otters, and other wildlife. After breakfast, relax and swim by the natural bathing pools formed by the creek and the falls. For keen nature observers, a forest walk or mountain hike in search of forest birds, snakes, and other reptiles can be arranged.
Following lunch, a short siesta or a refreshing dip in the creek is usually the order of the day. In the cool of the afternoon there is the option of a trail walk to search for more wildlife, or a river drift at sunset, birding and enjoying the changing light as evening covers the forested mountains. Dinner is served around the camp fire, hosted by our guides sharing stories of their lives in the forests.
Day 3 Awaken to the dawn chorus of howler monkeys, macaws and parrots. A highlight is a visit to a Harpy Eagle nest. When active and with a little luck, we'll see the largest and most powerful eagle in the world. Additional activities include a forest walk to learn about the trees, plants, and their uses- both commercial and traditional. Post-lunch activities can include bathing in the creek, fishing, napping in your hammock, exploring more trails or an afternoon river drift.
Day 4 Options include early birding on a forest trail, another drift down the creek, or you can try hand-line fishing. Perhaps a visit to a tarantula burrow? The Goliath bird-eating spider is nocturnal, and normally at home during the day. A guide will gently tease it out if its lair for viewing and photography.
After dinner, you can go night spotting along the creek. We glide under tropical stars in complete silence listening to the night sounds of the forest- completely different from those of the day, and somewhat mysterious and eerie. In the beam of the spotlight, we look for Amazonian Tree Aoas, Emerald Boas, Frogs, Dwarf Caiman, Paca, Opossums and other rodents. Nocturnal species like Boat Billed Herons, Oil Birds and Potoos can be seen, and sleeping birds like Kingfishers, Wood Rails and Sun Bitterns can be closely approached for better viewing and photography. Occasionally, Tapir or Capybara can be spotted and past lucky guests have been treated to an Ocelot stalking along the creek edge.
Day 5 Whilst the crew breaks camp, you will bird and look for wildlife along forest trails, then return to camp for breakfast. A last drift down the creek before we start up the engine and head back down the river to Caiman House, arriving in the late afternoon.
Days Tours/Extended Tours
Day tours are only available during the rainy season, June-September. Extended tours of longer than 5 days can also be arranged.
Custom Built Expeditions
We also offer extended expeditions into other parts of Guyana for small groups of adventurous clients such as birdwatchers, wildlife photographers, scientists, film crews, sport fishers, and anyone who loves wildlife, wild places, and adventure. For more information please visit our sister website, Guyana Truly Wild.