Arial view of the Iwokrama River Lodge

You will leave early from Georgetown via your choice of transportation to the Iwokrama River Lodge. Options include a 4×4 vehicle for an 8 hour adventurous drive to the River Lodge through a historic mining town into dense rainforest. Alternatively you can travel through one of the local Guyana airlines, which will provide unparalleled views of the rainforest on your hour flight to the Iwokrama Forest. Arrive just in time to relax before lunch and get settled in to your room.

After lunch explore one of the nearby wildlife trails near the River Lodge with an experienced Iwokrama Guide. You will see the mora, soft wallaba and wamara trees and may be able to view the screaming piha, the grey chinned hermit, gray antbird, chestnut woodpecker, the gray-winged trumpeter, and the black-necked aracari.

After dinner, join us for a cruise on the Essequibo River through the black of night, maybe lit only by a pale moon. Your guide shines the spotlight and there it is… the red-eye glare of the black caimanMelanosuchus niger! Frequently and closely seen lying on the river banks, the world’s largest alligator grows to 6 metres (20 ft.) long. A boat ride at night may also introduce you to other nocturnal creatures such as tree boasCorallus caninus, pacasCuniculus paca, nightjarsHydropsalis climacocerca, and hyla tree frogstree frogs (hylidae). Overnight at the Iwokrama River Lodge.

Turtle Mountain in the Iwokrama Forest

After breakfast you will leave the River Lodge for a 30 minute boat ride to the foot of Turtle Mountain for a mildly challenging hike to its summit at 290m.This hike takes about 1-11/2 hours but the breathtaking views are more than worth the effort.

Turtle Mountain provides a gorgeous view of the top of the rainforest canopy: visitors will gaze upon several often hazy mountain ranges, the dense emerald jungle and the mighty Essequibo River. Along the way harpy eagleHarpia harpyja has been seen and you may also see the greater yellow-headed vultureCathartes melambrotus, king vultureSarcoramphus papa, gray-headed kiteLeptodon cayanensis, double-toothed kiteHarpagus bidentatus, plumbeous kiteIctinia plumbea and black-faced hawkLeucopternis melanops. The trails may reveal little chachalacaOrtalis motmot, marail guanPenelope marail, black currassowCrax alector, squirrel cuckooPiaya cayana, black-bellied cuckooPiaya melanogaster, blue-crowned motmotMomotus momota, collared puffbirdBucco capensis, pygmy antwrenMyrmotherula brachyura, and many more! You may also be rewarded with sightings of red howler monkey, wedge-capped capuchinsCebus olivaceus and black spider monkeysAteles paniscus.

Petroglyphs near Kurupukari Falls

After lunch at the River Lodge visit the Kurupukari Falls to see the Amerindian petroglyphs. These stunning works of art are estimated to be over 6,000 years old and best seen during low water season, then visit the small Amerindian community of Fair View.

Return late afternoon to the River Lodge and spend a relaxing evening enjoying dinner in the Fred Allicock Building overlooking the scenic vistas of the Essequibo River. Overnight at the Iwokrama River Lodge.

Indian Island sunrise

At dawn you can take an early morning boat trip round Indian House Island. Keep an eye out for the butterflies, snakes and macaws as they come out to have “breakfast” on the edge of the island. This early morning trip also gives you a chance to hear the dawn songs of the five species of tinamou, marbled wood-quail, band-rumped swift, white- banded and black-collared swallows, and many more!

After breakfast you will leave the River Lodge and continue south-west along the Iwokrama Road to the Atta Rainforest Lodge and Iwokrama Canopy Walkway.If you are lucky you may catch a glimpse of the elusive Jaguar, South America’s largest cat.

The Iwokrama Canopy Walkway

The 154 metre (505 ft.) state-of-the-art Iwokrama Canopy Walkway offers a totally unique experience in the region and envelopes you in the jungle’s mid-level canopy through a series of suspension bridges and decks from heights of up to 30 metres (98 ft.). Here you’ll have the chance to see birds like the green aracariPteroglossus viridis, scarlet macawAra macao, Guianan toucanetteSelenidera culik or channel-bill toucanRamphastos vitellinus. Red howler monkeysAlouatta macconnelli may also be observed. Check out the epiphytes such orchids and bromeliads, and look for the amazing parasitic ficusFicus benjamina plant as it engulfs another tree. There is also the greenheart treehlorocardium rodiei, the Waramadan tree (endemic in Guyana only to the Iwokrama Forest) and the poisonous Aromata treeClathrotropis brachypetala!

After leaving the walkway you have the option to either depart heading north for your journey back to Georgetown, or to visit other interesting tourist sites in the Rupununi area. There is also the opportunity to stay overnight at the Atta Rainforest Lodge, which is situated approximately 500 metres from the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway.