Guyana Nature Experience

Arrive at Cheddi Jagan International Airport and transfer into Georgetown, Guyana's colonial-era capital on the Atlantic coast. Settle in for the night at a historic wooden lodge from the 1840s that carries the nostalgia of a bygone era. Rest up before your journey into the wild interior begins.

Fly over the Demerara and Essequibo Rivers and hundreds of miles of unbroken rainforest to Kaieteur Falls, the world's tallest single-drop waterfall, where the Potaro River plunges 741 ft (226 m), about five times the height of Niagara. Take in the thundering falls and their micro-world of giant tank bromeliads, tiny golden frogs, and the swifts that nest behind the curtain of water. Fly back to Georgetown for the night at your heritage lodge.

This morning, fly over the rainforest to the Fair View airstrip and transfer to a riverside lodge overlooking the Essequibo, in the heart of the million-acre Iwokrama forest, a protected wilderness on the Guiana Shield and homeland of the Makushi people. Explore the lodge trails with an Iwokrama ranger, watching for toucans, cotingas, and monkeys among the countless bird species here. After dark, head out on the river in search of caiman eyeshine, tree frogs, and night birds such as the spectacled owl and potoos. Overnight at the riverside lodge

Make an early start on the Essequibo, circling Indian House Island before breakfast. Later, set off by boat to hike Turtle Mountain, a trail that climbs to a summit at 935 ft (360 m) with sweeping views over the forest canopy and chances of spider and howler monkeys, bellbirds, and eagles; a gentler boat trip to Stanley Lake in search of giant otters and black caiman is offered as an alternative. As the afternoon cools, travel to Kurupukari Falls to see the Amerindian petroglyphs, water levels permitting. Overnight at the riverside lodge.

Travel by 4x4 along the forest road that is one of Guyana's best places to glimpse the elusive jaguar, with no promises but plenty of luck over the years, watching the forest edge for agouti, tapir, tayra, and black curassow. The journey ends at a comfortable rainforest lodge beside the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, whose suspension bridges lead to platforms more than 30 m (98 ft) above the forest floor for eye-level views of canopy wildlife. Keep watch over the clearing for the Crimson Fruitcrow and a resident family of black curassows and for the hummingbirds drawn to the lodge gardens.

Before dawn, return to the canopy walkway to birdwatch from the treetops, where toucanets, cotingas, and a host of canopy specialists may appear, along with red howler and black spider monkeys. Spend the day on the surrounding trails, home to stunning insects, noisy amphibians, and playful primates, with deer, tapir, and agouti regular visitors to the lodge. As darkness falls, a night walk may turn up the white-winged potoo or one of the six cat species found along the nearby road. Overnight at the rainforest lodge.

Welcome the dawn chorus from the canopy once more, then set off through the rainforest to Corkwood, where a short trail offers a chance to see the brilliant Guianan cock-of-the-rock while your guide explains the plants' traditional medicinal uses. Continue to Surama, a Macushi village set in savannah ringed by the forested Pakaraima Mountains, where the community owns and runs the eco-lodge. In the cooler afternoon, walk across the savannah to the Burro Burro River and paddle in search of giant otters, tapirs, and spider monkeys, followed by a night walk to look for the eyeshine of the forest's nocturnal creatures.

Rise before dawn to climb Surama Mountain for incredible views across the village and savannah to the Pakaraima Mountains; it is not technical but can be arduous, and your guides will happily offer alternatives. Later, transfer to a garden lodge at Annai, where the savannah meets the forested foothills and tropical gardens draw hummingbirds and other nectar feeders. If the season is right, see how cashews are roasted and local handicrafts are made, and taste the freshly roasted nuts. Overnight at the lodge, with meals served under the mango trees.

At dawn, hike the Panorama Trail into the foothills of the Pakaraima Mountains, where the sunrise over the savannah is spectacular and jacamars and hermits flit through the trees. After breakfast, transfer to Ginep Landing and take a boat along the Rupununi River to a former cattle ranch turned lodge, watching for the giant otter families that live along this stretch. Late in the day, head out again by boat to look for otters, and as dusk falls, the giant Victoria amazonica waterlilies open on the ponds, spotlighting the black caiman and night creatures on the way back

Make an early start for the rolling grasslands, home to a population of giant anteaters, where with luck you'll find one of these six-foot (1.8 m) animals digging its breakfast from a termite mound. In the evening, choose a river excursion or explore the gallery forest for birds like the striking agami heron, with a walk along the airstrip turning up nightjars and double-striped thick-knees after dark. Overnight at the Rupununi lodge, in traditional clay-brick cabins.

If the anteater proved elusive, there's time to search the savannah again or explore the Rupununi River for giant otters, black caiman, and the giant arapaima along quiet stretches of water. After breakfast, transfer upriver to the Amerindian village of Yupukari and a field station focused on river research and conservation. Here you can join the indigenous crew after dark as they search for and capture black caiman, the largest member of the alligator family, assisting with weighing, measuring, and tagging before the animals are released. Overnight at the field station.

Transfer to Lethem and fly back to Georgetown, where the afternoon brings a guided tour of the city, beginning at the seawall. Take in the National Museum, the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, and landmarks such as City Hall, Stabroek Market, and St. George's Cathedral, one of the world's tallest free-standing wooden buildings, along with the Botanical Gardens and its manatees. In the evening, sit down to a market-fresh Guyanese feast at a chef's hidden backyard restaurant. Overnight at your heritage lodge in Georgetown.

Your final day is free to relax, explore Georgetown, or add an optional tour such as a Mahaica River trip in search of the hoatzin, Guyana's national bird, before your transfer to the airport for your departing flight.