Travel across two dramatically different sides of Guyana’s Rupununi on an 8-day wildlife journey combining open savannah, community conservation, wilderness rivers and remote tropical rainforest.
Experience two extraordinary sides of Guyana’s Rupununi in one wildlife journey.
The Rupununi is a landscape of remarkable contrasts. Open savannah, wetlands and gallery forest surround the Makushi community of Yupukari, while further upriver the landscape gradually closes into remote tropical rainforest.
This 8-day journey connects both worlds.
Begin at Caiman House, searching the savannah for giant anteaters, exploring wetlands and oxbow lakes, and joining community-led caiman research on the Rupununi River.
Then travel upriver into increasingly remote rainforest for five nights at Mapari Wilderness Camp. Here, days are deliberately flexible and shaped around wildlife activity, weather and your interests.
Go birding, search for mammals, drift waterways at dawn, explore after dark for reptiles and amphibians, fish remote creeks, hike forest trails or simply slow down beside Mapari Creek.
One journey. Two completely different sides of wild Guyana.
New departures are being scheduled. Request the itinerary and we'll tell you when dates open, before they go on the site.
Few journeys in Guyana let you experience such different landscapes and wildlife within a single trip. From the open savannahs and wetlands around Yupukari to the remote rainforest of Mapari, this experience combines wildlife, conservation, river travel and specialist guiding while remaining flexible enough to follow your own interests.
Wildlife is at the heart of this journey, but no two days need to look the same. Search the savannah for giant anteaters, join caiman researchers after dark, travel deep into the rainforest and explore Mapari by boat and on foot with guides who know where, and when, to look.
“What I love about this journey is how much the landscape changes. You start the day on open savannah looking for giant anteaters, travel upriver, and suddenly you are surrounded by rainforest. At Mapari there is no reason to force every guest into the same programme. If you love birds, we focus on birds. If you want snakes, fishing, mammals or longer forest walks, we build the days around that. It is one of the best ways I know to experience just how diverse the Rupununi really is.”
Owner
From the savannahs around Yupukari to the remote rainforest at Mapari, the package brings together accommodation, meals, transportation and specialist local guiding.
Caiman & Conservation
Meet your transfer in Lethem and travel approximately two hours to Caiman House in Yupukari.
After lunch, explore the village and learn about community initiatives, including the public library, turtle conservation and local craft projects.
Later, head onto the Rupununi River to visit an oxbow lake covered with giant Victoria amazonica water lilies while searching for birds, monkeys, giant river otters and other wildlife.
After dark, return to the river alongside the caiman research team. Observe their conservation work and, when possible, assist as captured caiman are measured, weighed, tagged and released.
Lunch and dinner included · Caiman House
Savannah to Rainforest
Start before breakfast with a 4×4 excursion across the Rupununi savannah in search of giant anteaters, burrowing owls and other grassland wildlife.
After breakfast, board the boats and begin the journey along the Rupununi River towards Mapari.
Watch for wildlife as savannah and gallery forest gradually give way to increasingly remote tropical rainforest.
Arrive at Mapari Wilderness Camp during the afternoon, settle into camp and begin exploring your new surroundings.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included · Mapari Wilderness Camp
Explore Mapari
The next four days are deliberately flexible.
Mapari Wilderness Camp sits beside Mapari Creek at the base of Mapari Falls, surrounded by an extensive network of rainforest trails and waterways.
Morning, afternoon and night excursions are adapted around wildlife activity, weather and your interests.
Drift waterways searching for birds and mammals. Walk forest trails with specialist guides. Head out after dark for frogs, snakes and nocturnal wildlife. Fish remote waters, hike towards viewpoints or visit Mapari Falls for a swim.
When known Harpy Eagle sites are active, observation may also become a major objective of the stay.
Or simply slow down, enjoy camp and watch the rainforest around you.
Three meals daily · Mapari Wilderness Camp
Arapaima & Return
Enjoy a final morning activity before beginning the journey back down the Rupununi River towards Yupukari.
Conditions permitting, stop for a short forest walk to an oxbow lake known for arapaima, where these enormous freshwater fish may be seen surfacing and rolling.
Continue downriver and arrive back at Caiman House during the late afternoon.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included · Caiman House
Return to Lethem
After breakfast, depart Caiman House by road for the return journey to Lethem.
The transfer can be coordinated around your domestic flight to Georgetown or onward travel elsewhere in the Rupununi.
The experience concludes upon arrival in Lethem.
Breakfast included
Everything you need to know before booking your adventure
Everything you need to know before booking your adventure
Everything you need to know before booking your adventure
Everything you need to know before booking your adventure
Yes. Many of our shorter and private tours can be arranged without transportation from Georgetown included.
This can be a good option if you are already travelling independently in Guyana, have your own vehicle or transportation arrangements, or simply want greater freedom when planning your journey.
In these cases, we can arrange for you to meet your guide at the community, lodge or agreed starting point rather than travelling together from Georgetown.
If you prefer us to arrange more of the journey, this can often be incorporated as well. The idea behind these tours is to give you greater flexibility in how your adventure fits into the rest of your travels in Guyana.
We have tours suitable for a very broad range of travellers, from experienced adventurers to people visiting the rainforest for the first time.
Unlike our more demanding expeditions, many of these experiences can be adjusted around your interests, available time, physical ability, and preferred level of comfort.
This doesn’t mean every tour is suitable for every person. Some still involve hiking, camping, boats, or time in remote environments. Tell us what you are looking for, and we can help you choose, or adapt, an experience that is appropriate for you.
Yes. Many of our Tours in Guyana are particularly well suited to families and private groups.
Travelling privately gives us much more flexibility to balance adventure with comfort. Depending on the family, we can adjust walking distances, activities, accommodation, camping, and the overall pace of the trip.
Children can experience the rainforest, wildlife, rivers, and indigenous communities without the family necessarily having to commit to the physical demands of one of our full expeditions.
If you are travelling with children, tell us their ages and a little about your family’s previous travel and outdoor experience. We can then help create the right balance between adventure, learning, comfort, and fun.
It varies considerably.
Some of our tours are relatively comfortable and involve short walks, boat travel, wildlife watching and stays in communities or lodges. Others can include longer hikes, jungle camping, fishing, or more physically demanding activities.
One of the advantages of our private tours is that we can often adjust the itinerary around your abilities. If you want to explore Guyana but don’t want a strenuous expedition, that does not mean you have to miss out on the interior.
Each tour explains its expected difficulty, and if you are uncertain, contact us and we can help you find an experience that matches how adventurous, or comfortable, you want your trip to be.
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Our team knows these jungles inside and out. We’re happy to help you find the perfect adventure based on your interests, fitness level, and timeframe. Every journey is unique—let’s craft yours together.
To request more information about this trip, fill in the form below and we will send you a PDF version. We look forward to hearing from you.
