nature tours & travel, wildlife tours, adventure travel and general travel to Australia, Southeast Asia, South America and Alaska

Guyana Wildlife Tour  continues

Day 4 – Sunday, September 9: Iwokrama
We begin today with an early morning excursion along the extensive trail systems which allow good access into the forest. Rainforest mammals, though never conspicuous, are well represented at Iwokrama and with luck we may encounter the Banded Tamandua. Several various interesting, and high priority birds for birders, such as Spotted Antpitta and Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo are possible here, and our extra time makes them more likely than shorter visits. Agoutis can almost be guaranteed, and in the evening we’ll be out with lights in search of potoos, owls and mammals such as Kinkajou and Olingo, plus amphibians and reptiles. Tapir are not uncommon here, but their tracks are seen and voices heard more often than they are seen. However, we have plenty of time for wildlife searching, our expert guide will ensure we make the most of our time here.       (BLD)

Day 5 - Monday, September 10: Iwokrama/Atta
An early start this morning, before dawn, to travel to Atta, still within the Iwokrama forest. The road we’ll be traveling on is considered the best place in Guyana for Jaguar – the both cross and saunter along the road, without too much fear of humans – and as the best place in Guyana, one of the best in South America. We travel on a Bedford truck, courtesy WW2, with a covered roof and open sides for viewing. In addition to keeping a watch for jaguar we will be searching for other mammals such as sloths, any reptiles crossing the road, and of course birds as they start their day. We’ll stop at creeks and similar wet areas for herons and anything else; it will be a leisurely journey – and different to most tour travel. The highlight of Atta – and the main reason for staying here – is the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, about 500ft of suspension bridges between 40 and 100ft above the forest floor. In addition to the canopy fauna we can see, being above the floor ground dwellers such as Gray-winged Trumpeter and Red-legged Tinamou don’t notice us, and so we have a better chance of observing them. Birds of note that may be seen from the walkway are the beautiful Pompadour Cotinga, Caica Parrot (also seen along the road), White-throated Trogon, Guianan Toucanet, Golden-winged Parakeet and many more. Occasionally seen is the Guianan Saki monkey, and spider and howler monkeys are often seen feeding. Almost certain to be heard, and seen is the well-named Screaming Piha. Of additional interest are Amerindian petroglyphs, and occasion pottery shards, along the access trail. We’ll spend all day at Atta, with plenty of time for the canopy and trails, as well as resting up in the hot middle of the day, after our early start. This evening we’ll be spotlighting the road by vehicle for mammals, owls, potoos and reptiles.       (BLD)

Day 6 – Tuesday, September 11: Atta
We have a full day of birding and wildlife spotting from the walkway and area trails. This is an opportunity for some personal searching, with our own specific interests in mind, be they birds, plants, photography or whatever our main interest is. Naturally our naturalist/birding guide will lead several tours, as well as being available throughout the day. But everyone will want to welcome the dawn chorus from the canopy walkway. The clearing around the lodge is one of the best places to see another of Guyana’s “must see” birds, the Crimson Fruitcrow. This species is seen here on a reasonably regular basis, as it often comes to feed in some of the nearby trees. The clearing is also a reliable site for Black Curassow, as there is a family party which has become habituated to people and regularly passes through the clearing. Those with an interest in photographing wildlife will especially appreciate the opportunity to photograph this birds, or more likely birds, given its impressive size and curly topknot feathers. Other bird species we hope to encounter during our stay include Eastern Long-tailed Hermit, Crimson Topaz, Great and Paradise Jacamars, Guianan and Pied Puffbirds, Green and Black-necked Aracaris, Red-billed Woodcreeper, Black-throated Antshrike, Guianan Streaked Antwren, Guianan Warbling Antbird, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Tiny Tyrant-Manakin, Helmeted Pygmy-Tyrant, Golden-sided Euphonia and both Red-and-Black and Yellow-green Grosbeaks. Naturally we’ll be keeping an eye out for the various monkeys seen here, sloths and other mammals such as Tayra and Jaguarundi, Coatis, Tamarins, Peccaries and Brocket deer. Night time mammals searched for include Olingo, Kinkajou, Ocelot and Margay. Our second night here gives us another opportunity to head out in our designated vehicle for wildlife spotting, as well as spending time on foot with the lights.       (BLD)

Day 7 – Wednesday, September 12: Atta/Rewa
Early morning on the walkway or jungle trails. After breakfast we travel to a rainforest trail where there is an excellent chance of spotting the famous Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock. Our Amerindian guides will take this opportunity to share examples of their vast knowledge of medicinal plants. If the Harpy Eagle nest is active, we will visit it on this day. The nest itself is located in a huge emergent tree only a couple of miles from the village and if we are extremely fortunate, we may see one of the adult birds bringing a sloth or monkey to the nest to feed their chick. The trek into the nest site is about an hour each way on a reasonable trail. Our journey continues for lunch at Rock View, where we have a good chance of Buff-necked Ibis and possibly Aplomado Falcon, before continuing along the road by our trusty Bedford to Kwatamang Landing to board boats for the 3 hour boat ride to Rewa along the Rupununi River with opportunities to see wild Giant River Otters and Black Caiman. Rewa Village is located where the Rewa River runs into the Rupununi River in the North Rupununi. The surrounding area is rainforest, mountains and oxbow lakes and teeming with wildlife birds and fish. The community of approximately 220 persons is predominately Macushi with a few families of the Wapashani and Patamona tribes. Villagers practice subsistence farming, fishing and hunting with little opportunity for cash employment. In 2005 the community constructed the Rewa Eco-lodge so that they could establish a sustainable eco-tourism business. The lodge remains virtually unknown with only a few hundred visitors to date. The lodge itself is situated on the river bank overlooking the Rewa River with views down river to the Rupununi River. We arrive in Rewa in time for a late lunch and an opportunity to cool down around the shady grounds and along the waterfront. Late this afternoon we take a boat up the Rewa River and then a 15 minute hike to Grass Pond. Visit sand banks where giant river turtles come to lay their eggs. Along the river banks you may see red howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys and brown capuchin, and this area has a large population of giant river otters. Grass Pond is about two miles long and is a beautiful setting with Victoria amazonica, the giant water lily. It has a good population of Arapaima, (reportedly the highest density in Guyana) the largest fresh water fish in the world. Those who are interested can fish for dinner; the main catch here is Peacock Bass. You may see Brown Capuchin Monkey or Capybara. Birds likely to be seen include Limpkin, Wattled Jacana, Black- collared Hawk, Green Kingfisher and Guianan Puffbird. As dusk settles we watch the flower of the Victoria amazonica bloom, a slow motion event which unfolds before our eyes. At dinner tonight we'll meet our hosts and learn about the history of the lodge and the considerable community effort that has gone into making the lodge a reality, and once again take an evening walk with our spotlights.      (BLD)

Day 8 – Thursday, September 13: Rewa
We start the day with breakfast at dawn overlooking the Rewa River. We then head out by boat along the Rupununi River, into an oxbow lake to begin a hike up Awarmie Mountain. The climb is steep in a few sections but in general not too difficult, and we’ll be taking an easy pace with rest stops along the way. Along the way you may get close up views of Black Spider Monkeys, neotropical butterflies and day moths, frogs, leaf cutter ants and of course many species of birds. Less common but resident in this area are peccaries, armadillos, snakes, and tapirs. Birds that may be seen include Ornate Hawk-eagle, Black Curassow, Red-fan Parrot, Guianan Puffbird, Todd’s Antwren, Spotted Tanager and Bay-headed Tanager. Resident Harpy Eagles are a highlight of the immediate area, with at least one active nest. The area also has a high density of macaws including Scarlet, Blue-and-yellow and Red-and-Green Macaws. At the summit we have absolutely stunning views across rainforest to the distant mountains; large birds of prey such as Harpy Eagle and King Vulture may be seen from our perch. There is a small plateau on the top of the mountain and in one direction, there are uninterrupted views back to the Rupununi River, some patches of savannah and across to the distant Kanuku Mountains. In the other direction, there is a near vertical drop of at least 200m and the view is across great swathes of undisturbed forest to the distant Iwokrama Mountain and much closer, Makarapan Mountain.

We return to the lodge for lunch, and then take a walk through the community of Rewa to see how the locals live. Visit villager’s houses where you can experience their everyday life and see activities such as grating cassava, weaving baskets and tending kitchen gardens; we may visit the small school as well, where the walls are adorned with pictures of local wildlife; the school curriculum emphasizes the importance and heritage of the natural world. The flowering shrubs along the lane to the village are particularly good for hummingbirds. Later this afternoon travel up the Rewa River to a location known as Seawall. This rock formation is a great place to fish or take in the beauty of the location. Visit sand banks where giant river turtles come to lay their eggs. On the return trip as the sun sets we spotlight for wildlife along the banks where we may see red howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys and brown capuchin bedding down for the night. Caimans are also likely.       (BLD)

Our Guyana Wildlife tour continues >>>>>