THE FACTS
Location: Guyana, S. America
Start point: Georgetown
Best time to visit: October-July
Activities: Horse riding, watching Vaqueros bring in the cattle and handle the corral, go wildlife spotting on the river after dark!
Tribe: Vaquero cowboys, Makushi Amerindians
Duration: 11 days
Guideline Price: From £1,400 (US$ 2,520)
ITINERARY IN BRIEF
Day 1: Meet your guide and the rest of your team. Spend the night in Georgetown and start enjoying Guyana!
Day 2: Fly to Kaieteur Falls, the tallest single drop waterfall in the world. You will fly-by the falls and then land so you can walk between vantage points. You will see the tiny Golden Frog which lives in the Giant Bromeliads at the top of the falls or you may also see the rare ‘Cock of the Rock’ bird, the male of which is bright orange in colour. Return to Georgetown and your hotel for the night.
Day 3: Fly by light aircraft to the border town of Lethem. Lethem is a quiet town and borders Brazil, we use it as a stopover before heading to the savannahs the next day. In the afternoon meed the horses, the Vaqueros, and get used to the local saddles.
Day 4: Spend the day getting to know the Vaquero guides and the horses that will carry us across the North Rupununi. There will be plenty of time to practice how to saddle up the horses and get comfortable in the seat before the adventure ahead. Overnight in the same hotel in Lethem.
Day 5: On horse back at last we take an easy trail to the local village of Nappi. It’s a long day to start with, but the going is easy, just a few creeks to cross, which will often be a welcome sight and offers a chance for a quick dip. A 4x4 vehicle will be following our route with the luggage and to act as back up if required. It cannot go everywhere the horses can, but we’ll be in constant touch by VHF radio and tracked by satellite tracking systems. We will spend the night under the stars with the Milky Way twinkling overhead.
Day 6: Heading out over the savannah again we will have the forested mountains looming above us. It is a 4-5 hour ride today and a walk or slow trot. We ride to the beautiful village of Kaicumbay and see the Vaqueros bringing the cattle in a working the corral. Swim in the cold, clear water creek lined with palms.
Day 7: From Kaikumbay we ride out again in a westerly direction, with the jungle clad Kanuku mountain range on our right. Our destination is the small Amerindian village of Yupukari, close to the Rupununi River, the very river Sir Walter Raleigh travelled in search of El Dorado. Go out in the boats at night to spot the famous and very big Black Caiman, Tree boa snakes and other nocturnal animals such as the small and very cute labba, a prized dish! You will stay in Caiman House, home to a US Black Caiman research project. The small lodge is exceptionally comfortable.
Day 8: Today is rest day from long riding, but not from fun! We could take a very early morning ride for an hour or two to find giant anteaters, or lie in after our night on the river and take a boat to the nearby Karanambu ranch for lunch. This is the home of Dianne McTurk whom for over two decades has been looking after and rehabilitating giant otters to the river. She normally has a few of these amazing mammals here; in the nearby river most of the river otters owe their lives to Dianne. Return to Caiman House for the night.
Day 9: Mount up again on your rested steads and head off early for half a day to the Amerindian village of Massara. Massara is situated further along the Pupununi River and is full of mango trees; it is a small and seldom-visited village. It is time to leave the horses and Vaqueros behind now and head for the Rockview Lodge by 4x4 vehicles. This is a wonderful lodge where you can relax with a beer and have a cold beer: a perfect place to spend our last night on the Rupununi savannahs.
Day 10: Bid farewell to the North Rupununi and fly back to Georgetown, arriving in the late afternoon; Stay in the Georgetown Hotel.
Day 11: You are free to depart at any time of day.
“This trail ride takes you to the North Rupununi savannahs of Guyana, entering a world of old school ranches, Amerindian villages, endless savannahs and jungle-clad mountains. This is where Sir Walter Raleigh searched for El Dorado, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle dreamt up stories of ‘The Lost World’”
LOOK FORWARD TO
• Some of the oldest geological formations in the world
• Amerindian villages and ranches, working in much the same manner as hundreds of years ago
• Riding point-to-point discovering new things every day, carried along by your new best friend
• Tree frogs, macaws, howler monkeys, giant anteaters, pumas and a host of other wildlife encounters as well as the brightest stars you’ll ever have seen…
GETTING AROUND
You will be in a combination of light aircraft, 4x4 vehicles, boats and on horse back.
EATING AND SLEEPING
You will be in a mixture of hotels, lodges, and cots or hammocks for nights under the stars. All food will be provided and prepared for you apart from in Georgetown where you are free to explore and sample our recommended eateries!
