Guyana

Guyana’s 800+ species of birds are a birdwatcher’s dream, and so are our specially trained guides. You’ll also meet some of the endangered giants of South America, many of which are still thriving in Guyana: jaguar, giant river otter, giant anteater, giant armadillo, capybara, harpy eagle, arapaima, a water lily big enough to support a child, three caiman species, giant river turtle, false vampire bat, the bushmaster pit viper, green anaconda, and a bird-eating spider. Expert indigenous guides ensure that your encounters with these magnificent creatures are as close up — or as safely distant — as possible.

Guyana may be the third-smallest country in South America, but its tropical forests are an important resource for the whole world. With nearly 80 percent of its land covered by rain forest, Guyana joins neighbors Suriname, French Guiana and portions of Venezuela and northern Brazil to form the Guayana Shield region of Amazon forest—the source of 20 percent of the world’s fresh water. The vast forests of the Guayana Shield also contain 18 percent of all the carbon dioxide stored in the world’s tropical forests.

For thousands of years the Guianan Shield has been home to a dynamic mix of Amerindian and immigrant populations: indigenous Akawaio, Arekuna, Carib, Macushi, Patamona, Waiwai, and Wapishana tribes have been joined in the last century by European colonialists, west African slaves, and indentured servants from Java and India. As a result, intrepid travellers who venture to the Guianas discover a cultural experience remarkably unlike any other in South America.

Guyana is an emerging gem in the nature and adventure tourism market. Still little known, Guyana’s lush interior, criss-crossed by a myriad of rivers and cascading waterfalls, enveloped by virgin rainforest, revealed in its far-stretching savannahs and teeming with tropical wild life rivals the best nature and adventure destinations anywhere else in the world. With a small population of 750,000 people in land space the size of Great Britain, most of its interior is uninhabited except for a scattering of Indigenous Amerindian villages and a few small towns. Because of its British colonial past, the language is English and it has very strong links with the Caribbean. Located on the north eastern shoulder of South America and one hours flight away from Trinidad and Barbados, it is the gateway to both Amazonia and the Caribbean.

Wilderness Explorers opens the door to the last, least-visited corners of South America and the Caribbean. Since 1994 our award-winning company has offered quality adventure tours including trekking, jungle and river expeditions, riding, biking, bird watching, caiman capture programs, swimming with otters, searching for jaguar, camping in the rainforest in hammocks, exploring mountains, waterfalls, diving and whale-watching in the Caribbean. Click here to chat live with our office now.