Guyana in Living Colour Holiday

You arrive in Georgetown, Guyana’s laid‑back coastal capital, where Caribbean charm, wooden colonial buildings and the scent of ageing rum set the tone for your first days. After settling in, you rise early the next morning to meet Chef Delven Adams, your host and guide to the city’s vibrant food culture. Over breakfast from a local stall, he leads you through Bourda Market, introducing you to the vendors he buys from daily. You explore everything from fresh fish and fragrant spices to bush‑medicine stalls and tropical fruits, helping the chef choose ingredients for your lunch.

While he prepares the meal, you continue on a guided tour of Georgetown, taking in museums, historic streets and landmarks such as Stabroek Market, St. George’s Cathedral and the elegant colonial promenade. You also visit the Botanical Gardens to see tropical flora and feed the gentle West Indian manatees. You then return to Chef Delven’s Backyard Café for a relaxed, home‑cooked feast crafted from the morning’s market finds.

The next day, take a short scenic flight to the base of Kaieteur Falls for an excursion to the world’s highest free-falling waterfall. Set amid, the lush tropical jungle, observe the remarkable sight of the water flowing from a height five times that of Niagara Falls.

Fly back to Georgetown in the late afternoon.

Board your scheduled flight to Iwokrama, home to many species of birds and mammals including the Guianan red cotinga and black spider monkey.

Atta is your home for the next two nights and also the base of the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, a complex web of 30-metre-high suspension bridges designed to bring guests closer to the higher canopies and closer to the unique nature of the rainforest. There will be several opportunities to venture through the walkways and we recommended multiple visits at varying times to maximise your viewing opportunities of Red Howler and Black Spider Monkeys, White-Winged Potoos and Hummingbirds, amongst many others.

Travelling from Atta Rainforest Lodge into the Iwokrama Forest, you stop at Corkwood to follow a short trail through pristine rainforest, where you may spot the brilliantly coloured Guianan Cock‑of‑the‑rock. Guides share the traditional uses of forest plants before you continue to Surama, an Indigenous Macushi community set in open savannah beneath the Pakaraima Mountains. After a warm welcome, you settle in and head out on nearby trails to look for birdlife, followed by an afternoon tour of the village and an atmospheric night walk in search of nocturnal wildlife. 

Before dawn, you cross the savannah to climb Surama Mountain for sweeping views across the landscape, with alternative activities available if you prefer to stay on level ground. After lunch, you walk through savannah and rainforest to the Burro Burro River, where local guides paddle you along quiet channels in search of Giant River Otters, Spider Monkeys, Tapir and other wildlife before returning to the lodge for sunset. 

You leave Surama at dawn, watching the rainforest brighten as you choose between a gentle wildlife walk or a slow morning at the lodge. After breakfast, you travel by vehicle to Ginep Landing and continue by boat along the Rupununi River, a peaceful journey with excellent chances of seeing Giant Otters along the banks. Your destination is Karanambu, a former cattle ranch turned conservation haven, known for its wetlands, savannah and remarkable biodiversity.

Once settled in, you explore the area on twice‑daily guided excursions — by boat, 4x4 or on foot — timed for the coolest hours and the best wildlife viewing. Afternoon brings a river trip in search of wild Giant Otters before drifting to the ponds to watch the giant Victoria amazonica waterlily bloom at dusk, returning by spotlight to look for Black Caiman and other nocturnal creatures.

The next morning begins on the savannah, where you search for Giant Anteaters as they forage among the termite mounds. Later, you can join another river excursion or explore forest patches rich in birdlife, with the striking Agami Heron among the highlights. As evening falls, a walk along the airstrip offers the chance to spot nightjars and other species that thrive after dark.

You have another chance to search the savannah for a giant anteater if you missed one earlier, heading out at first light before returning to the lodge for breakfast. From Karanambu, you travel across open grasslands to Lethem and fly back to Georgetown for a two‑night stay. That evening, you’re welcomed into the Secret Garden for an intimate dining experience with Chef Eon John, who prepares a personalised menu using Guyana’s exceptional local produce. Surrounded by fruit trees and herbs, you watch your meal come together over open flames before enjoying a candlelit feast, serenaded by the Singing Chef himself.

 Before dawn the next morning, you travel east along the Atlantic coast to the Mahaica River. The journey offers glimpses of rural life, with rice fields and small farming communities lining the road. After a warm drink at the landing, you board a boat to explore one of Guyana’s richest river ecosystems, home to herons, ibis, marsh birds and the remarkable Hoatzin. This stretch of river is also one of the best places to spot the range‑restricted Blood‑coloured Woodpecker. After your wildlife‑filled morning, you enjoy breakfast at your boatman’s home before returning to Georgetown for an afternoon at leisure.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before your onward flight, arriving back in the UK on Day 13.