Meet the Giant Otters
Early-morning and late-afternoon boat trips on the Rupununi turn up wild family groups and the occasional rehabilitation resident. Diane McTurk hand-reared thirty-four orphans here from 1985.
Lodge · Rupununi Savanna
Karanambu Lodge
A McTurk family ranch on the Rupununi since 1927, known for giant river otter rescues, anteaters tracked by vaquero scouts, and Victoria amazonica lilies that bloom at sunset.
About the Lodge
Karanambu sits on a twenty-mile stretch of the Rupununi River in the North Rupununi savanna, halfway between the Iwokrama rainforest and Lethem. Tiny McTurk started it as a balata-latex ranch in 1927, hosted David Attenborough and Gerald Durrell through the 1950s, and the family has held the land ever since. The property is now Guyana’s first Private Protected Area, covering over a hundred square miles of savanna, gallery forest, and wetland.
The lodge opened to guests in 1983 and became known worldwide for Diane McTurk’s giant river otter rehabilitation, which hand-reared and released thirty-four orphaned pups from 1985 onward. The work continues under Melanie and Edward McTurk, now extended to jaguarundi, margay, and other species under a rare government MOU. Five adobe cabins with palm-thatched roofs sit around the original 1927 ranch house, where meals are served family-style at one long table. Solar-powered, cold showers only, no cell signal.
From the Lodge
Things to Do Here
Track Anteaters at Dawn
A vaquero scouts ahead on horseback, radios the vehicle once he finds one, and guests approach on foot. Cubs are often spotted between November and February.
Watch Water Lilies Bloom at Dusk
Sunset boat trips carry you to the lily ponds with a rum punch. Pads grow six feet across, blooms two feet wide, white the first night and pink the second as the pollen releases.
Spotlight Caiman by Night
Night boats on the Rupununi pick up black caiman, tree boas, boat-billed herons, and potoos in the spotlight. Tarantulas, ants, and eyeshine on the bank complete the picture.
Birding at Crane Pond
The signature birding spot at Karanambu fills at dusk with ibis, egrets, and herons coming to roost. The camp's 400-species list also includes Agami Heron, Jabiru, and Crestless Curassow.
Visit Caiman House
Day trip to the Makushi village of Yupukari, home to Caiman House. Join the research team's long-running black caiman program: help measure, tag, and release caiman on the riverbank.