Rupununi Savanna Safari

A morning river trip on the Rupununi, with breakfast on the water, followed by a bush walk to check the ranch's jaguar camera traps and see which cats have passed in the night. In the afternoon, meet Wichabai's semi-wild capybaras, then join the vaqueros, the ranch's cowboys, for a cattle roundup and a lesson with the lasso.

The day ends with a night canoe on the river, picking out the eyes of black caimans in the torchlight, with bats overhead and the stars of the southern sky above the savanna.

A morning with a Wapishana family at their farm near Katoonarib, harvesting cassava and turning it into traditional cassava bread and tapioca, then sharing a meal made from the morning's work. The Wapishana are one of the main Indigenous peoples of the South Rupununi, and much of the savanna's daily life still turns on cassava.

In the afternoon, explore new hilltop viewpoints over the Rupununi with a packed snack at the top, before a farewell barbecue dinner under an open sky at Wichabai, the last night on the ranch.

A final morning at Wichabai, then the drive north to Lethem for lunch before continuing up the savanna to Karanambu Lodge, the McTurk family's wildlife sanctuary on the Rupununi River. Settle in, then head out on an evening boat trip through ponds of blooming Victoria amazonica water lilies, Guyana's national flower.

The giant pads can reach more than two meters across, and the flowers open white at dusk. Rum punch is served on the water as the sun sets over the wetlands.

A pre-dawn start to search the Karanambu savanna for giant anteaters with the lodge's expert trackers, while the animals are still active in the cool of the morning. Return for a leisurely breakfast, then take an optional walk on Karanambu's trails, with good birding along the forest edge.

In the afternoon, a river expedition through the Rupununi wetlands and lily ponds, staying out until dark for a night safari on the way back, looking for caimans, night birds and river snakes in the spotlight.

A day given to the giant river otters for which Karanambu is famous. The first expedition leaves at dawn, when the otters are most active, and the second in the afternoon follows the waterways for otters and monkeys. The guides plan each trip around the latest sightings of the family groups that live along this stretch of river.

The final evening is a barbecue dinner under the giant mango tree at the lodge, a fitting end to a week on the savanna and the river.

A last morning at your own pace: one more search for the otters, birdwatching in a region with more than 400 species, or a quiet walk through the reserve. Then depart from Karanambu's private airstrip on the flight back to Georgetown.

The light aircraft flies low over the Rupununi, with the wetlands, the river and the savanna giving way to the rainforest on the way to the coast. Arrival in Georgetown is in time to connect with an onward flight or a night in the city.