Winner of the Caribbean Excellence Your visit helps our non-profit organization in Sustainable Tourism Award fund school libraries, A PUBLIC LIBRARY, CONSERVATION & CULTURAL PRESERVATION VIA COMMUNITY-LED INITIATIVES.
Built by the craftspeople of Yupukari Village.
THE GUEST HOUSE
THE LANDSCAPE
THE WILDLIFE
Things to Do in Yupukari
Black Caiman Research
You are invited to accompany our caiman research crew. Guests will observe capture from a separate boat, but will be offered the opportunity to assist in data collection. Caiman are weighed, measured, sexed, tagged and released. Depending on the season, caiman nests are also studied, and so are the hatchlings. Yes, little baby caiman.
Creatures of the Night
Just after darkness settles on the Rupununi River many creatures emerge, such as black caiman, spectacled caiman, tree boas, iguanas, frogs, and many fish species( i.e arawana, piranha). Sleeping birds (kingfishers, small perching birds) nightjars, potoos, boat-billed herons and other aquatic birds, bats, (harmless) spiders, insects, moths, and more can be closely approached in way not possible during the hours of light. Less likely, but not rare inclusions for night viewing include possums, tree dwelling rodents, capybara and sleeping monkeys (esp. squirrel monkeys) amongst other mammals. Few nights pass without some unusual offering.
El Dorado
An early morning search for giant anteater and burrowing owls, touring termite mounds via Land Rover. The lowlands and wetlands of this region are thought to be the ancient site of Lake Parime, Sir Walter Raleigh's El Dorado.
Awarikru
A guided paddle in a dugout canoe, through flooded forest in rainy season (May-September) or in dry season, through local lakes looking for wildlife.
Village hikes & tours
There's plenty to explore right in the village, including visits to neighbors engaged in daily activities. Learn to make cassava bread, spin and weave cotton, fashion bricks from river clay, make rope from leaf fiber...
Fishing
Villagers love to fish, and they live in one of the most diverse fish habitats on earth. We can teach you, with local methods.
**We ask all guests to sign the attached agreement before we take them on excursions.
About the Rupununi
There is a place in South America where, in high-water years, the Amazon, Essequibo, and certain of their tributaries overflow and mix, and many aquatic species meet, in the floodplain of the Rupununi River. This geographic nexus has given rise to one the most diverse fish habitats on earth. Guyana is sometimes called a "land of giants:" the largest alligator, ant, anteater, armadillo, eagle, otter. rodent, constricting snake, and spider in the world all make the Rupununi their home.