Trail-blazing through the Guyanas

TRAIL-BLAZING THROUGH THE GUYANAS

As part of Journey Latin America's 30th anniversary in 2010, our two founding directors, Chris Parrott and Brian Williams, will be escorting two unique tours in South America, attempting to recapture the style of journeys when they were originally leading them back in the early 1980s...

Chris will be dusting off his hammock and machete to lead the Trail-blazing through the Guyanas, a highly adventurous journey with a large amount of the unknown and unexpected.  Brian will put his Welsh lingo into practice and share his love of the great outdoors on the Trail-blazing across Patagonia, taking the lesser trodden paths across the windswept steppes.

Summary of nights: 20 days, 18 nights
18th September - 7th October
Caracas 1, Canaima 2, Ciudad Bolivar 1, Santa Elena1, Boa Vista 1, Rock View 2, Surama 1, Atta rainforest 1, Georgetown 3, Paramaribo 2, Kourou 1, Îles du Salut 1, Cayenne 1.

• Canoe to the foot of the Angel Falls
• Journey across the Venezuela's Lost World (Gran Sabana) passing giant tabletop tepuys
• Enjoy bird watching and jaguar spotting in the Guyana forest
• Experience community life in a remote Guyanese village
• Get a bird’s eye view of the forest on a 30m high canopy walkway
• Meander through the 19th century- style capital, Georgetown
• Visit the European space centre in Kourou, French Guiana
• Overnight à la Papillon on notorious former prison islands, les Îles du Salut
      

Holiday itinerary

Day 1 Fly to Caracas, capital of Venezuela
Days 2, 3 Fly to Canaima National Park and canoe to the foot of the Angel Falls.
Day 4 Fly to Ciudad Bolivar, riverside city with colonial heart
Day 5 Drive across the Gran Sabana to Santa Elena on the remote Brazilian border
Day 6 Continue over the border to Boa Vista, Brazil, schedules permitting, continue to Bonfim.
Day 7 Cross into Guyana, continue by bus to Rock View Lodge
Day 8 Explore the surrounding forest with excellent bird watching opportunities, or relax by the hotel pool
Day 9 Travel by 4WD vehicle to the Amerindian community at Surama
Day 10 Traverse the Iwokrama canopy walkway, 30m high above the tree tops,
Day 11 Travel by bus to Georgetown
Days 12, 13 Optional flight to Kaieteur Falls, and time to explore the 19th century charm of the capital city.
Days 14, 15 Cross into Suriname and take the bus to Paramaribo
Day 16 Drive to Kourou, Guyane (French Guiana), tour of Europe’s Space Station at Kourou.
Day 17 Ferry to the Îles du Salut, overnight in the former guards’ rooms
Day 18 Return to the mainland and drive to Cayenne
Day 19 UK clients depart arriving day 20.

Please note itinerary is subject to change based on local transport connections and road conditions.

Journey Profile

Transport: 2 flights (1hr each); 10 scenic land journeys (10hrs longest).
Accommodation: Simple hotels and lodges, mostly with private bathroom, 1 or 2 nights in hammocks.
Included excursions: Angel falls (by canoe), bird watching, Rock View; Iwokrama canopy walkway, walking tour of Georgetown, Kourou Space Station, Île Royale penal colony.

Climate Graphs

Simon Calder, Travel Editor of The Independent, interviewed Chris on why he chose these destinations for this special one-off tour, read the interview here.