Where to base yourself
Iwokrama River Lodge
Timber cabins with verandas facing the Essequibo, a large open dining and meeting building, and the reserve’s research centre next door. Electricity for part of the day, usually some Wi-Fi in the main building. The base for boat trips and Turtle Mountain.
Atta Rainforest Lodge
A small lodge in a forest clearing with a handful of rooms, open-air showers and a communal table, 500 metres or so from the canopy walkway. Wildlife wanders through the grounds. Simpler and more enclosed by forest than the River Lodge.
Hammock camps
Research and trekking groups use satellite camps in the reserve; these are arranged specially.
Food & drink
Meals are included and eaten together: generous Guyanese home cooking — rice, chicken or fish, vegetables, cassava, fresh fruit and juices — with coffee available early for dawn outings. Drinks beyond water and juice are extra and the choice is small. Tell the lodge about dietary needs when you book; everything is trucked in.
Tips: saving money and staying safe
- Bring binoculars and a head torch; both are used every day.
- Pack neutral-coloured long sleeves and trousers, a rain jacket and repellent; avoid bright white.
- A dry bag protects cameras on the boat and from the humidity.
- Carry cash for drinks, tips and the forest user fee if it is not prepaid.
- Combine the lodges on one through journey rather than returning to Georgetown between them — backtracking is what makes trips expensive.
- Treat a jaguar as a bonus and you will not be disappointed.
Sample plans
Two nights
- Day 1: arrive at Iwokrama River Lodge; afternoon boat trip; night caiman spotting.
- Day 2: Turtle Mountain at dawn; afternoon drive south looking for wildlife; evening on the canopy walkway; night at Atta.
- Day 3: dawn on the walkway; continue to Surama or Annai.
Four nights
- Two nights at the River Lodge: add the petroglyphs, a forest trail and a visit to Fair View.
- Two nights at Atta: two dawns on the walkway, night walks, and dawn and dusk drives on the jaguar road.
Where to stay: Iwokrama Forest & the Canopy Walkway
Atta Rainforest Lodge
A small lodge in a forest clearing a short walk from the canopy walkway — one of the few interior lodges that Trip.com lists.
Iwokrama River Lodge
Riverside cabins at Kurupukari on the Essequibo, run by the Iwokrama International Centre. Booked directly or through an operator.
Not sold on Trip.com: book direct or through a local operator. The button opens the Trip.com search for the nearest town it lists.
Cara Lodge Hotel (Georgetown)
A characterful Georgetown hotel for the nights before and after the forest.
