Seen from Lethem, the Kanukus are a dark wall across the southern horizon, often with cloud caught on the summits. The range runs east–west for about a hundred kilometres, rising to roughly 1,000 metres, and is cut in two by the Rupununi River. Its name is usually translated from Wapishana as “rich forest”, and biologists agree: a large share of all the bird and mammal species known from Guyana has been recorded here.
Since 2011 most of the range has been the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area, managed with the Makushi and Wapishana villages around its edge, whose people still hunt, fish and farm there by right. Tourism is small and community-run: a forest lodge at Nappi, falls at Moco Moco and Kumu, a ranch at Shulinab, and river camps in the gap where the Rupununi passes through.
For most visitors the Kanukus are a one- or two-day addition to a Rupununi trip — a chance to walk in cool hill forest after days on the open savannah.
Highlights
- Searching for a harpy eagle at an active nest
- A night at Maipaima Eco-Lodge and the trek to Jordan Falls
- Cooling off at Kumu Falls or Moco Moco
- Balata craftsmen at Nappi
- A river camp in the mountains by boat from the Rupununi
- The view of the range at sunset from the savannah
How long to stay
A half-day reaches Moco Moco or Kumu Falls from Lethem. Allow two nights for Nappi and Maipaima, and three or more for a river camp inside the range.
Best base
Lethem for day trips; Maipaima Eco-Lodge near Nappi for the western Kanukus; Saddle Mountain Ranch at Shulinab for the southern side.
