March 2016: The mightiest rainforest and the world’s largest one is the Amazon, which sprawls across multiple South American countries, including Guyana. After traveling much of the world, I have concluded that my favorite ecosystem to visit is the rainforest. I love the tranquility of the rainforest, which is ironic because a rainforest is in itself the most chaotic place on Earth. It is an ecosystem with the most competition between species, where everything is always killing one another and there are constant battles for survival taking place. There is no place on Earth more biodiverse with insects and plant life. It’s the symphony of sounds and the discovery of so many new creatures that excites me about the rainforest.
As a kid, I was fascinated with the forests in northern Minnesota, and I would watch the insects for hours. So, it is no surprise that a rainforest, teeming with life in every square foot from undergrowth to the towering canopies of its soaring trees, has captured my imagination. I wanted to visit Guyana, mainly because it is a new country and one of the least visited countries in South America, but I also wanted to travel down the Rewa River in the Amazon rainforest of the southeastern half of Guyana. The Rewa River is known for its river monsters, the giant pirarucu, which can grow up to 9.8 feet long and weigh over 440 pounds, making it one of the largest freshwater fish on Earth. The Rewa is also one of the last strongholds for some of the most endangered animals of the Amazon, like the giant river otter, the harpy eagle, and the anaconda. My goal for this trip was to travel down the Rewa and immerse myself in the Amazon rainforest again, after doing so on previous trips to Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador.
Itinerary for One-Week Solo Trip to Guyana:
Day 1:
- Depart SAN
- Arrive in Port of Spain, Trinidad
Day 2:
- Arrive in Georgetown, Guyana @ 07:20 AM
- Domestic flight to Lethem
- Bus to Annai
- Sleep at Annie’s shop in Aranaputa village or Red House next to the main road
Day 3:
- Motorbike taxi to Rewa
- Hammock accommodation in Rewa Village
Day 4:
- Begin trip up Rewa River
- Camp in a hammock in the jungle
Day 5:
- Explore Rewa River for anacondas and other wildlife
- Piranha fishing
- Camp in a hammock in the jungle
Day 6:
- Return to Rewa Village
- Visit Rewa Village
- Motorbike to Annai
- Pick up a bus in Annai and travel overnight by bus to Sarama Junction
- Sleep in a hammock camp in Sarama Junction
Day 7:
- Bus to Georgetown
- Hotel stay in Georgetown
Day 8:
- Fly to Kaieteur Falls for the day
- Hotel stay in Georgetown
Day 9:
- Depart Georgetown, Guyana
About Guyana
Guyana was a British colony and was initially used as a prison colony because of the hostile climate and its isolation. The British introduced plantations and slavery to the colony. They initially tried enslaving the indigenous people, but this proved difficult since run away Indian slaves could easily survive and escape into the jungle. Then they turned to African slaves, and this proved to be much more effective, and thousands of slaves were imported to Guyana and descendants of these slaves still live in Guayana today. The British turned from slavery to indentured servitude and cheap labor was brought in from British colonies all over the world and Guyana has become a melting pot of cultures. The national language is English, and it is really easy to get around the country on your own but costly due to the country’s extreme remoteness.
Getting There
Getting to Guyana wasn’t easy since there are no direct flights from the USA. I had to fly to Miami via American Airlines and then to Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago-Discovering the Home of the Caribbean Sound of the Steel Drum in a Trinidad Pan Yard | Venture The Planet, where I spent the night in a hotel outside of town, drinking rum in my hotel pool and relaxing. I attempted to explore the neighborhood near my hotel at night, but after a few blocks, it was too dark and shady, and a robbery seemed imminent. I decided to return to the safety of the pool with a few more glasses of rum.
From Trinidad and Tobago, I flew to Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, where I immediately transferred to the domestic airport. This no-frills airport primarily serves small single-engine and twin-engine bush planes flying workers to various gold mines and timber camps around the country. I booked a passenger flight to Lethem, located in the southern tropical savannah region. Once in Lethem, public transport in minibuses is readily available, making it easy to travel to more remote indigenous villages and eco-resorts to see wildlife.
Domestic flight to Letham
It didn’t instill confidence in me when I was boarding my flight and saw some posters on the wall inside the boarding area in memory of two pilots who had died in a plane crash.
The Southern Savanah
The south consists mostly of wilderness, mining camps, vast tracts of tropical forest, Indigenous villages, and expansive tropical savannah, where the wild grass is too unsuitable for most cattle to graze on. I found a shared van and joined a group of Indigenous travelers heading north toward Rewa Village, beyond Lethem. That night, I stayed in a small, modest family-run guesthouse in Aranaputa Village.
The next morning, I arranged for a motor taxi to take me to Rewa, an Indigenous village where I planned to organize my Amazon trip. The journey would take a few hours, crossing stretches of savannah and dense forest. About halfway there, the motorbike’s tire blew out in the middle of nowhere under the scorching tropical sun. The driver decided to walk back in search of help, leaving me with the bike. Fortunately, I had enough water and spotted a distant tree where I could take shelter.
Luckily, another motorbike driver passed by, picked up my driver, and took him into the village to get a replacement tire. An hour later, he returned, and we resumed our journey. However, the motor taxi couldn’t take me all the way to Rewa—I had to cross the river by boat, as no bridges connected the village to the rest of the region.
Flat tire on my motorbike
Rewa Village is a small Macushi Amerindian tribal settlement with only a few hundred residents who primarily live off the land and eco-tourism. River fishing is a major source of income, as foreign travelers pay for guided trips to fish for the giant pirarucu. The village is as remote as it gets, offering only basic accommodations. There is no electricity except for a few hours each day when a generator runs, which also provides limited Wi-Fi during that time.
I arranged a boat trip up the Rewa River through the village, with a small team of guides and cooks provided by the community. I booked the boat for three days, with the goal of traveling as far upriver as possible. The further up you go, the more pristine and wild the surroundings become, increasing the chances of encountering wildlife such as tapirs, jaguars, and anacondas.
Traveling up the river was an incredible experience. Once we were an hour past Rewa Village, we saw no one else on the river—it felt completely untouched. The wilderness of the Rewa River has never been logged, nor is it a national park. Instead, it is protected by the Indigenous communities who live there and recognize its eco-tourism potential. They have successfully resisted timber companies eager to harvest its valuable trees, preserving the pristine landscape.
To this day, Rewa remains one of the best places I’ve ever visited for wildlife. It stands as proof that local people, deeply connected to their land through heritage, are the best stewards of the environment—especially when they have an economic incentive to protect it.
I didn’t fish for the pirarucu, as it requires a separate permit from the village, which costs a few hundred dollars. However, I did fish for black piranha—the largest of the piranha species—and the Rewa River is full of them. They’re big, aggressive, and easy to catch with just a piece of meat. Once caught, their meat can be used as bait for more desirable fish like river trout.
Handling piranhas is tricky, as their razor-sharp teeth make them dangerous. Every precaution is necessary to avoid losing a fingertip when they thrash around in the boat. Each time we fished for piranha, the commotion in the water quickly attracted caiman crocodiles, which began circling our boat, hoping for an easy meal.
Me with a black piranha I caught with nothing but fishing string and a hook with some meat attached to it. It literally only takes a minute to catch one because they are so abundant, but the meat is not the best and they are very bony.
I had hoped to reach the waterfalls, where anacondas are often seen basking on the rocks at the top, but I never made it that far. The Rewa River’s water level was too high, and the current too strong, making it impossible to get there within my three-day window. Water levels and current strength are critical factors that can make or break any trip on the river.
However, we did manage to reach some oxbow lakes—formed when the river changed course, leaving behind isolated bends filled with trapped fish and other river creatures. These lakes are prime habitat for anacondas, and my guide had recently seen some there. We searched extensively, but unfortunately, we didn’t find any. Still, the area was teeming with fascinating wildlife. Macaws and other boisterous flocks of birds frequently flew overhead, filling the air with their calls.
I didn’t spot any harpy eagles, but my guide knew of a nesting site deep in the forest. Unfortunately, reaching it would have required a multi-day hike, and I simply didn’t have enough time.
We hiked to several oxbow lakes that had been cut off from the river, as these were the best places to spot wildlife. The murky waters made them prime habitat for anacondas, which in this region can easily grow up to 20 feet long. To maximize our chances, we typically hiked at night or early in the morning, using flashlights to navigate through the dense forest. Hidden among the trees, we found dugout canoes, which we used to paddle into the lakes.
One night, as we silently drifted across the water, it became clear that something large was chasing fish beneath us. Whatever it was, the fish seemed to decide that our boat was the safer option—dozens of them began leaping out of the water, smacking into us and flopping into the canoe. They thrashed around wildly, but we gathered them up to keep for dinner.
The lakes weren’t just home to anacondas and fish; they were filled with other formidable creatures. Caiman crocodiles floated silently in the water, their eyes glowing in the dark. Piranhas made their presence known by the bubbling disturbances in the water when they swarmed. Freshwater stingrays, lurking in the shallows, had venomous barbs that could cause excruciating pain. Electric eels, capable of delivering a charge strong enough to kill a person, also prowled these waters. My guide had been electrocuted before and recounted the story of a villager who had died from an eel’s shock.
Then, as if pulled from another era, we encountered a massive, prehistoric-looking snapping turtle. My guide carefully lifted it from the water, allowing me to get a closer look and capture a photograph before releasing it back into the murky depths.
At night, we camped in the forest near the river, surrounded by the sounds of the jungle. The distant calls of howler monkeys echoed through the trees, while frogs and insects created an endless chorus. We sat around the bonfire, sharing stories of the jungle, drinking warm beer, and eating fresh fish we had caught earlier in the day. The fire flickered against the dark canopy, and for those nights, it felt like we were completely immersed in the wild—no distractions, just the rhythm of the rainforest.
Shared taxi to Georgetown fueling up
From Rewa Village, I traveled overland to Georgetown by motor taxi and shared taxis, following a long and rough dirt road through the interior. The journey was arduous, requiring an overnight stay in a hammock camp and a long ride on a car ferry before finally reaching the capital.
Kaieteur Falls
I decided to splurge on a visit to Kaieteur Falls, which, at 741 feet, is claimed to be the tallest single-drop waterfall in the world. I was lucky to find a last-minute seat after another passenger dropped out. From Georgetown, I boarded a small single-prop plane with a few other travelers for a hair-raising, multi-hour flight over the vast Amazon rainforest to Kaieteur Falls National Park.
The only way to reach this remote wonder is by air, landing on a dirt airstrip deep in the jungle. From there, it’s about an hour’s hike to the falls, where the sheer cliffs have no fences or barriers—just a raw, breathtaking view of the powerful cascade plunging into the mist below. Along the way, the dense rainforest offers a chance to spot the strikingly bright-red Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock bird, as well as unique pitcher plants that serve as microhabitats for tiny, vividly colored poison dart frogs found nowhere else on Earth.
I spent one night in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana—a rough and tumble city with a high crime rate and a reputation for being unsafe. To stay out of trouble, I kept my time in the city to a minimum, spending most of the day at my hotel, which had a pool and bar where I passed the time drinking rum and coke.
One moment that stuck with me was a receipt I received at a small café where I had stopped for a meal. It was clear that tourists were a rare sight in Georgetown, as the receipt had a special phrase printed just for me: “Come back again soon, white man.”
Bizarre Receipt
The next day, I flew home to San Diego via Port of Spain, bringing an end to my journey through one of the wildest corners of South America.