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Arrive in Georgetown and be transferred to hotel Ocean Spray. The rest of the day is at leisure for you to explore the city on your own or relax on the terrace of the hotel which offers great views of the Atlantic Sea.
The day is at leisure to explore the city on your own or consider taking an optional tour (cost not included in price of the tour) to the majestic Kaieteur Falls. Standing tall at 247m, Kaieteur Falls is said to be one of the largest single-drop waterfalls in the world! Unlike many other waterfalls, tourists frequent Kaieteur relatively less. This allows you spectacular, uninterrupted views. If you’re lucky, you can spot the rare ‘Cock-of-the-rock’ bird and the tiny golden frog here.
Transfer to Ogle Airstrip for a flight to Rock View Lodge at Annai. Rock View Lodge is located where the savannah meets the forest-covered foothills of the Pakaraima Mountains. With its tropical gardens and flowering trees, the Lodge resembles an oasis in the savannah, and attracts many species of birds, particularly nectar feeders and frugivores. Nearby patches of light forest are home to ant birds and flycatchers, and the grasslands support an avifauna of their own.
This morning, transfer by 4x4 to the Amerindian community at Surama. On arrival in Surama, receive a welcome from a village counselor and settle into your accommodation. A local guide will escort you for a short walk along trails to observe the forest and bird life. In the afternoon, your guide will take you on a tour of the village. Visit the local school, medical centre, and church along with some of the village houses. At night, go on an educational walk to observe nocturnal wildlife.
At Surama Eco Lodge, the buildings are simple, comfortable, and clean. Home cooked meals are served in the central building. Communication with the outside world is limited to VHF radio, however a primitive internet connection is sometimes available in the village office, a 40 minute walk from the lodge. This is truly a place for getting away.
Rise before dawn for a walk across the savannah and then climb up the Surama Mountain. This is the best time to spot bird life along the trail. Breakfast will be served at a look out point that offers incredible views across the village and savannah to the Pakaraima Mountains.
Return to village for lunch and then take a three-mile walk across the savannah and through the rain forest to the Burro Burro River. Your guide will then paddle you across the Burro Burro River for opportunities to spot giant river otters, tapirs, tiras, spider monkeys and other species. Return to the village at sunset.
Before dawn, fly to Annai and transfer to the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway to welcome the dawn chorus from 35m up in the treetops. The dawn chorus features an experienced ensemble of birds, howler monkeys and occasionally, even reptiles! The Walkway is an excellent spot for birdwatchers and photographers.
Have breakfast at the Canopy Walkway and then head back by 4x4 for Annai. Lunch is served at Rock View Lodge before an afternoon flight to Georgetown.
Go on a morning Georgetown city tour, highlighting the extraordinary wooden architecture and shopping in exciting markets and craft shops. See St. George’s Cathedral, one of the world’s tallest freestanding wooden buildings. The story of the cathedral is told inside on tablets and memorials of a historical and sentimental nature. Walk along the Avenue of the Republic and see impressive structures such as the Public Library, Town Hall, Victoria Law Courts and St. Andrews Kirk. Go bargain hunting at Stabroek Market, once described as a “bizarre bazaar”.
In the afternoon, transfer to the airport for a flight to Paramaribo and transfer to your hotel.
Travel along Commewijne River, right opposite Paramaribo. The tour takes you along former colonial plantations of which most are now abandoned and no longer active. The first stop is made at the confluence of the Commewijne and Suriname rivers, at Nieuw Amsterdam, with a visit to the open-air museum of Nieuw Amsterdam. Cross over by boat to the right bank of the River for a visit to Plantation Frederiksdorp. This plantation is an old cacao plantation, fully renovated to its former glory. After an extensive visit through Frederiksdorp, once again cross over by boat and return to Paramaribo, by bus, in the afternoon.
This morning, travel approximately 70 kilometers south of Paramaribo. At the right bank of the Suriname River, lies the former Jewish settlement of Jodensavanne. This settlement was named after the Jewish people that fled from the inquisition in Europe around 1650 and settled in this savannah area. This former Jewish village still shows the remnants of the oldest synagogue in the Americas as well as the ruins of a graveyard. Nowadays, these remnants have been cleaned and a simple cottage has been set up as a museum.
After Jodensavanne, the tour will continue to Colakreek, a recreation park in the savannah area. Colakreek is ideal for swimming, relaxing and walking through the savannah. The leaves falling in the water gives the creek its dark color which looks like that of Coca Cola, hence the name Colakreek.
Transfer by road along the coast to the French Guiana border (mode of transport could be 4x4/bus/truck depending on number of guests). Pass through customs in St Laurent and travel to Kourou. Take a mini city tour of St. Laurent du Maroni including a visit to a church in Iracoubo. Lunch will be served at "Le Pakira" at Sinnamary.
Your hotel for the night, Hotel des Roches, offers an ideal location by the seashore right across the Devil’s Islands.
Depart from the hotel for a full day excursion to Devil’s Islands by scheduled Catamaran. Visit St Joseph Island and Royale Island, and have lunch at the guesthouse in Royal Island. Go on a guided visit of the island (in French only) before lunch. See the museum, main buildings, children’s cemetery, convict building, guards house, jails, etc. Return to Kourou by Catamaran at 1700.
Between 1852 and 1939, the French used these three islands as a penal colony. The islands are rocky and surrounded by unpredictable currents and schools of sharks, thus, making escape virtually impossible. Devil’s Island housed political prisoners while St Joseph Island and Royale Island housed common criminals. Devil’s Island was also the setting for the film ‘Papillon’, starring Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen.
After breakfast at the hotel, visit the Kourou Space Centre (in French only, movie in English, possible separate explanations in English). Tour the main installations from 0800 to 1100, followed by a guided visit of the museum. Then, transfer to Cayenne for a city tour to see the Place des Palmites, Place de Grenole, and Fort Ceperou.
Your holiday to Guyana and French Guiana come to an end today. After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Fitness is vital for this level of activity, as the environment traversed may be remote and challenging. These rugged experiences include long walks, trekking, cycling or rafting in isolated areas through variable weather conditions for up to eight to ten hours a day. These trips are usually 13 to 19 days in duration. Maximum altitude reached will be 4000m and you need to be very fit in order to withstand the weather conditions. Good physical condition is essential and previous hill-walking experience or preparation is advisable.
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