Detailed Itinerary
Expedition Type: Mountainous Rainforest Trek
Day 1
Arrive Georgetown, Guyana. Meet group and Trekforce staff in the early morning at meeting point and join our transport truck into the interior. Be prepared for a rough and bumpy journey as we pass along Guyana’s only road into the jungle. Arrive at the Amerindian village of Surama late at night.
Day 2
After a late start and a good breakfast we will begin our jungle training and acclimatisation to the jungle environment. Lead by our medics we will cover lessons in CPR and First Aid, and discuss evacuations, communications and the actual trek plan in more detail. Activity will be designed to allow you to slowly acclimatise to the environment.
Day 3
Today, after another slow start, we will walk for approximately one hour into the jungle. After a short river crossing we will arrive at our beautiful jungle training camp on the banks of the Burro Burro River. The rest of the day will be spent teaching lessons about the jungle environment, hazardous flora and fauna, sleeping systems, use of machetes, emergency procedures etc. The evening may be spent looking for wildlife along the river banks by dugout canoe.
Day 4
Our final day of jungle training will be spent with our local guides and learning traditional survival skills from them, such as building natural shelters, fire lighting, hunting, trapping and fishing and the natural world. At the end of the day we will pack our kit and equipment in readiness for the start of trekking in the morning.
Day 5
Our first day of trekking will begin with a tough river crossing that takes us to the foot of the Makarapan mountains. We will then trek roughly north to reach the base of the hills before making our first camp for the evening. A short day of trekking.
Day 6
From this point onwards we are really breaking new ground. Heading further north into the hills we will use the ridges of the mountains where possible to allow easier access into the mountain range. As we begin to climb the temperature will drop and water will become more scarce.
Day 7
Today we will enter the mountains properly for the first time. Surrounded by unclimbed and unexplored rainforested summits, the group will decide our onward progress as much as possible, and we will attempt to explore some of these regions. As we trek we will begin to notice the forest changing and the canopy becoming higher as we become more remote. More wildlife will be seen as we progress.
Day 8
It is rumoured that the area we are now approaching used to be inhabited many hundreds of years previously. Previous explorations into this area have discovered sites of abandoned settlements and petroglyphs (carvings on rock). If time allows we will continue to explore the mountains and locate unexplored peaks.
Day 9
As we progress in a further north westerly direction we are entering a ‘blank on the map’, where no data is available about the topography or the river systems on our current maps. It is our aim to find out what is in this area, and to report back on our findings.
Day 10
Our sixth day of trekking will see us begin to turn south west in order to begin the trek out of the mountains down to the Burro Burro river.
Day 11
After a long trek through increasingly thick rainforest and large stands of bamboo we eventually reach the end of the trekking phase of our journey and camp on the banks of the Burro Burro River in an old fishing camp.
Day 12
Today is spent collecting materials for making our rafts. Using machetes and vines we will construct the rafts needed for our trip home.
Day 13
Today we launch our rafts (and hope they float!) downstream to attempt to reach our starting point near Surama village. As we raft we have the unique chance to see the jungle from the river – an excellent way to spot wildlife. We commonly see the giant river otter, scarlet macaws and many primates as we continue our journey. In late afternoon we will arrive at our original jungle training camp and if time allows, walk the short distance back to the village. If not, we will camp the final night in the jungle training camp.
Day 14
Transit to Annai from Surama Village for a relaxing stay in Rock View Lodge where we will eat well and have the chance to wind down after our exhausting trek. Rock View is situated on the savannahs near the Brazilian border, and is a working cattle ranch and eco lodge.
Day 15
Depart Annai in truck transport
Day 16
Arrival in Georgetown by truck to meet international flights.
Local guides
