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The Lost World - Hoatzins, Caimans and Waterfalls
11 Day Guyana Birding-centric Wildlife EcoTour September 9-19, 2027
Chance Expeditions
Please email Katie McGee at chanceexpeditions@yahoo.com if you are interested in this trip and would like to stay updated on Chance Expeditions.
Destination Overview - Guyana
Guyana is a biodiversity-rich country on South America’s northeastern coast, where over 80% of the land remains covered by pristine rainforest. Known for its low population density and strong conservation ethic, Guyana offers exceptional wildlife viewing, dramatic landscapes, and authentic cultural experiences. From coastal wetlands to vast savannas and ancient tabletop mountains (tepuis), the country is a premier destination for birding and nature-based travel.
Day One 9/9/27 - arrival in Georgetown
We’ll spend two nights at the comfortable and basic Status Hotel, about one hour from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and just a few minutes from the Guyana Botanical Gardens, providing easy access to the country’s best urban birding site.
(overnight Status Hotel)
Day Two 9/10/27 - Georgetown
In the morning we will go birding in a renowned urban green space known for its diversity of resident and migratory birds, the Guyana Botanical Gardens. We’ll search for the Blood-colored Woodpecker, White-bellied Piculet and Festive Amazon. We may even get the chance to see semi-tame West Indian Manatees in nearby waterways.
In the afternoon into the evening, we’ll take a boat ride for some birding on the Mahaica River. This river is lined with Muck-mucka plants, the staple food of Guyana’s national bird, the Hoatzin. These bizarre birds are modern day dinosaurs with a truly unique appearance and some amazing adaptations (like chicks with clawed wings that they use to climb trees!). The river also provides habitat for waterbirds and primates such as the Guyanan Red Howler Monkey.
(overnight Status Hotel)
Day Three 9/11/27 - transfer to Atta Rainforest Lodge
Today we will travel overland from Georgetown to the famous Atta Rainforest Lodge on the edge of the Iwokrama Forest. This scenic journey of 10+ hours transitions from coastal plains to dense tropical rainforest.
(overnight Atta Rainforest Lodge - D)
Days Four and Five 9/12-9/13/27 - Atta Rainforest Lodge
Each morning and afternoon we’ll have birding excursions at this world class birding location with top notch guides in the Iwokrama Rainforest. We’ll visit the famous Canopy Walkway and have chances of seeing the Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock (one of the world’s most spectacularly colored birds), Guianan Toucanet, Pompadour Cotinga, Crimson Fruitcrow, as well as the Black Spider Monkey and other jungle mammals. We’ll also meet some of the stately, old growth trees that Guyana is known for.
(overnight Atta Rainforest Lodge - BLD)
Day Six 9/14/27 - transfer to Caiman House
Today we’ll transfer from Atta Rainforest Lodge to Caiman House (a trip of 2-3 hours), my favorite place in Guyana. We’ll learn about the unique mission of Caiman House, a community-based conservation lodge, and follow Black Caiman researchers onto the river to watch them in action as they capture a caiman to tag and record measurements.
(overnight Caiman House - BLD)
Regional Focus - The Rupununi
The Rupununi Region in southern Guyana is a mosaic of seasonally flooded savannas, winding rivers, wetlands, and rainforest edges. This region supports iconic species such as Giant Anteaters, Black Caimans, Giant River Otters, and hundreds of bird species. It is also home to Indigenous communities whose traditional land stewardship has helped preserve the area’s ecological integrity.
Days Seven and Eight 9/15-9/16/27 - Caiman House
Each morning and late afternoon into evening we’ll have wildlife viewing excursions that focus on the diverse habitats of the Rupununi, providing an excellent balance of birding, wildlife spotting, and landscape exploration.
We’ll take boat rides on the Rupununi River for chances of Giant River Otters, Arapaima, Agami Herons, and giant Victoria amazonica waterlilies, and we’ll take a driving safari across the Rupununi Savannah in search of Giant Anteaters, with a stop at wetlands for a chance of Buff-necked Ibis and Pinnated Bittern. On the Caiman House grounds, we’ll get to see their facility for rescuing, rearing and releasing hatchling Podocnemus river turtles.
(overnight Caiman House - BLD)
Day Nine 9/17/27 - return to Georgetown
We’ll leave Caiman House for an afternoon flight from Lethem, a town on the Brazilian border (a 2-3 hour drive from Caiman House). The domestic flight will last about 1 hour..
(overnight Status Hotel - B)
Day Ten 9/18/27 - Georgetown
We will spend our final day flying to and birding at the iconic Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls. These picturesque waterfalls are located in the table mountains, or tepuis, that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. While exploring viewpoints and surrounding habitats, we’ll have the chance to look for endemic Golden Rocket Frogs that live in giant bromeliads near the falls, as well as White-chinned and White-tipped Swifts that hunt over and roost under the falls.
(While flights are generally reliable, there is a chance of weather delay, so if the flight from Lethem to Georgetown is delayed a day the waterfall trip will be bumped.)
(overnight Status Hotel - L)
Day Eleven 9/19/27 - flight home
Trip Cost - $5,300
Deposit of $2,000 due at booking, remaining $3,300 due by August 9, 2027.
Private rooms at Status Hotel available for additional cost. Shared twin rooms only at Atta Rainforest Lodge and Caiman House. (If you do not have a travel partner, you will be paired with a same sex roommate.)
Included:
all in country transportation and flights
meals indicated on itinerary
bottled drinking water
Guyanese expert guide and American trip leader
ebird checklists
Not included:
international flights
travel insurance
meals not indicated on itinerary
alcoholic beverages
gratuity for guides, leaders and housekeeping
Additional Travel Information:
YELLOW FEVER VACCINE REQUIRED!
US dollars widely accepted
Recommended Field Guides and Reading:
Birds of Northern South America: An Identification Guide: Plates and Maps (Helm Field Guides)
Birds of Tropical America: A Watcher’s Introduction to Behavior, Breeding and Diversity, by Steven Hilty
The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (inspired by Guyana’s tepui mountains)
Meet Your Guides:
Kenneth Butler, Guyanese Naturalist Extraordinaire and Award Winning Tour Guide
Kenneth Butler is an internationally respected naturalist guide from Surama Village in Guyana’s North Rupununi. Born and raised in a community deeply connected to the surrounding rainforest, savannas, and wetlands, Kenneth developed an early and enduring passion for wildlife, culture, and conservation.
At a young age, Kenneth moved to Georgetown, where he completed his formal education, including training in electrical engineering. Despite pursuing technical studies, his deep connection to nature remained central to his identity. Every opportunity he had to return to the forest strengthened his desire to work in conservation and eco‑tourism.
After gaining work experience in Georgetown and other parts of the country, Kenneth returned to his home community of Surama. In 2009, he formally entered the tourism industry as a tour guide with Surama Eco‑Friendly Lodge, marking the beginning of a distinguished career in nature‑based tourism.
In 2015, Kenneth became a freelance tour guide and founded Green Diamond Nature Tours, a company dedicated to responsible tourism, conservation awareness, and authentic cultural experiences. Through this platform, he has guided visitors from around the world, showcasing Guyana’s extraordinary biodiversity while promoting sustainable tourism practices.
Kenneth’s professional expertise spans ornithology, herpetology, mammalogy, ecology, and indigenous culture, making him one of Guyana’s most knowledgeable and versatile licensed naturalist guides. He works closely with the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) as a Facilitator and Master Trainer, playing a key role in training and mentoring new and emerging tour guides across the country.
His leadership extends beyond guiding through his involvement in national tourism development initiatives, where he contributes his experience to support sustainable tourism planning, capacity building, and guide development across Guyana.
In recognition of his professionalism, dedication, and contribution to Guyana’s tourism industry, Kenneth Butler received the Guyana Tourism Awards – Best Tour Guide of the Year (2021).
Today, Kenneth Butler continues to be a leading ambassador for Guyana’s natural and cultural heritage, combining deep local knowledge, strong conservation ethics, and exceptional guiding skills to deliver meaningful experiences for visitors while supporting community development and environmental stewardship.
Chance Expedition’s Katie McGee can personally attest that Kenneth is an amazing herpetologist, entomologist and birder, as well as a kind and patient soul. He was hand selected to be the perfect guide to show us the wonderful wildlife of Guyana.
Katie McGee, Trip Leader and Chance Expeditions Founder
Katie McGee is a lifelong animal lover and self proclaimed bird nerd. She has a decade of experience planning elaborate international wildlife viewing trips that often include volunteering stints with local rehabilitation or conservation organizations. Some of her favorite places in the world are Madagascar and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. (You can read about some of these adventures in her books The Sharks of Mexico, Reniala, and Maetang To Koh Chang, available on Amazon.)
She works at Newport Aquarium as a Dive Technician and has the privilege of SCUBA diving with some amazing animals, such as Arapaima, Sharkrays, and Denver the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. Through her work as an aquarium diver she became a CPR and first aid instructor through RescueX (ILCOR compliant), a company dedicated to diver safety. Before the start of her diving career, she worked with her favorite animals, dogs, for twelve years at Kyle Veterinary Hospital in southwest Ohio. She volunteers extensively with wildlife, from monitoring the young of Monarch butterflies and Eastern Bluebird to bottle feeding orphaned raccoons. She is currently studying zoology at Oregon State University and training to become a bird bander.
Katie began birding seriously after her first trip to Madagascar in 2019, where she was so impressed by the knowledge of her guides that she wanted to pursue becoming a birding guide herself. She enrolled in the master naturalist course for her home state, Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist, and started guiding bird walks at her local nature center in 2021. In 2025, Katie attended a professional development course for women birding guides at Panama’s renowned Canopy Lodge led by Big Year record breaking birder Tiffany Kersten. Shortly after, Katie started her company, Chance Expeditions, with the goal of building well researched wildlife viewing blitz itineraries geared towards small groups of birders interested in seeing all the wildlife a destination has to offer.
Species List from Katie's September 2025 Trip
Locations and Abbreivations:
Brazil - Br
Caiman House, Rupununi River and Savannah - CH
Guyana Botanical Gardens and Georgetown - GG
Iwokrama Forest and Atta Rainforest Lodge - IF
Kaieteur Falls - KF
Lethem and Hotel Toucana - LT
Mahaica River - MR
Piraiba Lodge and Essequibo River - PL
Surama Eco-Lodge - SE
Mammals:
Brown Capuchin - GG
Common Squirrel Monkey - CH, GG
Long-nosed Riverine Bat - CH, SE
Giant Anteater - CH
Giant River Otter - CH
Guianan Red Howler Monkey - CH (heard only), IF, MR, SE (heard only)
Guiana Spider Monkey - IF
Greater Bulldog (or Fisherman) Bat (Noctilio leporinus) - CH
West Indian Manatee - GG (semi-captive)
Signs of Unseen Mammals:
agouti sp., tracks - SE
Crab-eating Fox, scat - SE
paca sp., tracks - SE
Birds:
Agami Heron - CH
Amazon parrot sp. - PL
Amazonian Barred-Woodcreeper - SE
Amazonian Black-throated Trogon - SE
Amazon Kingfisher - CH, MR, PL, SE
American Pygmy Kingfisher - MR, PL, SE
Anhinga - CH, PL, SE
Bananaquit - GG
Band-rumped Swift - SE
Band-tailed Nightjar - CH
Bat Falcon - CH, PL
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - CH, GG
Black-capped Donacobius - MR
Black Caracara - CH
Black-chinned Antbird - SE
Black-collared Hawk - CH, GG, MR
Black-crowned Night Heron - CH, GG, MR
Blackish Nightjar - SE
Black Nunbird - SE
Black Skimmer - PL
Black-tailed Tatyra - SE
Black Vulture - CH, IF, LT, MR, PL, SE
Blood-colored Woodpecker - GG
Blue-and-yellow Macaw - GG
Blue-chinned Sapphire - SE
Blue-gray Tanager - GG, MR, PL, SE
Blue Ground Dove - SE
Blue-headed Parrot - SE
Blue-throated Piping-Guan - SE
Boat-billed Flycatcher - GG, SE
Boat-billed Heron - CH
Brown-chested Martin - CH, GG, PL
Brown-throated Parakeet - CH, GG, LT, MR, SE
Buff-necked Ibis - CH
Burrowing Owl - CH
Capped Heron - PL
Carib Grackle - GG, MR
Channel-billed Toucan - PL, SE
Chestnut Woodpecker - SE
Cocoi Heron - CH, PL
Collared Plover - CH
Columbina ground dove spp. - CH
Common Pauraque - CH
Common Squirrel-Cuckoo - SE
Common Tody-Flycatcher - GG
Crane Hawk - SE
Crested Bobwhite - CH
Crested Caracara - CH, MR, SE
Crested Oropendala - CH
Crimson-crested Woodpecker - SE
Eared Dove - CH
Festive Amazon - GG
Finsch’s Euphonia - SE
Fork-tailed Flycatcher - CH, MR
Fork-tailed Palm Swift - MR, SE
gallinule sp. - CH
Glittering-throated Emerald - CH, GG
Golden-collared Woodpecker
Grassland Sparrow - CH
Gray-breasted Martin - MR
Gray-fronted Dove - SE
Gray-lined Hawk - MR, SE
Great Black Hawk - CH, IF, PL
Great Egret - CH, GG, KF, MR, PL
Greater Ani - CH, SE
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture - IF, PL, SE
Great Jacamar - IF
Great Kiskadee - CH, GG, LT, MR, PL, SE
Green-backed Trogon - SE
Green Ibis - CH, PL
Green Kingfishter - CH
Green-tailed Jacamar - MR, SE
guan sp. - PL
Guianan Cock-of-the-rock - IF
Guianan Streaked-Antwren - SE
Helmeted Pygmy-Tyrant - SE
hermit sp. - SE
Hoatzin - MR
hummingbird spp. - CH, GG
Jabiru - CH
King Vulture - PL, SE
Large-billed Tern - CH, PL
Laughing Falcon - GG, MR
Lesser Kiskadee - CH, GG, SE
Lesser Nighthawk - CH, SE
Limpkin - CH, GG
Lineated Woodpecker - SE
Little Blue Heron - CH
Little Woodpecker - SE
Long-winged Harrier - CH
macaw, large sp. - PL
Magnificent Frigatebird - GG
Marail Guan - IF
Mealy Amazon - GG, PL, SE
Mouse-colored Antshrike - SE
Muscovy Duck - CH, SE
Neotropic Cormorant - CH, PL
Northern Yellow Warbler - GG
Olive-gray Saltator - MR
Orange-winged Amazon - CH, GG, SE
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
Osprey - CH, PL
Pale-breasted Thrush - GG
Pale-vented Pigeon - CH, MR, SE
Palm Tanager - GG, MR, PL, SE
Paradise Jacamar - IF
parakeet sp. - CH, PL
Pied Plover - CH
Pied Water-Tyrant - CH, GG
Pinnated Bittern - CH
Plain-breasted Ground Dove - SE
Purple Gallinule - CH
Purple-throated Fruitcrow - IF
Red-and-green Macaw - PL, SE
Red-bellied Macaw - CH
Red-billed Woodcreeper - SE
Red-capped Cardinal - CH, PL
Reddish Hermit - SE
Red-necked Woodpecker - IF
Red-shouldered Macaw - GG, LT, MR
Ringed Kingfisher - CH, MR, PL, SE
Roadside Hawk - CH, GG, MR, PL, SE
Rock Pigeon - GG, LT
Ruddy-breasted Seedeater - CH
Ruddy Ground Dove - GG
Rufescent Tiger-Heron - CH, PL, SE
Rusty-margined Flycatcher - CH, GG, SE
Savannah Hawk - SE
Scaled Pigeon - SE
Scarlet Ibis - GG
Scarlet Macaw - SE
Screaming Piha - IF, PL, SE
Shiny Cowbird - GG
Short-tailed Nighthawk - CH
Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant - SE
Short-tailed Swift - GG, SE
Silver-beaked Tanager - PL, SE
Smooth-billed Ani - CH, GG, cMR, SE
Snail Kite - GG
Snowy Egret - GG
Solitary Sandpiper - CH
Southern Beardless-Tyranulet - CH, GG
Southern House Wren - CH, GG, MR, PL, SE
Southern Lapwing - GG
Southern Rough-winged Swallow - SE
Southern White-fringed Antwren
Spangled Continga - SE
Spix’s Guan - SE
Spot-breasted Woodpecker - MR
Spotted Sandpiper - GG
Spotted Tanager - SE
Straight-billed Woodcreeper - GG
Streaked Flycatcher - SE
Striated Heron - CH, GG, MR
Striped Cuckoo - GG, MR
Sungrebe - CH
Swallow-winged Puffbird - CH, IF, SE
Tiny Tyrant-Manakin - SE
Toco Toucan - GG
Tropical Kingbird - Br, CH, GG, MR, PL, SE
Tropical Mockingbird - CH, SE
Tropical Screech-Owl - SE
Turkey Vulture - CH, MR
Turquoise Tanager - GG
Variable Chachalaca - MR, SE
Violaceous Euphonia - GG
Wattled Jacana - CH, GG, MR
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper - SE
Western Cattle-Egret - GG
White-banded Swallow - PL, SE
White-chested Emerald - SE
White-chinned Swift - KF
White-crowned Manakin - SE
White-flanked Antwren - SE
White-headed Marsh Tyrant - CH
White-tailed Goldenthroat - CH
White-tailed Hawk - CH
White-throated Toucan - PL, SE
White-tipped Dove - CH, MR
White-tipped Swift - KF
White-winged Swallow - CH, MR, PL
Wing-barred Seedeater - GG
Yellow-bellied Elaenia - SE
Yellow-chinned Spinetail - CH, GG
Yellow-crowned Amazon - CH, GG
Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet - SE
Yellow-headed Caracara - GG, MR
Yellow Oriole - GG
Yellow-rumped Cacique - SE
Yellow-throated Woodpecker - SE
Zone-tailed Hawk - GG
Reptiles and Amphibians:
Bridled Forest Gecko (Gonatodes humeralis) - CH, SE
Brown Vinesnake (Oxybelis aeneus) - IF
Garden Tree Boa (Corallus hortulana) - CH
Giant Ameiva (Ameiva ameiva) - CH, GG, SE
Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) - CH
Maria Island Leaf-toed Gecko (Hemidactylus palaichthus) - SE
Peters’ Lava Lizard - SE
Rhinella sp. - CH
snouted tree frog (Scinax sp.) - SE
Creepy Crawlies:
Atta leafcutter ant sp. - CH
Burchell’s Army Ant (Eciton burchelli) - SE
Big-head Termite (Syntermes parallelus) - SE
Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria fera) - SE
Burchell’s Army Ant (Eciton burchelli) - SE
Calliclopius assassin bug sp. - SE
Conehead Termite (Nasutitermes corniger) - SE
darkling beetle (Sthenoboea sp.) - SE
dinosaur ant sp. - SE
Ectatomma tuberculatum (ant) - SE
Epilampra cockroach sp. - SE
Eurycotis blattoides (cockroach) - SE
fungus weevil (Euparius sp.) - SE
giant turtle ant (Cephalotes sp.) - SE
golden tunnel-web spider (Fufius sp.) - SE
Honey Wasp sp. - SE
Huntsman Spider sp. - SE
Iron Millipede (Leptogoniulus sorornus) - SE
Lemon-tipped Helicopter (Mecistogaster ornata) - SE
Lystra pulverulenta lanternfly - SE
Neoponera commutata ant - IF
Nilio false lady-beetle sp. - SE
orbweaver spp. - SE
Red Postman (Heliconius erato) - CH
Stink Bug sp. - SE
Subria grandis katydid - SE
Syntrechalea fishing spider sp. - SE
thick-tailed scorpion (Tityus sp.) - SE
Velvet Ants (Traumatomutilla americana) - SE
Aquatic Wildlife:
Arapaima - CH
Trees, Flowers, Fungi, etc.:
Amauroderma bracket fungi sp. - SE
Amazon Giant Waterlily (Victoria amazonica) - CH
Balata or Bulletwood (Manilkara bidentata) - IF
Cecropia (Cecropia sciadophylla) - IF
Cecropia sp. - SE
Dead Man’s Fingers (Xylaria polymorpha) - SE
Dendrobium orchid sp. - PL
Earliella scabrosa (bracket fungi) - PL
giant bromeliad (Brocchinia micrantha) - KF
Greenheart (Chlorocardium rodiei) - IF, PL
Kakaralli Tree (Eschweilera spp.) - PL, SE
Kapok (of Silk Cotton) Tree (Ceiba pentandra) - CH
Mimosa sensitive plant sp. - SE
Monkey Pod Tree (Samanea saman) - GG
Mora (Mora spp.) - PL, SE
Mucka-mucka (Montrichardia arborescens) - MR
Parrot’s Beak (Heliconia psittacorum) - SE
Red Cedar or West Indies Cedrela (Cedrela odorata) - IF
Senna sp. - SE
Solanum nightshade sp. - SE
Triplaris surinamensis - GG
Wild Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) - MR
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