Email us..

photos by
 & Wilderness Explorers

website developed in Guyana by

HARPY EAGLE EXPLORER
A birding adventure with Harpy Eagle, Guianan Cock-of-the-rock and the Red Siskin

Venture into the wild, pristine and little know interior of Guyana for a birdwatchers dream. With over 800 species the country is full of birding opportunities, but this expedition is targeting three of Guyana's specialties.

The Harpy Eagle or "flying wolf" is the largest eagle in the world. With limited distribution and now on the endangered list the eagle still has a refuge in the deep south of Guyana. An active Harpy Eagle nest has been located deep in the rainforest offering great views of Guyana's "flying wolf". It takes three days of flying, four-wheel driving, horseback riding, boating and hiking to reach the site. What an adventurous build up to one of the forest's great sights - the Harpy Eagle.

And to add to all this excitement you will have the opportunity to see the Red Siskin, which was thought nearly extinct in Columbia and Venezuela because of 150 years of trapping for the pet trade with only a few hundred are left in isolated patches. That was until April 2000, when a team from The University of Kansas and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History discovered a population of several thousand, for the first time, in Guyana.

And to top it all off you visit a newly discovered Guianan Cock-of-the-rock lek in the Kanuku Mountains. The brilliant orange of the males is a sight to see, especially if you are lucky enough to experience their mating rituals.

Day 1 :    Arrive in Guyana and transfer to Georgetown. Overnight at Cara Lodge.

Day 2 :     0945 transfer to Ogle Airstrip for a flight to Lethem. Meet your guide, an experienced adventurer and naturalist Duane DeFreitas. Travel by 4x4 southward breaking the journey to look at some marshy ponds near Makusi Village before continuing toward Dadanawa Ranch. This is the largest ranch in Guyana, covering 1700 square miles, and our first stop will be at a private residence there, Mountain Point, the home of Shirley Humphrys, about ten miles from the main ranch buildings. Surrounded by gently rolling savannah with tawny grasses and the twisted, fire-blackened trunks of Curatella or "sandpaper" trees, and dominated to the north by the low peaks of the Kanuku Mountains and to the south by the steep spires of outlying Dukban and Shiriri, Mountain Point is set in the midst of a vast emptiness. The weathered building seems altogether improbable here yet gives the impression of having endured forever with its thatched roof and tiny orchard, and the birds frequenting this little oasis have grown almost fearless, even the normally timid ground-doves. We'll take a walk to a shallow reedy pond and narrow strip of light forest nearby. Then we'll make the short trip to Dadanawa Ranch, a cluster of raised wooden buildings surmounted by a towering Brazil nut tree and more or less surrounded by low gallery forest along the Rupununi River. After establishing ourselves here we'll travel eastward and pass several shallow ponds before reaching Towa Towan, a high, rounded outcrop of blackened granite with a Jabiru nest near the summit and a small pond at the base with dense mucca mucca, a giant arum. We'll look for certain flycatchers in surrounding Curatella glades and in late afternoon we'll hope to see nighthawks on the wing and witness the roosting of Yellow-crowned Parrots. Overnight at Dadanawa Ranch. BLD

Day 3 :     Leaving by Land Rover in early morning, we'll make an all-day trip to some of the ranch's outstations and several extraordinarily beautiful sites, with lightly forested mountainsides and high, black domes. We should see a variety of raptors and other open-country birds, but our particular object will be the Red Siskin, recently found to occur here. Our route may also permit us to visit a "bush island," or isolated patch of heavier forest, home to an interesting aggregation of bird species. Tonight will be spent in a hammock camp in the savannah. BLD

Day 5 :     We will leave early this morning for the Amerindian village of Sand Creek and then take a 10 mile hike through the jungle to Crabwood Creek, birdwatching as we go. Bullocks and staff will travel ahead of us with our gear and have a hammock camp prepared in the rainforest. BLD

Day 6 :     This morning we hike through the jungle to the site of a Guianan Cock-of-the-rock lek. We should see one or more males in the low branches and if lucky may even see them performing their mating dance. Overnight in hammock camp. BLD

Day 7 :     Today we travel down the Rupununi River through the centre of the Kanuku Mountains*, in small boats which offer excellent platforms for birding along the river banks. Apart from birds there is the opportunity to see Black Caiman, Giant River Otters and other wildlife. Eventually we turn into the Maparri River, a tributary of the Rupununi, which flows out of the Kanuku Mountains. Maparri Wilderness Camp is set at the foot of a small waterfall**. The area is rich in birdlife and includes Macaws, Toucans and Cock-of-the-rock to name a few. Overnight at Maparri Wilderness Camp. BLD

Day 8 :     A morning drift along the river, listening to the birds awakening can be very rewarding. From our camp we will trek through the forest to the site of an active Harpy Eagle nest. As of August 2004 the nest was in use with chicks and adult in attendance, which means the nest should be active through until around November 2004. An active nest almost ensures a view of the chick and adult bird. Over the years we have had 100% success rate in seeing Harpy Eagle when we have an active nest. Overnight at Maparri Wilderness Camp. BLD

Day 9 :     This morning we break camp early and travel back down the Maparri River and into the Rupununi River and continue downstream. The river abruptly leaves the rainforest of the Kanuku Mountains and enters the open savannah of the North Rupununi. Black Caiman are quite common here and there is also good bird watching down this stretch of river until we reach Karanambu Ranch. This is the home of Diane McTurk, widely known for her work rehabilitating orphaned Giant River Otters back into the wild. Diane and her otters have appeared on National Geographic, Jeff Corwin Experience, Really Wild Show (BBC) and the Calgary's "Zoo World". Karanambu has a long history of visiting naturalists and Diane's father, Tiny McTurk, has welcomed David Attenborough and Gerald Durrell (Three Singles to Adventure). Today's generation of Edward and Melanie McTurk are your hosts, leaving Diane more time developing the Karanambu Trust, work with her otters and her writings. There may be a little time for birding late in the afternoon at the ranch. Dinner with Diane, Edward and Melanie will include stories on the history of the family and the Rupununi Savannahs. An evening walk along the airstrip offers seven species of nightjar and among the grasslands the Double-striped Thick-knees. Overnight at Karanambu Ranch. BLD

Day 10 :     This morning explore the Rupununi River in search of Spotted Puffbird, Striped Woodcreeper and Saffron-crested Tyrant-Manakin and you may also see wild Giant River Otters, Black Caiman and Arapaima. Birding around the ranch house may reveal Least Grebe, Green Ibis, Crested Caracara and Yellow-headed Caracara, Orange-breasted, Peregrine and Bat Falcons, Solitary and Spotted Sandpiper. After lunch take a flight back to Georgetown. Enjoy an afternoon Georgetown city tour (full description below) to see its extraordinary wooden architecture and to shop in its exciting markets and craft shops. We'll conclude at the extensive and beautiful Botanic Garden, where, if we are lucky, the trip's ornithological finale will be Blood-coloured Woodpecker, an astonishingly colourful Veniliornis found only in the Guiana's and even there almost wholly limited to the narrow coastal plain. Overnight at Cara Lodge. BLD

Day 11 :     Transfer to the airport for your departing flight. B

* The Kanuku Mountains

The Kanuku Mountains in southwestern Guyana rise out of the grasslands and form a backdrop to the Rupununi savannahs. Their wild, sculptured crowns peaking just below the level where the clouds would touch the mountain tops.

The range, divided by the Rupununi River, is noted for its high diversity of bird and animal species, with approximately 80% of the known mammal species of Guyana being recorded. With little or no human settlement on the eastern range, the area is still pristine and is perfect for the nature and adventure traveller to experience the diversity of the tropical ecosystems. The Kanuku Mountains have been recognised by Conservation International as being one of the few remaining pristine Amazonian habitats.

** The Maparri Wilderness Camp

The Maparri River is a tributary of the Rupununi River and the source is high in the east Kanuku Mountains. These mountains have been recognised by Conservation International as being one of the few remaining pristine Amazonian areas. The Maparri Wilderness Camp is a simple wooden framed shelter with open sides. Hammocks are slung in the camp with special fitted mosquito nets. The camp site overlooks a water fall, which is the first of many on the Maparri River. Unlike most rivers in Guyana, which are black water, this river is crystal clear allowing you to observe the white sandy bottom and passing aquatic life. The water fall and surrounding pools are inviting and totally safe for swimming.

Simple but nutritional meals will be prepared by the camp cook over an open fire and will be supplemented by fish caught in the river. An exciting trek along the river bank reveals water fall after water fall in which you can enjoy a natural jacuzzi or in the smaller falls, swim the white water. Strenuous trekking up mountain slopes is rewarded by the knowledge that this is unexplored terrain and you may be the first to traverse the area. Spot lighting trips at night along the river bank or by boat will uncover Black Caiman and Electric Eels or mammals coming to drink at the waters edge.

This tour is escorted by Duane DeFreitas.  To read more about Duane click here.

Rates 2008     
US$ 4,005.00 per person, minimum of two persons
US$ 3,364.00 per person, minimum of four persons
US$ 3,153.00 per person, minimum of six persons
US$ 3,062.00 per person, minimum of eight persons
US$ 2,820.00 per person, minimum of ten persons

Not Included : Items of personal nature
- alcoholic drinks
- departure tax

As with any trip involving wildlife it is impossible to guarantee a sighting, but this trip is designed around a know active nest. Wilderness Explorers will make every effort to ensure a sighting but cannot be held responsible if no sighting is made due to the eagle, weather or any other elements beyond our control.