Rupununi Trails

Rupununi Trails

Rupununi Trails is a tour company based in the south savannahs of the Guyana Shield. For over forty years we have been exploring the landscape, the deep jungles and river systems for fun, adventure and discovery. With probably 1,500–2,000 different plants, over 200 different fish, 120 snakes, lizards and frogs, 105 mammals, 500 species of birds and sparsely populated by Amerindian tribes. It is estimated that there remain 5% more birds, 10% more mammals and 30% more reptiles and amphibians to be identified. The Rupununi is unspoilt, untouched and truly one of the most pristine areas on the globe. The tour company consists of several ranches, spread over 4000 square miles, who cooperate on many levels to give visitors to the region the best chance to see and do as much as possible.

Should you care to continue on, there is easy access from the area to Roraima State in Brazil and on to Venezuala via Santa Helena in the Grand Savannahs. We can arrange customised tours for you.

 

The Rupununi Team

Coordinated by Duane and Sandy de Freitas, Rupununi Trails has become over the last 18 years the main Outfitters and Tour Operators for a diverse number of international institutions, organizations and individuals who are increasingly visiting to study or merely enjoy the Flora and Fauna of this diverse ecosystem.

The working ranches are not dedicated resorts, but have all the facility to accommodate individuals and large groups, using the comfort of the ranch as a base to launch expeditions tailored to the interests of our guests. With jeeps, boats and horses there is no corner we cannot access to get close to the wildlife. The best time to visit is between October and April during the dry season that ends around Easter Sunday when the whole region gathers as a community for the yearly Rodeo, in Lethem. Georgetown, the capital of Guyana, is the first point of call on arrival where our representatives will greet you and from here flights or over land journey is made the some 400 miles to the southern end of the country.

 

 

Red Siskin

The Red Siskin (carduelis cucullata), a more rare bird of the fringillidae family was found in Guyana in 2000 by a team from the Smithsonian institute along with a local conservation society (the SRCS) based in the south Rupununi Savannahs in Guyana. Previously the bird was known to occur in the north western part of Venezuela and was much harassed by the cage bird trade for the sake of trying to create a red canary. Since the discovery of this new population, so far from the original location, the SCRS has been running a project to establish a population estimate, distribution map and baseline data of the bird, it’s behavior and it’s habitat, for academia, conservation and for the use of scientists the world over. Currently the society is 5 ½ months into its research on the bird and so far good luck has been with us. These are two transect sites approximately 100 miles apart, one in the east and on in the west of the South Rupununi savannahs, periodic surveys are done in other suitable areas. The Rupununi savannahs is approximately 3,000 sq miles and is mixed savannahs and forest and has 2 seasons, for 5 months it is inundated with water and in the opposite completely dry, during the dry season very little water enables the researchers to get good veins as water is scarce and the birds flock to water spots. We have found them nesting in April, May and June so far mostly with 2 or 3 eggs in them.

To date we have found them throughout the 3,000 mile range, future efforts we hope to work with Brazilian conservation groups to see if we can find them in Brazil as the gap between the area does include some habitat like in Guyana. Also the group hopes to continue next year with a banding the birds in color codes to identify individuals and see the movement patterns between areas. Perhaps even equip some with radio telemetry equipment for monitoring purposes.

 

 

Please continue to browse through this site to learn more about us, to review itineraries and view photographs. The links section can also help you find more information.

 

Checklists

Bird Checklist
> Download Excel file

 

Mammal Checklist
> Link to checklist

 

Reptile and Amphibian Checklist
> Link to checklist