Birdwatching
The only English-speaking country in South America, Guyana—slightly larger than Kansas, somewhat smaller than the UK—combines a well-developed infrastructure with a tremendous range of bird habitats, from rainforest to coastal lagoons and savanna. Lowland jungles are crisscrossed by navigable rivers giving easy access to comfortable lodges and superb birding.
World birders will be excited to tally the blood-colored woodpecker, a scarce Guianan endemic reliably seen right in Georgetown. Visitors in town on business or otherwise with limited time can find that species and many others in the Georgetown Botanical garden: yellow-chinned spinetails, silver-beaked tanagers, and black-capped donacobiuses are common, all watched over by snail kites and an impressive variety of parrots and macaws.
Short flights and leisurely river journeys take travelers out into one of South America’s finest wildernesses, punctuated with breathtaking scenery, abundant wildlife, and welcoming accommodations right in the middle of incredibly bird-rich habitats.
No longer birding’s best-kept secret, Guyana is an increasingly popular destination for traveling birders from around the world who are in search of easy accessibility, comfortable lodgings, and the riot of color and sound that is birding in the Neotropics.
– Rick Wright is a Senior Leader at WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide and a widely published writer and popular birding guide. He can be reached at birdaz@gmail.com.
