Rupununi savannah

The Rupununi savannah is a large seasonally influenced grassland and wetland region in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo area of southwestern Guyana, forming a major savannah ecosystem in the country.

The landscape offers extensive grass plains, riverine gallery forest and marshes where people go for wildlife observation, birdwatching, fishing, horseback and cattle-ranch visits, and community cultural experiences. Ecotourism operators base activities around villages and ranches, and river trips are commonly used to reach remote areas.

The savannah has been inhabited by indigenous Makushi and other Amerindian peoples for millennia; during the 19th and 20th centuries cattle ranching and commercial activities expanded and community-based tourism developed more recently. Conservation initiatives and community-managed areas have been established in parts of the region.

Geographically it sits in southwestern Guyana adjacent to the Brazil border; the regional service town of Lethem is the primary gateway. The area is several hundred kilometres southwest of Guyana’s capital, Georgetown, and is accessed by a combination of regional roads and rivers.

• Seasonal access: Seasonal flooding and heavy rains make parts of the savannah difficult to reach by road; overland access is easiest during the dry season while river travel increases in the wet season.
• Community tourism: Community-run eco-lodges and village tours offer interpretive wildlife watching and cultural visits coordinated with local Makushi communities.

What to See #

• North Rupununi: A broad division of the larger Rupununi region in southwestern Guyana that includes seasonally flooded grasslands, gallery forest and wetlands used for cattle ranching and wildlife habitat. The area supports community-run tourism operations and is accessed from regional roads and river routes.
• Surama village: A Makushi village that operates an established eco-lodge and community-guided nature and cultural tours; serves as one of the main visitor gateways into the surrounding savannahs.
• Lethem: The nearest regional service town on the Guyana-Brazil border that functions as the primary overland gateway to the Rupununi savannah and surrounding ranchlands.