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The Rupununi savannah in Guyana

477 · The Wider World

Rupununi Savannas

Open savannas, wetlands and forest edges create a landscape with important Indigenous communities and exceptional ecological connections.

PhotographTreez44est · CC BY-SA 2.0

Summary

The Rupununi Savannas are a landscape in Guyana of open grassland, wetlands and forest edges. Indigenous communities and seasonal water form important parts of a region with rich ecological connections.

Its strength is the meeting of habitats and lived knowledge. Open views reveal a different natural world from rainforest alone, while local communities give the landscape a continuing cultural identity.

401–500 · The Wider World

The essentials

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Allow time

5 days as an initial allowance, excluding approach travel

Choose a base

An established Rupununi lodge or community base

Getting there

Arrange arrival through Lethem or a lodge airstrip, then coordinate road and river transfers with your host. The savannas cover a very large area.

Plan ahead

Book community stays, guides, meals and transfers as a connected itinerary. Check wet-season road access and any permissions for village visits.

Practical notes updated 30 September 2026. Visitor information and sources

Guyana · Nature
Country guidesGuyana
Open my 100Record a visit

The essential experience.

A detail that changes the visit

Seasonal flooding changes the travel network; plan with local operators and communities for the actual dates.

The black rocks of Karanambu beside the Rupununi River
Black rocks of Karanambu from Rupununi RiverPhoto: Willkuhn · CC BY 4.0

For the curious reader

History, landscape and context.

The Rupununi Savannah is located between the Rupununi River and the border with Brazil and Venezuela. The Rupununi forms the southwestern wilderness territory of Guyana, a South American country situated on the Northeastern littoral of South America. The savannah is dissected by the Kanuku Mountains.

Abridged background from Rupununi savannah, by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and shortened; this adapted background remains under the same licence. Retrieved 23 September 2026. Source revision.

A Guianan warbling antbird in Iwokrama
Guianan warbling antbird (Hypocnemis cantator) 2 Iwokrama march 2015Photo: Feroze Omardeen · CC BY 2.0
A jumping spider in the Rupununi Savannas
Lyssomanine jumping spider - Rupununi Savannah, GuyanaPhoto: Thomas Shahan · CC BY 4.0

From inspiration to a practical plan

Plan your visit.

Physical demands
Long rough-road or boat transfers, heat and walks through grassland or forest; comfort levels vary by lodge.
The consequential detail
Seasonal flooding changes the travel network; plan with local operators and communities for the actual dates.
Add to my travel workbenchResearch access requirements

Through the seasons

A place in the world.

Guyana.

A place in the world
Rupununi Savannas location mapRupununi Savannas location map

Select the pin to open a detailed map. Use Closer look to see the surrounding region. Drag to move a zoomed map.

Map: Natural Earth
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In pictures.

Rupununi’s savannahs and forest edges belong to a landscape with important Indigenous communities.

The Rupununi savannah in GuyanaPhoto: Treez44est, CC BY-SA 2.0
A Guianan warbling antbird in IwokramaPhoto: Feroze Omardeen, CC BY 2.0
The black rocks of Karanambu beside the Rupununi RiverPhoto: Willkuhn, CC BY 4.0
A jumping spider in the Rupununi SavannasPhoto: Thomas Shahan, CC BY 4.0
The forest canopy of IwokramaPhoto: M M from Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0
The Iwokrama Canopy Walkway in GuyanaPhoto: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
Wildlife conservation work in the RupununiPhoto: FAO / David Mansell-Moullin, CC BY 4.0
The trees of Iwokrama’s rainforestPhoto: M M from Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0
Open the complete galleryDiscover the world in photographs

Follow the connection

Keep exploring.

Explore more places in the same country.

Kaieteur Falls seen from the air

259 · Guyana

Kaieteur Falls

A vast waterfall within an extensive forest landscape.

River channels threading through Amazonian forest

25 · South America

Amazon Rainforest

An immense forest experienced through rivers, sounds and small discoveries.

Useful links and further reading.

Choose a source for the job: official visitor information for access, the UNESCO record for the named property’s designation, and background or library resources for deeper reading.

Read · Wikipedia

Rupununi Savannas: background reading

Encyclopaedic context and its bibliography. Follow the cited research for a deeper examination of particular claims.

External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.

Visit · Wikivoyage

Find travel information for Rupununi Savannas

A clearly labelled search of the community travel guide; check the page’s coverage and the age of practical details.

External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.

Books · WorldCat

Find books about Rupununi Savannas

Search library holdings and editions, useful for finding specialist histories, field guides and works beyond a general travel guide.

External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.

Photography · Wikimedia Commons

Find photographs of Rupununi Savannas

Explore further photographs and their individual credits.

External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.

Maps · OpenStreetMap

Explore the local map

Inspect the surrounding area.

External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.
Visitor information behind these practical notes