Iwokrama Forest

A million acres of rainforest run as an experiment in whether a forest can pay for itself

Iwokrama is 371,000 hectares of central Guyanese rainforest, handed to the Commonwealth in 1989 as a live experiment: can a tropical forest be used sustainably and still fund its own protection? Three decades on it is one of the few places in the Guiana Shield where that question has a partial answer, and one of the best-studied blocks of rainforest anywhere.

For visitors it means unusually good odds. The Georgetown–Lethem road runs straight through the reserve, so this is the rare piece of primary Amazonian forest you can drive to. Jaguars are seen on that road more reliably here than almost anywhere in South America. The canopy walkway at Atta puts you 30 metres up in the crowns at dawn, which is where the birds are — Guyana has over 840 recorded species, and the reserve holds a good share of them.

Accommodation is at the river lodge at Kurupukari on the Essequibo, or at Atta in the forest itself. Both are usually reached as part of a trip that continues south into the Rupununi.

Guide

Activities

Visiting Iwokrama means staying in it: either the river lodge at Kurupukari on the Essequibo, or Atta in the forest beside the canopy walkway. Both are usually part of a longer itinerary running south to the Rupununi rather than a destination on their own.

The reserve publishes its rates, which is unusual here — and worth reading before you commit, because the transport costs more than the beds. The Georgetown minivan is about USD 180 each way; a chartered flight runs into the thousands.