Kaieteur Falls is the most spectacular waterfall you have probably never heard of. The Potaro River drops 226 metres in a single unbroken plunge — about five times the height of Niagara — into a forested gorge surrounded by intact rainforest and tepui plateau. What makes Kaieteur different from other great waterfalls is the context: there are no roads, no hotels, no guardrails, and almost no other tourists. You walk to the edge of one of the world's most powerful waterfalls through primary rainforest and stand a few metres from the drop.
The falls sit inside Kaieteur National Park, which protects both the waterfall and the surrounding highland forest. The area is rich in wildlife — including the cock-of-the-rock, the golden rocket frog (which lives only inside the bromeliad pools on the plateau), and various species of swift that nest behind the falls. The swifts fly directly through the water curtain.
Getting there
The only practical way to visit is by small plane from Georgetown's Ogle Aerodrome. Guided day tours run on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, departing in the morning and returning in the afternoon. The flight takes about an hour each way. A two-hour guided walk in the national park is included. As of 2025, tours cost around US$280 per person. Book through a reputable Georgetown tour operator — Wilderness Explorers and Dagron Tours are well-established options.
Some tours combine Kaieteur with a stop at Orinduik Falls, which lies on the Ireng River at the Brazilian border. Orinduik is lower and calmer, with shallow pools you can swim in, set against open savannah rather than forest.
The flight itself is part of the experience: a low pass over the falls before landing gives you an aerial perspective that most visitors agree is as breathtaking as the ground view.