Looking for an experience that will simply take your breath away? Steer your travel ship towards Guyana to find outstanding adventure and outdoor experiences. Don’t worry, adventure doesn’t mean that everything is about sweat and sinew. You can travel to outstanding natural sights in a matter of hours and feel like you’re in the middle of paradise. One such magical place is Kaieteur Waterfall – a real treat for the eyes and ears . The Kaieteur Waterfall has been on traveller’s bucketlist since 1870, ever since two British geologists discovered it.
Stats and Superlatives
Kaieteur’s reputation precedes it by a long distance. It is one of the highest waterfalls in the world! It is supposedly, the tallest single drop standalone waterfall, beating even the mighty Niagara! But not everything is about stats and superlatives. It is the sheer enormity of this wonder and its wilderness location that leaves you in awe. The Potaro River wends its way peacefully through the dense rainforest of the Kaieteur National Park before suddenly plummeting 741 feet down on the rocks, creating a massive misty spray. A perpetual rainbow during the day adds a charming touch to the scene.
Your Photo Will Break The Internet
Waterfalls are a delight to see if you can get a clear view and plenty of photo-ops. Luckily for visitors to Kaieteur, there are four excellent ways to take photographs of this thundering curtain of water. The first opportunity arrives when you’re still in a small Cessna plane – possibly an 8-12 seater, and your feet haven’t even touched the ground. There are regular flights from Georgetown’s, Ogle Airport that take about an hour to Kaieteur National Park. You take off from the city, flying over the Lego-like city below, sugarcane fields and then the over Essequibo and Demerara Rivers winding their way through the rainforests. As you approach the falls, the pilot swerves in front of the waterfall several times to make sure that passengers on both sides get a good look and have plenty of picture-taking opportunity. Once you’ve landed, guided walks take you to three viewing points, each revealing a better and closer view than before – Rainbow, Boy Scout and Johnson. No rails at the edges, just raw brown escarpments that are perfect for photos. Make sure you have enough space on your card and charged batteries. This is a photo-op you wouldn’t want to miss.
Wild Things
Since the falls lie in the middle of a national park, you can rest assured that there is plenty of flora and fauna to spot. As the guides take you through nature trails, you can spot the bright orange Cock-of-the-rock and the minute Golden frog, which is often mistakenly assumed to be poisonous. Also keep your eyes peeled for Kaieteur swifts (Makonaima birds), which nest in the rocks behind the waterfall.
Essentials
Getting there: Several local airlines fly from Georgetown’s Ogle airport to Kaieteur and back on the same day. The flight takes an hour to reach. Most of these include the 2 hour-national park guided tour.
Best time to visit: The waterfall is at its magnificent best after the rains, so September-November is an excellent time to go here. Not that it is any less beautiful in any other part of the year. You may want to avoid rains since flights may be choppy or may be cancelled.