South of the rainforest, the trees suddenly end — and Guyana opens into a golden ocean of grass. The Rupununi is one of the last great wild savannahs on Earth.
The land. Stretching from the Kanuku Mountains to the Brazilian border, the Rupununi floods into a vast wetland in the rainy season and bakes gold in the dry. Giant anteaters amble across termite-mound plains, black caimans patrol the rivers, and jabiru storks sail over ranchland that has barely changed in a century.
The expeditions. Ride out with vaqueros — the savannah's legendary cowboys — from historic ranches like Dadanawa and Karanambu. Paddle blackwater rivers by dugout canoe in search of giant river otters and arapaima, climb the Kanukus for harpy eagle nests, or cross the plains by 4×4 between Amerindian villages. Nights end around ranch tables and under skies of a million stars.
The people. The Rupununi is home to the Makushi and Wapishana nations, whose villages — Annai, Surama, Yupukari and beyond — lead some of the world's most acclaimed community-run eco-tourism. Staying with them is not a tour; it is an invitation into a way of life.
When to go. The dry season (roughly October to April) is best for overland expeditions and the famous Rupununi Rodeo at Easter; the wet season turns the savannah into a birder's wetland paradise.
