Uncharted Guyana – in the Footsteps of Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay handpicked Chef Delven Adams to be his culinary guide throughout Guyana. This morning we will follow in his footsteps and meet Chef Delven who will accompany us throughout our trip. This morning Chef will guide us around Bourda Market, the largest of the four markets in Georgetown. We will first stop at the Guyana Store which has all the local products produced and packaged in Guyana before heading over to the market where we will meet some of the vendors who Chef buys from daily. We will visit the fish market, the meat section and the haberdashery section – where one can find anything you can think of from thread to bolts of all kinds of fabric. A stop at the bush medicine stalls is always educational. Heading outside you can see, touch and taste a variety of local fruits and vegetables unique in this part of the world. Chef will make his purchases with your suggestions of what you would like to try. We will then head over to the Backyard Café for a cooking demonstration and lunch. This, as the name suggests, is a backyard that Chef has turned into an exclusive little hidden gem of a restaurant. Chef will welcome you to join him as he prepares a wonderful meal using the fruits and vegetables we bought in the market. This gives you the opportunity to learn about tropical produce and how to prepare it. Or you can just sit under the arbour and sip unique blends of juice or enjoy a cold beer, while taking in the sounds and smells of a delicious meal in the making. Once he is ready, we will start eating our way through the courses, remember to pace yourself as you will want to try it all.

This afternoon, we will take a drive through the heart of the city to the Stabroek Market area. Here we will join the afternoon commuters using the old ferry stelling to board the river taxis which are used to cross the Demerara River. The river taxis are an alternative route to using the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

We will slowly cruise along and across the Demerara River while your guide will give a brief history of the famous buildings along the waterfront. We then continue our trip to see the Demerara Harbour Bridge, once the longest floating bridge in the world at a total length of 1,851m long. We will cross under the bridge and tie up our boat near a mangrove that is the nightly roost for a variety of birds. As the sun sets over the river we will have a cold drink and some snacks (or cutters as we call them here in Guyana) as we enjoy flocks of brilliant Scarlet Ibis, Egrets and Herons as they fly across the sky and settle into the mangroves for the evening.

Soon after the sun sets we return to the ferry stelling while enjoying the city and ship lights from the river.

Pickup and transfer to an Indian restaurant for dinner.

“Aagman’s” name is derived from India’s ancient Sanskrit script, which means “ARRIVAL” or “BEGINNING”. This restaurant was a start-up by budding entrepreneurs Dr. and Mrs. Meena, who was inspired and fascinated by Guyanese people and their culture.

The Aagman food philosophy is driven by a desire to present eclectic and expansive Indian repertoire, bursting with flavours and originality, as a multi-sensory dining experience, offering an epicurean Mughlai Cuisine from the imperial kitchens of India. Enjoy the authentic flavours of creations achieved through the use of the finest ingredients and cooking techniques, in elegant fully air-conditioned surroundings.

Return to your hotel. Overnight in a standard room at Cara Lodge. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.

Pickup and transfer to Eugene F. Correia International Airport where you will board a private chartered aircraft for the flight over miles of unbroken tropical rainforest to land at the village of Apoteri. Travel from Apoteri by boat along the Rupununi River, with opportunities to see wild Giant River Otters and Black Caiman, to Rewa Village. Rewa Village is located where the Rewa River runs into the Rupununi River in the North Rupununi. The surrounding area is rainforest, mountains and oxbow lakes and teeming with wildlife birds and fish. The community of approximately 220 persons is predominately Macushi with a few families of the Wapashana and Patamona tribes. Villagers practise subsistence farming, fishing and hunting with little opportunity for cash employment. In 2005 the community constructed the Rewa Eco-lodge so that they could establish a sustainable eco-tourism business that is owned and operated by the village. The lodge itself is situated on the riverbank overlooking the Rewa River. Along the riverbank tables and benches offer a relaxing location to enjoy the river. The grassed clearing in the rainforest houses three benabs and six cabins. The largest benab is the kitchen and dining area, with an outlook to the river. Accommodation is in two benabs each with two bedrooms and a large patio with hammocks for relaxing and six individual cabins.

Once settled in, take a guided walk over to the community of Rewa to visit villager’s houses were, just as Gordon Ramsay did, you can see and experience activities such as grating cassava, and other traditional ways of cassava processing, to produce farine and cassava bread.

Return to the lodge for a traditional dinner. After dinner we will go out on the river for a nocturnal experience such as caiman catching, spotting for snakes, birds and other wildlife.

Overnight at Rewa Eco-lodge. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.

Enjoy breakfast at dawn overlooking the river before departing by boat for a day trip to Toucan Falls. Enjoy fishing for piranhas with our expert guides. Your catch will be barbequed which you can enjoy together with lunch. After lunch, continue fishing or just relax in a hammock and enjoy a refreshing soft drink, or indulge in a beer.

Return to the lodge for dinner outdoors under the stars, prepared with local ingredients by our accompanying Chef Delven Adams.

Overnight at Rewa Eco-lodge. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.

Breakfast at dawn overlooking the river. This morning experience craft-making by the locals. Try your hand at making an arrow and bow, after which you can participate in an archery contest to test your bow and arrow shooting skills.

Have lunch and enjoy the nearby surroundings or just relax in a hammock. Later this afternoon we will travel to ‘Banana Sucker’ pond for another fishing experience. On the way back to the lodge we will continue fishing, but this time with a bow and arrow and spotlight for the eyeshine of wildlife as it gets dark.

Return to the lodge for a late dinner. Overnight at Rewa Eco-lodge. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.

After breakfast, say goodbye to staff and newfound friends and board your boat for travel along the Rupununi River to Apoteri Village. From Apoteri we’ll fly by private chartered aircraft to the majestic and breathtaking Kaieteur Falls, the world’s highest free-falling waterfall. Kaieteur which was first seen by a European on April 29, 1870 is situated in the heart of Guyana. The water of Kaieteur flows over a sandstone conglomerate tableland into a deep gorge – a drop of 741 feet or 5 times the height of Niagara Falls. There are no other falls in the world with the magnitude of the sheer drop existing at Kaieteur. Amerindian legend of the Patamona tribe has it that Kai, one of the tribe’s chiefs (after whom the falls is named), committed self-sacrifice by canoeing himself over the falls. It was believed this would encourage the Great Spirit Makonaima to save the tribe from being destroyed by the savage Caribishi. Kaieteur supports a unique microenvironment with Tank Bromeliads, the largest in the world, in which the tiny Golden frog spends its entire life and the rarely seen Guiana Cock- of-the-rock nesting close by. The lucky visitor may also see the famous Kaieteur Swifts or Makonaima Birds which nest under the vast shelf of rock carved over millions of years by the black water of the Potaro River.

Enjoy 2 hours ground time at the Falls and a packed lunch.

Re-board your aircraft for the flight to Eugene F. Correia International Airport.

Pickup at Eugene F. Correia International Airport and transfer to Georgetown.

Before dinner, you will be treated to a rum tasting of the world-famous and award-winning El Dorado Rums. Taste and savour the differences between varying award-winning vintages, of the 12 and 15-year-old and even the exclusive 21-year-old. The royal navy provided a ‘tot’ of Guyana rum to their sailors. When it was discontinued in the 1970’s the Royal navy was never the same. The 15-year-old has won more awards than any other rum in the world.

Tonight, we will enjoy a silver service Heritage Dinner in a colonial atmosphere of the Ballet Room at Cara Lodge. The Ballet Room is steeped in history and graced with hand-painted doors from India dating back to the 1890s. The wrought iron arches that enhance the room were commissioned from a foundry in Liverpool, England by the first Lord Mayor of Georgetown when he lived in the house, which he built.

The evening will also include a local guest speaker who will provide a presentation on Guyanese culture.

Overnight in a standard room at Cara Lodge. (Check in time 1400hrs, Check out time 12midday) Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner included.