After a week and a half exploring Georgetown and Moraikobai in Guyana, I was finally able to head out to one of Guyana’s natural wonders, Kaieteur Falls, on the final day of my trip! We had also dealt with several days of uncertainty due to the weather, as conditions have to be very specific to even attempt the trip to the falls.
My day began bright and early in Guyana’s capital, Georgetown, but soon I’d be deep within Kaieteur National Park (which became a national park in 1929) to see the world’s largest single-drop waterfall by volume! It’s 4.5 times higher than Niagara Falls!
We could only get to Kaieteur Falls via a tiny airplane, so we had to weigh ourselves and everything onboard to make sure we weren’t overweight. I was 81 kilos, so I was good! It would take us roughly an hour and 15 minutes to fly to the falls. I couldn’t wait!
While we waited, we had some coconut biscuits for a light breakfast. They were hard and crunchy, but they would have been great with some coffee or chai. I loved the coconut flavor. The falls are so isolated that we had to take some snacks with us.
Roraima Airways would take us deep into the jungle. Our plane only seats 8 people, but we also saw a big, state-of-the-art helicopter that they operate. They monitor the weather constantly to ensure good conditions for flying.
After a brief delay due to weather conditions, we were ready to fly! I slept for half of the flight. I could glimpse the falls from the air as we made our descent. Then, we arrived at the Kaieteur National Park Center, where they have snacks and sell souvenirs.
Before you head out to Kaieteur Falls, they run down the park rules. Visitors must stay on the established paths, and no swimming or wading is allowed in the Potaro River. All visitors must be accompanied by a guide. Littering and alcohol consumption are not allowed, and you can’t collect or remove any plants or animals in the park.
You also cannot set fires within the park, and visitors are not allowed to approach the edge of the falls or the gorge. The trails can be hazardous, so you have to be safe.
We found a carnivorous plant called sundew, which is coated in a sticky substance that captures insects. Then, we also saw a golden frog inside a plant and a beehive. I loved being out in the rainforest. We also saw plants that the indigenous people use for toiletries and a striped plant called a tiger’s stripe.
Our guide also showed us a species of bamboo. As we got closer to the Rainbow Viewpoint, I could hear the water crashing. Kaieteur Falls was spectacular! They were easily the most impressive waterfalls I’d ever seen. We spent about 15 minutes there, just taking photos and admiring the view.
But there was one more viewpoint for us to hike to! We followed the trail through the jungle to Nature Valley View, which is right near the mouth of the falls. It’s so close to the falls and is so amazing!
I drank a bit of fresh water from a nearby stream as we hiked back to the Kaieteur National Park Center. There, they have little figurines of native animals made from a natural latex called balata, which comes from the sap of the bulletwood tree. They shape it into turtles, snakes, parrots, jaguars, armadillos, caiman, manatees, porcupines, and other animals!
I bought one for my daughters and some friends before trying some crunchy fried chana and some smooth and creamy milk fudge. Then, it was time to fly back to Georgetown!
This time, I rode next to the pilot so I could get the best views possible of Kaieteur Falls as we flew off! What an unforgettable experience!
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