Date
Nov 20 - Dec 1, 2019
About This Tour
Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana are the three smallest countries in South America and comprise a large landmass north of the Amazon River known as the “land of many waters.” Whereas the Portuguese settled Brazil and the Spanish captured much of the rest of continent, the British ruled Guyana, Suriname became a Dutch colony, and French Guiana was a remote outpost of France. Novelist Evelyn Waugh referred to the Three Guianas as “those three little gobs of Empire,” and they represent a lot of colonial history and hint at a treasure trove of unexplored paradise.
Most of the land in the Guianas is a lost world of primeval nature, with very little infrastructure in the dense rainforest interior. In fact, much of it is unexplored, so its history and culture merge together on the edges of the Caribbean coastline. This tour combines a little bit of everything, with wildlife and waterfalls, rivers and rainforests, savannahs and seaside towns. This is the tour that many of you have been waiting for to expand the number of countries you have visited in South America. It is not likely to be repeated soon, so seize this opportunity to spend an unforgettable Thanksgiving with us in an off-the-beaten-path tropical paradise!
Tour Highlights
- Georgetown, capital of Guyana
- Guyana Rainforest *
- Kaieteur Falls
- Orinduik Falls
- Essequiba River boat adventure
- Paramaribo, capital of Suriname *
- Nieuw Amsterdam, Suriname’s historic government center Kourou, French Guiana
- Devil’s Island (made famous by the movie “Papillon”)
- Aerospace Center
- Jodensavanne, Jewish settlement
- Peperpot Nature Reserve * UNESCO World Heritage Sites
MAIN TOUR ITINERARY
Arrive in Georgetown, Guyana
Arrange your international flight to arrive in Georgetown, Guyana by mid-afternoon today. Use the airport code GEO when searching for flights. You will be returning from airport code PBM. Guyana is a gem waiting to be discovered. It is known as the land of many waters and contains many giants of the world, among them: the mighty Essequibo River, giant arapaima fish, the enormous Harpy Eagle, the Anaconda, giant otters and jaguars. A driver will meet you at the airport and take you to our hotel. Toto Tours hosts a Welcome Dinner this evening. Overnight in Georgetown. (Welcome Dinner included)
Georgetown City Tour
This morning embark on a city tour of Georgetown, including St. George's Cathedral, the tallest free standing wooden building in the world, the picturesque city hall, the Victorian law courts, the national museum, botanical gardens, zoological park and many heritage sites. We return to our hotel by mid-day and the rest of the day is free to relax in preparation for our early departure tomorrow. Overnight in Georgetown. (Breakfast)
Fly to Kaieteur Falls / Orinduik Falls
We depart from our hotel and drive to the airport for our flight to Kaieteur Falls, a natural wonder with a sheer drop of 741 feet (5 times the height of Niagara Falls). Kaieteur National Park is situated on the Guiana Shield, a plateau that is one of the world's oldest and remotest geological formations. The entire National Park is located within one of the largest and most biodiverse rainforests in the world. The park is home to the tiny golden frog, White-chinned and White-collared swifts, red and green macaws, Morpho hecuba, South America's largest butterfly, the Ocelot, and the Cock-of-the-Rock. After an extremely fascinating tour of Kaieteur Falls, fly to the jasper-lined Orinduik Falls located in the Rupununi savannahs and at the foothills of the Pakaraima Mountains. The pool beneath the falls is ideal for a swim. In late afternoon fly back to Georgetown, and the rest of the day is free. (Breakfast / Boxed Lunch)
Fort Island / Essequibo River / Fly to Suriname
After an early breakfast depart by bus for Roden Rust, driving over the Harbor Bridge, which is the longest floating steel bridge in the world. The bridge crosses the Demarara River (second largest in Guyana), passing former plantations and rice fields. At Roden Rust, a boat ride takes us to Fort Island, the seat of the Dutch government during its colonization of Guyana. After a tour of the Fort and remaining Dutch structures, we re-join our boat and continue to the 155-acre Sloth Island Nature Reserve for lunch and a nature walk on the mid-canopy walkway. We will have time for kayaking or a swim in the mighty Essequibo River, Guyana’s largest river that flows 630 miles from the Acarai Mountains near the Brazilian border to the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, we visit Fort Kykoveral, the first Dutch Settlement, before returning to Georgetown. We take time for dinner and then drive to the airport for our evening flight to Suriname. We will have a late arrival and check-in at our hotel in Paramaribo. (Breakfast / Lunch)
Paramaribo City Tour
After a late breakfast we leave the hotel for a city tour of Paramaribo. We visit the most important monumental buildings and streets such as Presidential Palace, the museum Fort Zeelandia, Palmentuin (Palm Garden), the Waterkant and the Central Market. The unique architecture here is amazing! We pass by a synagogue that is located right next to the mosque, a unique sight in these times. The rest of afternoon is free to visit the Casino or shop for souvenirs. Overnight in Paramaribo. (Breakfast)
Commewijne River
Enjoy a cruise today on a comfortable tour boat to Commewijne. We stop at Nieuw Amsterdam, the historic government center, and Fort Nieuw Amsterdam, an open-air museum. We continue by boat to Frederiksdorp to admire the most beautifully restored plantation houses in Suriname. We have lunch in colonial surroundings and take a stroll through the once flourishing coffee plantation. Dolphin spotting may also be included in the program. We return in the afternoon to our hotel in Paramaribo. (Breakfast / Lunch)
French Guiana
After breakfast, we leave our hotel and drive to Albina, at the border with French Guiana. We go through Immigration formalities, and then join a canoe boat to St. Laurent, French Guiana. There we tour Camp de la Transportation, which was the processing center and holding area for prisoners heading to Devil’s Island. Afterwards we have lunch at a local restaurant, continuing to the seaside town of Kourou. We check-in at our hotel and the rest of the day is free to stroll along the beach or enjoy the pool. Overnight in Kourou. (Breakfast)
Boat Trip to Ile Du Salut
After breakfast, we journey by ferry to Ile Royale. Devil's Island is closed to the public, but we will be able to see it from the Auberge. Devil's Island was made famous by Henri Charriere's book Papillon. We visit the ruins of the penal settlement at Ile Royale and learn about the Dreyfus Affair. Weather permitting, we will sail to Ile Joseph where most prisoners were kept. We return to our Kourou hotel in the afternoon. (Breakfast)
Arianespace Centre/ Return to Paramaribo
After an early breakfast we transfer to the Arianespace Centre. The 3-hour guided tour starts at 8:00am by shuttle bus which will take you to the main installations. The visit is from 8:00am to 11:00am to learn about the space program and its future projects. In the afternoon, we depart Kourou and transfer to Saint Laurent. After immigration formalities, we re-enter Suriname at the border town of Albina, and proceed to our hotel in Paramaribo. Tonight we celebrate Thanksgiving with a Toto Tours family dinner. (Breakfast / Thanksgiving Dinner)
Jodensavanne
This morning our destination is Jodensavanne, the first and only place in the New World where Jews had been granted a semi-autonomous settlement. Jews, fleeing the Spanish inquisition, were welcomed in Suriname, first by the British and later by the Dutch, to settle and own the land along the River Suriname. In order to attract Jewish settlers, the colonial government offered Jews special privileges, including freedom of religion, freedom of ownership and the right to their own judicial court.
The cemeteries of Jodensavanne and Cassipora have an exceptional grandeur, the oldest dating back to 1667 and many tombstones are made of brick or marble imported from Europe. A third cemetery is the African or Creole burial grounds. The synagogue and the three cemeteries are a major monumental site of Suriname. After a fascinating tour of these sites, we return to our hotel for a free evening in Paramaribo. (Breakfast / Lunch)
Peperpot Tour
A short distance from Paramaribo is the Peperpot Nature and History Park. Enjoy a safari through the tropical rain forest where we may encounter butterflies, dragonflies, monkeys, sloths and reptiles. Halfway through we set out on a nature trail where we stroll along the irrigation canals to see coffee trees as well as the “kofimama” (Erythrina glauca or shade providers). The trail leads to an historical plantation village where we tour an old coffee factory. Next is a visit with a Javanese horticulturist at his home to learn all about the authentic way of growing and cooking with exotic fruits and herbs such as mangoes, passion fruit, laos, cherries, star apple, cassava, yuca, bananas, bacove (green bananas), jackfruit, lemongrass, golden apple, oranges, coconuts, bamboo, bitter greens, water spinach, and lompong. Afterwards we return to Paramaribo and celebrate the conclusion of our tour with a Farewell Dinner. (Breakfast / Dinner)
Departure
The tour officially ends after breakfast this morning. If you wish to extend your stay in Paramaribo, please let us know on your reservation form so that we can keep your room available for another night. Book your flight at any convenient time today. We provide your transfer to the airport (airport code PBM). Breakfast