Silversea Expedition Cruises A Georgetown

Explore beautiful Arrowpoint Nature Resort, nestled within the heart of the Santa Mission Amerindian Reserve. The reserve is named after the numerous Arrow trees found in the area and traditionally used to make arrows for hunting.

Take an early morning transfer aboard your coach, traveling along the East Bank of the Demerara River to arrive at the Arrowpoint Marina. It is a short boat ride across the Demerara River to the mouth of the Kamuni River and onwards towards Pokero Creek, a smaller black water tributary which is a contrast to the muddy brown waters of the Demerara. The dark shimmering water leads you through a corridor of overhanging vegetation. As you enter the Santa Mission Amerindian Reserve the habitat changes from forest to open savannah and seasonally flooded swamp. Ringed Kingfishers and Greater Anis, together with other riverside birds, are common along the river.

Make a stop at the village of Santa Mission, a community of Arawak and Carib Amerindians. Here you can experience village life and see and purchase local handicraft made from materials of the rainforest before continuing on your journey.

The resort itself is set against the backdrop of the rainforest and overlooking the river which is a haven for birdwatchers and nature lovers with an abundance of wildlife including 350 species of birds. A stretch of white sandy beach and a cluster of comfortable, inviting thatched-roof lodges are the forecourts to the tropical jungle ambience behind.

Make your way to return to the ship after a full day of nature and cultural immersion.

Enjoy an expert-led birdwatching tour of the extensive and beautiful Georgetown Botanical Gardens where, for lucky visitors, the rare Blood-colored Woodpecker might appear. This colorful Veniliornis is found only in the Guianas and even there almost wholly limited to the narrow coastal plain.

The gardens host Snail Kite, Gray Hawk, Pearl Kite, Carib Grackle, Red-bellied and Red-shouldered Macaws and the rare Festive Parrot. Walk on trails in the back of the gardens, where you may see Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Black-crested Antshrike, Silver-beaked Tanager, Buff-breasted Wren, Golden-spangled Piculet and Ashy-headed Greenlet. Take a break from birding to feed some manatees in one of the nearby ponds.

Make the return transfer back to the pier.

Discover Georgetown, Guyana's capital, on this half-day tour featuring the charming city's best highlights. Situated on the right Bank of the Demerara River Estuary, Georgetown was designed largely by the Dutch, in a squared grid pattern and is home to unique architecture dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

During your visit there are a number of interesting sights that should not be missed such as Stabroek Market - once described as a "bizarre bazaar," and St. George's Cathedral which is one of the world's tallest freestanding wooden buildings.

Other historic buildings along this promenade are the Public Library, City Hall, the Victoria Law Courts and St. Andrews Kirk. Visit the National Museum, which contains a broad selection of our animal life portrayed in taxidermy in beautiful old glass cases, and the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, which houses a wonderful collection of artifacts and explains Amerindian history and lifestyle.

Stroll the Botanical Gardens, home to an extensive collection of tropical flora, and the Zoo which has become a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center that houses over one hundred different species of tropical wildlife. Pay a visit to a pond either in the gardens or the National Park, to feed the endangered West Indian Manatees.

Make the return trip to the ship.

See the world's highest free-falling waterfall on this unforgettable, expert-guided tour. Departing the pier, take a one-hour flight over the Demerara and Essequibo Rivers, and hundreds of miles of unbroken tropical rainforest to land at Kaieteur Falls. First "discovered" by a European on April 29, 1870, the falls are situated in the heart of Guyana on the Potaro River, a tributary of the Essequibo. The waters of Kaieteur, one of the world's natural wonders, flow over a sandstone conglomerate tableland into a deep gorge - a drop of 741 feet, or 5 times the height of Niagara Falls.

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 Guianan Cock-of-the-rock nests close by. The lucky visitor may also see the famous flights of the Kaieteur Swifts or Makonaima Birds, which nest under the vast shelf of rock carved by the centuries of water, hidden behind the eternal curtain of falling water.

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.

After all of this splendor, make the return flight back to the pier.

Cruise the Mahaica River, the lifeline of the community and a birding destination. Departing the pier, travel eastward from Georgetown along the Atlantic coast to the Mahaica River to meet your experienced birding guide.

Get a glimpse into the everyday lives of the farming community scattered along this road. Fortunately, the area along the river has been well-preserved and provides an excellent riverfront ecosystem inhabited by flocks of egrets, herons, ibis, various marsh tyrants, and Guyana's national bird, the Hoatzin.

Upon arrival at the river landing enjoy a cup of coffee or tea before heading out onto the river. The river is the community's highway, serving as one of the main sources of transportation, food, recreation and fresh water to irrigate the fields.

The river also offers a rare chance to see the range-restricted, regional endemic the Blood-colored Woodpecker which has been severely affected by habitat loss in the Guianas coastal region.

This river is one of the best places to spot Guyana's national bird, the Hoatzin (Opisthocomus Hoatzin), also known as the Stinkbird, or "Canje Pheasant." This odd bird is an unusual species of tropical bird found in swamps, riverine forest and mangrove between the Amazon and the Orinoco Delta in South America. The trees along the river are also home to troops of Red Howler Monkeys, which are one of the loudest mammals in the world.

Make your return trip back to the pier.

Tour the largest market in Georgetown and enjoy a delicious lunch at the charming Backyard Café, a local hidden gem. Depart the pier to arrive in Georgetown, where your host, guide and culinary master, Chef Delven Adams guides you around Bourda Market, the largest of the four markets in Georgetown. Stop at the Guyana Shop, which has local products made and packaged in Guyana. Walk over to the market to meet some of the vendors who Chef buys from daily.

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. Dry goods like rice and of course Demerara Sugar are abundant. 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 makes his purchases with your suggestions of what you would like to try.

Then head over to the Backyard Café for lunch. This, as the name suggests, is a backyard that Chef has turned into an exclusive little hidden gem of a restaurant. If you are interested, join the Chef as he prepares a wonderful meal prepared from the fruits and vegetables you bought in the market in the morning.

Or you can just sit under the arbor 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, it is time to eat your way through the courses, remember to pace yourself as you definitely want to try it all.

Return to the pier.

Uitvlugt is one of only three sugar estates still operational in Guyana today, a significant reduction from over three hundred in the 18th and 19th centuries. Your visit starts with an introduction to the history of sugar and the estate by your guide before a stop at the exterior of the sugar factory. You will observe the various methods of loading harvested cane into the factory via a gantry crane system, while those coming in punts are lifted out of the canal and dumped onto a conveyer belt.

We now travel out into the cane fields aboard a sugar punt, which is a unique Guyanese feature amongst sugar plantations around the world. You will see the intricate system of canals which are vital for drainage and irrigation as well as transportation in these plantations which are actually below sea level. You will have the opportunity to experience first-hand the manual harvesting style called "cut and load" which is primarily used in Guyana. Chat with the cane cutters, who are happy to talk about their job and life on a sugar plantation, as they harvest the cane with their cutlasses. This experience is a reminder of the brutal and work-intensive history of sugar in Guyana, which has shaped its economy and cultural make-up today.

Your guide will describe the unique farming system being used to cultivate sugarcane for centuries in Guyana, everything from the development and planting of new species of cane to burning the fields before harvesting. We will enjoy tea and a snack which is served in the unique setting of a sugar punt on a canal, looking out over the cane fields. Then walk back to the factory, passing the nurseries where new and improved varieties are being developed and tested.