Iwokrama Canopy Walkway

A 154-metre series of suspension bridges and decks rising to 30 metres in the Iwokrama Forest of central Guyana, with Atta Rainforest Lodge at its base. Owned by the Iwokrama International Centre and run in partnership with the indigenous Makushi community of Surama.

The Iwokrama Forest is a near-million-acre tract of central Guyana held under conservation, and the canopy walkway is how you see it from inside the treetops. The structure runs 154 metres along suspension bridges and decks, reaching 30 metres up, with four broad platforms that hold you level with the upper canopy.

Its build allows the supporting trees to keep growing (adjustable cables and braces rather than fixed fixings), and the walkway is owned by the Iwokrama International Centre, managed in partnership with the Makushi community of Surama and local operators.

This is some of the best birdwatching in a country with more than 840 recorded species. Green aracari, Guianan toucanet, red-and-green macaw and the crimson fruitcrow are regular sightings; the harpy eagle, with luck, is the one everyone hopes for. Dawn and late afternoon are the times to walk it, both for the wildlife and for the cooler light.

At the base sits Atta Rainforest Lodge, ten private rooms among the trees, for those staying longer than a day trip.