A Trip to Yupukari Village

Published: 7th of December, 2025 by Patrick Carpen

Last updated: March 21, 2026 at 7:13 am

In 2019, I visited the isolated hinterland community of Yupukari located in the Central Rupununi Savannahs of Guyana. There, I stayed at the Caiman House Eco Lodge for two weeks. It was a magical experience.

While I was out jogging down the laterite trail one afternoon, an indigenous youth pulled over with his motorcycle and asked me if I wanted a ride home. I explained that I was jogging, and he drove away with a smile. That’s kindness and consideration. At the Caiman House Eco Lodge, I saw a group of youths cheerfully watching a movie on a cell phone. That’s happiness and contentment. I noticed that persons could leave their laptops safely under the benab with no security, and no one would steal it. That’s honesty and integrity.

While there, I taught computer classes to a group of really fast learners. That was a fun experience. Mr. Howard Barnabas took me for a ride up the Savannahs and showed me the ruins of a British fort which he said was used during a military standoff with the Portuguese during the quest for the city of Eldorado. I visited a beautiful lake with placid waters under which the black caiman is rumored to lurk. I saw some wonderful kids with a cat named Whiskey. I also met former head of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Mr. Brian Mullis, his wife, and their two adopted children.

The Caiman House Eco Lodge serves healthy food with natural juice. Its skillful construction reflects indigenous craftmanship and native lifestyle, and enhances the nature themed aura of the environment. Set on the rolling hills of the vast savannahs between the Pakaraima and Kanuku Mountain ranges, the village of Yupukari is replete with breathtaking scenery, and pervaded by an atmosphere of calm and tranquility.