Kanuku Mountains

Southwestern Guyana, Guyana

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The Kanuku Mountains in southwestern Guyana are a lush, forested range rising above the Rupununi savannahs and known as one of the most biologically rich areas in the country.

The range is split by the Rupununi River into eastern and western sections and covers over 6,000 square kilometers, with elevations reaching around 1,000 meters above sea level. Now protected as the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area, it represents roughly 4% of Guyana’s forested land and shelters an exceptional variety of wildlife, including about 70% of the nation’s mammal species and more than half of its bird species, such as jaguar, giant anteater, giant river otter, harpy eagle, and arapaima fish.

The mountains are also home to Indigenous Macushi and Wapishana communities, who have lived in the region for generations and depend on the forests, rivers, and savannahs for subsistence while contributing traditional knowledge to conservation efforts. For visitors, the Kanukus offer a remote, relatively undeveloped destination for nature tourism, with opportunities for hiking, wildlife watching, and cultural experiences in a largely pristine rainforest and savannah landscape.