When to Visit the South Rupununi, Guyana

Rainy and Dry Seasons

The Rupununi, in keeping with its reputation for thinking of itself as its own country, has a completely different weather pattern to Guyana’s coast.

Up on the coast, there are 2 rainy seasons and 2 dry seasons a year.  It rains in May and June, and again from mid-November to Mid-January.  The rest of the time it is drier, but you can expect showers of rain at any time.  As a consequence, the coast stays relatively green all year round.

In the Rupununi there is one long rainy season, from sometime in May to sometime in August.  The rest of the year is mostly very dry, sometimes with a period of light rain in December.  From September the savannahs and river begin to dry out, with water level dropping gradually until the start of the next rain.  In the South Rupununi, the Rupununi River itself will dry to a series of pools by March or April.

Wichabai in Dry Season

Temperature and Humidity

The Rupununi is blessed with very stable temperatures.  It won’t get below about 70°F (21°C), even on the coldest night.  The hottest day won’t quite reach 100°F (38°C). For most of the year it is a dry heat, and the days and nights can be pleasantly breezy.  Rainy season is of course more humid, up to 90%.  The equatorial sun is the enemy – wear a hat and long sleeved clothing in the day!

Wichabai during Flood

When to Visit the South Rupununi

Come any time during the dry season, from September to April.  The earlier in the season you come, the more water there will be in the river, so the better for river drifts and expeditions.  In September you will find some biting insects are still around, so avoid this if you are especially sensitive to bug bites.  Wichabai is open from mid-August to Mid-May.

Should you come in rainy season?  The rainy season is beautiful, but it is not an experience for the uninitiated.  If the mosquitos don’t get you during the evenings, the kaburus (biting flies with an irritating itch) will find you in the day and the sandflies will pester you at night.  The rain is an event; the floods are spectacular; the sky is ever-changing.  But the roads wash away, buses fasten in the thickening mud and ineffective bridges disappear under rising streams.  To some, this is a challenge not to be missed!  And there are lodges in the North Rupununi that remain open to hardy visitors throughout the ‘green season’.  River trips and scientific expeditions can be especially successful in rainy season.  For us at Wichabai, rainy season is a time to revitalize the vegetable garden, repaint the cabins, visit family and relax on the river.  Wichabai closes to tourists from mid-May to mid -August.