Mahaica River

The Mahaica is a narrow, slow river running down to the coast east of Georgetown, lined with mokka mokka and overhanging trees, and it is where visitors go to see the hoatzin, Guyana's national bird, a large ungainly creature with a spiky crest whose chicks have claws on their wings and which digests leaves by fermentation, giving it a smell that has earned it the name stinkbird. Boats leave from the village and the birds are usually found within an hour.

Background

The river empties into the Atlantic, with the village of Mahaica at its mouth, and it roughly divides the Demerara-Mahaica and Mahaica-Berbice regions. Brackish water has been recorded 12 miles inland. Flow is estimated at 1,700 cubic ft. per second in the wet season and 700 in the dry. Its source is hard to pin down, since its upper catchment overlaps the lower catchments of the Demerara and Berbice rivers, and it breaks into many smaller tributaries. Along its banks live 150 bird species, as well as river otters and howler monkeys. The Bellamy canal, dug in 1954, joins it to the Mahaicony River to regulate discharge and reduce flooding on the coastal plain.

Source: Wikipedia, "Mahaica River"

What's there

• The hoatzin - the national bird, reliably found along the overhanging vegetation.
• The creek - a narrow slow river closed in by trees on both banks.
• The other birds - kingfishers, herons and parrots along the water.
• The riverside villages - small settlements and farms along the banks.

When to go

Year round, but early morning is by far the best for birds. The wet seasons raise the water and change what is visible. Afternoon heat quietens everything.

What to expect

Boat hire prices vary and should be agreed in advance. The trip is short and the hoatzin is the main event. Mosquitoes along the creek are persistent.

Nearby

Georgetown is west along the coast road.

Key facts