Nature Of The Trip

The Coq of the Rock Journey is guaranteed to be a thrilling off-the-beaten track adventure, and will take you to places where very few other tourists visit. However, it’s important from the outset to be fully aware of the nature of the trip.

Although we’ve run the trip more than a dozen times, transport; accommodation and infrastructure do still present a number of practical difficulties. Things do go wrong; short bus rides will turn into marathons; border crossings and immigration bureaucracy will frustrate. Air and land transport is intended for local people, who often don’t have the rigid timetables we are accustomed to live by in our world.

On top of this, it is hot and some of the days have early starts and long days of travel, so there will be some tiring days, but this is part of the nature of travel in such an undeveloped region. Accommodation is no frills in some areas, and ‘day-to-day’ itineraries do occasionally have to be seen as a guide to intentions rather than cast-iron promises of what the future holds: the best example of this being the European Space Centre, which we aim to visit on every trip, though in the event of a launch schedules can change at a moment’s notice, and are completely beyond our control.

We’ve considered making the trip more comfortable, however we feel that by doing so we risk losing some of what makes the trip memorable: that heady mix of excitement and adventure in visiting an area so few get to experience. If you don’t relish that, please don’t book this trip.

Tour Leader

On this tour, you’ll be accompanied from start to finish by one of our exceptional Journey Latin America tour leaders. From the moment you land in Latin America until the day the tour ends they will deal with all the practicalities, expertly adapting to the circumstances and individual needs of the group. Rather than different guides in different cities, your leader will get to know the group and keep you informed and entertained as you go.

About Our Group Tours

To find out more about how our group tours including group sizes, solo travellers and why to choose us. Please click here.

Transport

2 flights; 6 land journeys (longest 6hrs); 2 sea crossings; 3 river ferries.

Accommodation

For this tour we aim to use good quality, value-for-money accommodation, in a mix of larger more modern, smaller family run hotels and lodges. All the properties we use are well maintained and rooms will have a private bathroom.
The focus of these trips is on getting outside, seeing the sights, and experiencing local restaurants and cafes, therefore a few hotels may not have evening dining facilities.

• Rio de Janeiro: Hotel Augustos
• Boa Vista: Hotel Uiramutam
• Guyanese Interior: Rock View and Atta Lodge
• Georgetown: Kanuku Suites
• Paramaribo: Hotel Palacio
• Kourou: Hotel Atlantis
• Cayenne: Hotel Amazonia

These hotels are subject to change and are dependent on availability. Address and contact details will be sent out with your final documents.

Meals

Breakfast daily; full board days 4,5,6.

Summary Of Nights

16 days, 15 nights: Rio de Janeiro 2, Boa Vista 1, Atta rainforest 1, Rock View 2, Georgetown 3, Paramaribo 3, Kourou 2, Cayenne 1.

Optional Excursions

Due to the nature of this tour there are a only a handful of optional excursions available. The main one is the trip to the Kaieteur Falls from Georgetown. The full day excursion costs in the region of $300 USD, but it will depend on the number of passengers wanting to do the trip.

Money

Take cash in US$ (and for French Guiana, euros) up to the total limit your insurance will allow. Travellers’ cheques are difficult to cash. ATMs which give access to cash are available in cities, but it’s worth having plastic for both Visa and Mastercard. Tell your bank in advance where and when you’re going. We recommend a daily budget of $35-40 USD per person per day to cover the cost of meals and daily expenses including tips and taxes. If you choose to visit Kaieteur Falls you should allow an additional $300 USD.

Visas

British passport holders (and almost all others) will need a visa for Suriname. This can be issued during the journey when you are in Georgetown, and costs around $40 USD. You’ll need spare passport photos and a copy of your yellow fever certificate.

Holders of a full British passport do not require a visa for the other countries, although passports must be valid for at least 6 months after the trip begins. Clients with a different nationality enquire or check with the relevant consulate.

APIS and ESTA – important flight information:
ESTA – if flying to the US, or via the US you will need to fill in your application to ESTA online.
This costs $14 per person. This must be done by you personally.

Passports must also be machine-readable (MRP). Avoid locking suitcases if transiting the USA, as their customs authorities retain the right to break into them.
APIS – Many countries now oblige airlines to provide additional information about passengers prior to the flight departure. This Advance Passenger Information (APIS) must be supplied to us promptly in order to issue tickets and avoid fare increases. We will provide the airlines with the relevant details if we are booking your international flights. If the information is not provided you may be denied boarding.

Insurance

Travel insurance is essential. Details of our recommended policy can be found on our Travel Insurance page.

Airport Taxes

International airport tax should be included in the cost of your ticket.

Climate

The Journey enters 4 countries, but we travel within a fairly thin band between 10 and 5 degrees N of the equator. So it’s tropical, i.e. hot and humid throughout. Along the Caribbean coasts of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, October is statistically one of the driest months in the year.

Cayenne’s annual rainfall is over 3,600mm, but October’s is 74mm – i.e. only 1/60 of the yearly total. But it’s all tropical – it can rain anytime, often in short and very heavy bursts.

Reduce Plastic Waste

Journey Latin America has partnered with Water-To-Go to offer JLA Group Tour passengers the opportunity to purchase 50cl filtered water bottles for a 30% discount. The bottle can be refilled at any water outlet and has a filter that eliminates 99% of bacteria and viruses, allowing the water to be safe to drink. Simply use the special Journey Latin America code XXXX when purchasing the bottle directly on the Water-To-Go website (ATTACH LINK). More information about this initiative can be found on our website here.

Vaccinations

Preventative jabs or tablets are recommended for: malaria, typhoid, polio, tuberculosis, tetanus and hepatitis A. Consult your local GP, or health clinic – he or she will probably refer you to the NHS fitfortravel website.

Take precautions against being bitten -by applying insect repellent, especially in the evenings out of cities. A valid yellow fever certificate or official doctor’s note stating why you cannot be vaccinated must be produced when crossing some borders, so it is essential that these are carried. There are several brands of gel or foam which can be used for washing your hands where no clean water is available.

Clothing And Special Equipment

Clothing should be casual and comfortable – plenty of light cotton (or light-weight wicking fabric which controls perspiration and dries quickly). Light colours are beneficial against sun and bugs. Dark clothes attract mosquitoes.

For wildlife viewing, the best colours to wear are pastel tones, like brown, beige and green, which don’t highlight your silhouette in the landscape and camouflage you in foliage. Avoid strong colours like yellow, bright blue and red.

Shorts and short-sleeve shirts should be avoided in the evenings, especially away from cities. Air-conditioning in rooms and restaurants is the closest you’ll get to being cold, so a light sweater or “layers” will suffice.

Other items worth packing are: Swim suit and towel, sun hat, trainers, lightweight raincoat, Insect repellent, sun tan lotion, sunglasses and torch.

For some excursions to the jungle and/or local flights you may be restricted to a maximum baggage allowance of 10kg (owing to limited space on light aircraft). In addition, some of the mini buses we use have limited baggage space.

A backpack or soft holdall (ideally with some degree of waterproofing) is the most comfortable way to carry your belongings, along with a small day-use backpack (25-40l capacity).