Caiman House Field Station is what happens when a serious research project decides to invite the public along. Sitting on the banks of the Rupununi River in the Amerindian village of Yupukari, the lodge runs one of only two long-term black caiman research programs in the world — and overnight guests get to ride out with the team to capture, measure and tag wild crocodilians by torchlight.
It is owned by the village, funds the Yupukari Public Library, and was named to TIME's World's Greatest Places list in 2024. There aren't many places where staying the night is, by itself, an act of meaningful conservation.
The Caiman Tagging Tour
The signature experience runs after dark. Guests board a follow boat behind the research crew and head out onto the still surface of the Rupununi River. Powerful spotlights pick up the red eye-shine of black caiman along the banks. Once an animal is captured and secured, the team measures and weighs it, takes a tissue sample, applies a unique scute-notch ID (a tiny notch in the back-spine plates) plus a backup microchip, then releases it where it was found.
This is not a staged demonstration. The data feeds a long-term mark-recapture study that has tracked roughly 1,000 individual black caiman since 2005. Recapture rates have climbed from about 15% in the first four years to around 40% today — a sign that the population the team is following is stable and well-studied.
Why the Tagging Tour Is Rare
Only two known field operations in the world study black caiman and their nesting at this scale — Caiman House on the Rupununi, and a sister project on the Amazon. Caiman House is the only one that opens its data-collection nights to overnight guests. The project has reportedly run for two decades without losing a single caiman or injuring a human.
The People Behind It
Caiman House was founded in 2005 by Alice Layton and Peter Taylor. Peter spent nearly 20 years as a keeper and supervisor at the Bronx and St Louis zoos before relocating to Yupukari to research the species in the wild. The black caiman work started as his PhD research and grew into the long-term programme that still runs today.
The lodge is run under two linked entities: Caiman House Incorporated, a Guyanese non-profit whose board is composed entirely of Rupununi residents, and the Rupununi Learners Foundation, a US-registered 501(c)(3) established in 2001. The current general manager is Delrene Lawrence.
What the Money Does
This is the part that turns a wildlife stay into something more useful. All surplus revenue from Caiman House funds three things, in order:
- The Yupukari Public Library — primary funder since 2005. Outreach programs, after-school classes, and an annual December "reading rodeo".
- Wildlife conservation — the caiman programme, plus a river-turtle nesting and release effort that has put over 8,000 yellow-spotted river turtles back into the Rupununi.
- Cultural preservation — weaving, pottery, cassava processing, matapi-making and shumba-making taught to village youth as part of restoring Macushi cultural practice.
The downstream metric the team is most proud of: the village's primary-to-secondary school pass rate climbed from near zero in 2005 to 86% by 2019, with library outreach as one of the contributors.
Wildlife & Birds
Beyond black caiman, the night-boat outings reliably turn up spectacled caiman, tree boas, iguanas, frogs, kingfishers, nightjars, potoos, boat-billed herons, bats, capybara and squirrel monkeys. The Yupukari savannah hosts jabiru storks and an exceptional density of waterbirds, and the wider Rupununi delivers giant river otters, giant anteater on early-morning savannah drives, and seasonal harpy eagle activity.
The longest sea-level black caiman ever measured was caught in Colombia in 2022 at 5.7 metres. Caiman House's Rupununi-specific growth study estimates asymptotic snout-vent lengths around 178–189 cm for males — substantial animals on big water.
The Lodge
Accommodation is intentionally human-scale. Six handcrafted en-suite rooms plus three additional rooms with shared bathrooms give a maximum capacity of about 14 guests. Buildings and furniture are built in Yupukari from locally sourced materials. Power is 100% solar, with 24-hour wireless internet and safe drinking water. Meals are Guyanese and Macushi village cooking — fresh bakes at breakfast, pepperpot, and the river's exceptional diversity of fish.
Caiman House Guest House
Six en-suite rooms plus three shared-bath rooms (around 14 guests max), built and furnished in Yupukari. Solar power, 24-hour Wi-Fi, communal meals. Winner of the Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Award.
Conservation economics
A 2021 study in the journal Herpetologica estimated each living black caiman in the Rupununi generates roughly US$422–US$566 a year in tourist income, compared to about US$300 from hunting or farming. Recaptured animals — visited again and again — can generate close to US$2,700 over their study lifetime. Live caiman are simply worth more than dead ones, and the data is now strong enough to prove it.
Getting There
- Georgetown → Lethem — about 1 hour 45 minutes by 12-seater aircraft
- Lethem → Yupukari — overland by 4×4 across the savannah; final approach typically involves a short boat crossing of the Rupununi River
- From Karanambu Lodge — Yupukari is about one hour by river or 1.5 hours by road
Build a Multi-Stop Rupununi Trip
Caiman House pairs naturally with Karanambu, Rockview and the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway. Most visitors fly Georgetown–Lethem and link three or four lodges over a week.
Explore Rupununi ExperiencesBest Time to Visit
Caiman House's listed visitor season runs October to April, the Rupununi dry months. Water levels drop, caiman are easier to find, and roads are reliable. The rainy season (May–September) brings flooded forest paddling and a frog-spawning spectacle, but high water makes night-boat work more challenging.
Recognition
- TIME — World's Greatest Places 2024
- Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Award winner
- Featured on the Guyana Tourism Authority familiarisation circuit (most recent media visit November 2025)
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the tagging tour actually involve?
You ride a follow boat behind the research crew, observe the capture and restraint, then have the option to assist with weighing, measuring, sexing and tagging before each animal is released back where it was found.
How safe is the work?
The Rupununi project has reportedly run for two decades without losing a caiman or injuring a person. Captures are done by trained researchers; guests assist only with safe steps and never handle the animal's head.
Who founded Caiman House?
Biologist Peter Taylor (formerly Bronx and St Louis zoos) and Alice Layton, in 2005. It is now run by Caiman House Incorporated (Guyanese, village-led) alongside the Rupununi Learners Foundation.
How does the lodge benefit Yupukari?
All surplus revenue funds the Yupukari Public Library, the caiman and turtle conservation programs, and Macushi cultural preservation. The library is credited with helping push the village's primary-to-secondary school pass rate from near zero in 2005 to 86% by 2019.
When can I visit?
The published visitor season runs October to April — the dry months that make caiman work reliable.
Where exactly is Yupukari?
On the banks of the Rupununi River in Region 9. Access is via flight from Georgetown to Lethem (about 1 hour 45 minutes) and then overland by 4×4, finishing with a short boat crossing of the river.
Last updated: May 17, 2026. To pair Caiman House with neighbouring Rupununi lodges, browse our wilderness experiences or contact us.