The Kanuku Mountains, Guyana | Natural wonder

Sustainability is a way of life for the Macushi and Wapishana communities who live in the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area. Encompassing 611,000 hectares in southwestern Guyana, and rising to over 3,500 feet, the area boasts waterfalls, rock formations, and pristine forest with abundant wildlife. It’s home to 70% of Guyana’s mammals — including endangered Amazonian creatures, species endemic to the Guiana Shield, and the largest recorded bat diversity in a protected area (89 species). This is also where the Rupununi River originates, flowing between the east and west Kanukus, along the Guyana and Brazil border, and into the mighty Essequibo River.