BugShot Guyana

Karanambu is one of Guyana’s timeless treasures, a place where creature comforts meet the wild, and where the landscape itself seems to breathe stories. Founded in 1927 as a cattle ranch and home to the McTurk family, it has grown into a lodge and a haven for conservation. Its guestbook reads like a celebration of natural history and culture, welcoming figures such as David Attenborough, Gerald Durrell, and Mick Jagger.

Set where the north savannah grasslands drift into swamps and flood forests along the Rupununi River, Karanambu rests at the crossroads of ecosystems. From its doorstep, toward the distant Pakaraima Mountains opening a window onto the untouched abundance of the Rupununi wetlands.

Here, Victoria amazonica reigns. The world’s largest water lily spreads its pads up to six feet wide, its luminous flowers unfurling to reveal a world of insects that gather at each bloom’s nightly opening, an intimate scene of nature rarely witnessed elsewhere.

Karanambu’s spirit is rooted in stewardship. The lodge carries forward the legacy of Diane McTurk (1932–2016), whose devotion to rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned giant river otters helped safeguard this curious, social species from the brink of disappearance. Her pioneering work lives on in the rhythms of the place, echoing in every stretch of savannah and every twist of river the lodge strives to protect.

Getting There
July 18th, 2026 you will fly into Gerogtown (GEO) airport and transfer to to Herdmanstan Lodge. Then on the 19th we will transfer to a different airport with a private TGA flight (OGL) to the Karanambu Lodge (flight included in registration). There will be a short transfer from the airport to Karanambu . We will fly back to Georgetown on the 26th of July, 2026 in the morning and you can get flights home after 1 pm on the on 26th July, 2026.

Above photo by Karanambu Lodge

• Workshop is from July 18th - July 26th, 2026. in Guyana at Karanambu Lodge.

• Workshop is limited to 20 participants.

• Workshop is based in Karanambu, Lodge, Guyana..

Instructors: Piotr Naskrecki, and John Abbott (Please note: changes in instructors may be necessary depending on workshop enrollment).

Topics include:
• Macro & microphotography equipment
• Composition
• Lighting & flash
• Working with live insects
• Focus stacking
• Telling a story with images
• Night photography
• Time Lapse of butterfly emergence
• photo critique and one on one photo editing

A general day will consist of starting the morning in the filed and then a talk or two in the middle of the day and then out in the field with instructors again in the afternoon. We will have talks on techniques at night and then end the day with a backlighting for insects.

If you have any questions you can contact kendra@abbottnature.com

Registration fee:
Double Occupancy $5,600
Single Occupancy $8,800

The fee for the workshop includes:
• Daily one-on-one and group instruction from Clay, Piotr, and John.
• Daily instruction on macro photography
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner on days of the workshop are included (as indicated on itinerary).
• Double occupancy hotel style housing.
• Transportation from the airport to the hotel on the 18th.
• A Flight from Karanambu to Georgetown on the 19th and the return flight on the 26th
• Entrance fees and travel to various locations.

The fee for the workshop does NOT include:
Flights to and from Guyana, alcohol, drinks and snacks outside of meals, souvenirs, or tips for guides.

Please see your doctor for recommended vaccinations.

Cancellation policy is as follows:
– 3 months prior to the workshop: 100% refund minus $300 cancellation fee
– no refunds after 3 months