Mountains in Guyana

🏔️ Overview

Guyana’s mountains rise from one of the wildest and least densely populated landscapes in South America. Although the country is often associated with its Atlantic coastal plain and tropical rainforests, its interior contains extensive highlands, forested ridges, sandstone escarpments, and dramatic flat-topped mountains known as tepuis.

Most of Guyana’s highest mountains are found in the west, where the Pakaraima Mountains form part of the broader Guiana Highlands. This region contains Mount Roraima, Mount Ayanganna, Maringma Tepui, Wei-Assipu, and several other remote summits. Farther south, the Kanuku and Acarai mountains rise above the Rupununi savannahs and the headwaters of major rivers.

Guyana’s mountains differ greatly from young, sharply folded ranges such as the Andes. They stand on the ancient Guiana Shield, and many of their most distinctive landforms were created when erosion carved isolated plateaus from resistant layers of sandstone.

⚡ Fast Facts

Feature	Information
Continent	South America
Country	Guyana
Highest mountain	Mount Roraima
Best recent surveyed elevation	2,805.8 m (9,205 ft)
Traditionally listed Guyana high point	2,772 m (9,094 ft)
Most prominent mountain entirely within Guyana	Mount Ayanganna
Main mountain range	Pakaraima Mountains
Other important ranges	Kanuku, Acarai, Imataka, and Iwokrama mountains
Geological region	Guiana Shield
Characteristic landform	Tepui, or steep-sided table mountain
Major protected mountain area	Kanuku Mountains Protected Area
Principal rivers originating in the highlands	Essequibo, Mazaruni, Ireng, Potaro, and Courantyne

📍 Location and Landscape

Guyana is situated on the northern coast of South America. It borders Venezuela to the west, Brazil to the south and southwest, Suriname to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north.

The country can be divided into four broad physical regions:

1. The low-lying Atlantic coastal plain
2. The hilly sand-and-clay belt farther inland
3. The forested interior highlands
4. The Rupununi and other interior savannahs

The highest and most rugged terrain lies primarily in western Guyana. Here, sandstone plateaus and tepuis rise above rainforest, cloud forest, and upland savannah. The Pakaraima Mountains also form an important watershed between river systems flowing toward the Orinoco basin and those draining toward the Amazon and Atlantic.

Most of Guyana’s western mountains stand within the territory west of the Essequibo River that is claimed by Venezuela but administered by Guyana. The boundary dispute is being considered by the International Court of Justice. This article follows Guyana’s present administration of the region.

📏 Highest Mountains in Guyana

Mountain elevations in Guyana are not documented as precisely as those in heavily surveyed regions. Several summits remain remote, some names have been applied inconsistently, and satellite-derived elevations occasionally conflict with older maps.

The following table is therefore a provisional ranking based on the best available mapped, published, and surveyed information. Lower positions may change as more accurate surveys become available.

Rank	Mountain or High Point	Elevation	Mountain Region	Notes
1	Mount Roraima—Guyana high point	2,805.8 m (9,205 ft)	Pakaraima Mountains	Elevation reported by a 2026 GNSS survey; older sources commonly use 2,772 m
2	Wei-Assipu	2,400 m (7,874 ft)	Eastern tepuis	Border mountain northeast of Mount Roraima
3	Monte Yakontipú	2,331 m (7,648 ft)	Pakaraima Mountains	Remote borderland tepui
4	Maringma Tepui	2,147 m (7,044 ft)	Pakaraima Mountains	Also called Mount Maringma or Malaima-tepui
5	Monte Apocailã	2,073 m (6,801 ft)	Pakaraima Mountains	Remote high point near the Brazilian frontier
6	Ayanganna Mountains high point	2,052 m (6,732 ft)	Pakaraima Mountains	Close to Mount Ayanganna, commonly listed at about 2,041–2,045 m
7	Waukauyengtipu	About 1,800 m (5,906 ft)	Western Guyana highlands	Elevation estimated from satellite imagery
8	Mount Wokomung	About 1,700 m (5,577 ft)	Pakaraima Mountains	Published elevations vary considerably
9	Monte Ulamitipú	1,651 m (5,417 ft)	Southern Pakaraima Mountains	Remote border high point
10	Morakabang Mountain	1,598 m (5,243 ft)	Potaro-Siparuni	Highly prominent forested mountain

Mount Roraima

Mount Roraima is Guyana’s highest mountain and one of the most recognizable tepuis in the world. Its summit plateau lies near the meeting point of Guyana, Brazil, and Venezuela and is surrounded by enormous sandstone cliffs.

For many years, geographical references identified a point of approximately 2,772 metres on the plateau as Guyana’s national high point. A ground survey completed in 2026 reported that the true summit of Mount Roraima lies inside Guyana at 2,805.8 metres. Peakbagger subsequently incorporated the new measurement into its South American country-high-point list, although many maps and reference works continue to show the older figure.

The mountain’s commonly used trekking route approaches from Venezuela, where a natural ramp provides nontechnical access to the plateau. The cliffs facing Guyana are much steeper and normally require a major technical climbing expedition.

Mount Ayanganna

Mount Ayanganna is one of Guyana’s best-known mountains and one of the highest tepuis situated entirely within the country’s administered territory. It rises in the Pakaraima Mountains approximately 85 kilometres east of Mount Roraima.

Its upper slopes support montane forest, shrubs, bromeliads, and other plants adapted to cool, wet highland conditions. Mount Ayanganna also holds national significance. Members of the Guyana Defence Force have traditionally carried the national flag to its summit around Guyana’s Republic Day celebrations.

Maringma Tepui

Maringma Tepui is a relatively small but high sandstone plateau near the Guyana–Brazil border. It is also known as Mount Maringma, Mount Marima, and Malaima-tepui.

The mountain was the subject of Smithsonian botanical expeditions during the 2000s. Its remoteness and the historical use of similar names for neighboring mountains have caused considerable confusion in maps and geographical records.

Waukauyengtipu

Waukauyengtipu is a large plateau in western Guyana, mostly within the traditional territory of the Indigenous community of Paruima. Its name has been translated from the Arekuna language as “the mountain of the place of the butterfly.”

Much of its summit lies at approximately 1,520 metres, with higher sections possibly reaching about 1,800 metres. The plateau has sometimes been confused with Cerro Venamo, but geographical research indicates that the two are separate mountains.

🗺️ Major Mountain Ranges

Pakaraima Mountains

The Pakaraima Mountains—also spelled Pacaraima Mountains—form Guyana’s largest and highest mountain system. They extend through western Guyana and adjoining parts of Venezuela and Brazil.

The range is best known for its tepuis, including Mount Roraima, Mount Ayanganna, Mount Wokomung, Maringma Tepui, and Wei-Assipu. Numerous rivers originate in these uplands, and the deeply dissected plateaus create waterfalls, gorges, and forested escarpments.

Kaieteur Falls, located on the Potaro River, is associated with the eastern Pakaraima highlands. Its principal drop is approximately 226 metres, and the combination of height and water volume makes it one of South America’s most impressive waterfalls.

Kanuku Mountains

The Kanuku Mountains rise from the Rupununi savannahs in southwestern Guyana. They consist of eastern and western sections separated by the Rupununi River and surrounding lowlands.

The name Kanuku is generally translated as “rich forest” in the Wapishana language. The mountains support exceptionally diverse tropical forest and provide habitat for jaguars, harpy eagles, giant anteaters, tapirs, primates, and hundreds of bird species.

Much of the range is protected within the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area, which covers approximately 611,000 hectares. The protected area consists overwhelmingly of forest, with smaller areas of savannah and wetland habitat.

Acarai Mountains

The Acarai Mountains form a remote, forested range along Guyana’s southern border with Brazil. They are lower than the Pakaraima Mountains but are geographically important because they contain the headwaters of the Essequibo River.

The Acarai region is among the least accessible parts of Guyana. Dense rainforest, long river journeys, limited infrastructure, and the absence of established hiking trails make exploration difficult.

Parts of the range lie within or near the Kanashen Amerindian Protected Area, an Indigenous-owned conservation area managed by the Wai Wai community.

Imataka Mountains

The Imataka Mountains extend through northwestern Guyana and eastern Venezuela. These forested uplands are generally lower than the central Pakaraima tepuis but form part of the wider Guiana Shield highland system.

The area contains mineral deposits and extensive tropical forest. Access is limited, and much of the terrain remains poorly documented outside geological and biological research.

Iwokrama Mountains

The Iwokrama Mountains are low, forested uplands within the Iwokrama Forest of central Guyana. They do not approach the elevations of Mount Roraima or Mount Ayanganna, but they provide some of the country’s most accessible mountain hiking.

Turtle Mountain, rising to approximately 290 metres, is a popular guided hike. Its summit overlooks the rainforest canopy and the Essequibo River and provides opportunities to observe monkeys, macaws, and other wildlife.

🪨 Geology

Guyana’s mountains stand on the Guiana Shield, one of the oldest exposed geological regions in South America. Much of its basement rock formed during the Precambrian, more than two billion years ago.

The famous tepuis are composed largely of sedimentary rocks belonging to the Roraima Supergroup. These rocks include resistant quartz-rich sandstone, conglomerate, shale, and related formations deposited roughly 1.9 to 1.8 billion years ago.

Tepuis are not volcanic mountains, nor are they young folded mountains formed by a recent continental collision. They are erosional remnants of once-more-extensive rock layers. Over immense periods, rivers, tropical rainfall, chemical weathering, and slope erosion removed softer surrounding material while leaving isolated blocks of resistant sandstone.

This process produced the enormous cliffs, flat or gently sloping summit plateaus, rock towers, caves, sink-like depressions, and waterfalls associated with Mount Roraima and neighboring tepuis.

🌿 Flora and Fauna

Guyana’s mountain environments range from lowland tropical forest to montane cloud forest, upland scrub, exposed sandstone, and summit wetlands.

The isolation of individual tepuis has allowed populations of plants and animals to evolve separately from those in surrounding forests. Summit vegetation can include orchids, bromeliads, low shrubs, mosses, ferns, and carnivorous plants adapted to acidic, nutrient-poor soils.

Guyana’s highlands are especially important for amphibians and reptiles. Scientific expeditions to Mount Ayanganna, Mount Wokomung, Maringma Tepui, and nearby plateaus have documented frogs and other animals with extremely restricted distributions.

Larger animals found in the mountain forests and surrounding lowlands include:

• Jaguars
• Pumas
• Lowland tapirs
• Giant anteaters
• Giant otters
• Red howler monkeys
• Black spider monkeys
• Harpy eagles
• Guianan cock-of-the-rocks
• Macaws and toucans

The Kanuku Mountains are particularly significant for biodiversity. The broader Rupununi region supports a large proportion of Guyana’s known mammal and bird species.

🥾 Hiking and Climbing Routes

Guyana does not have an extensive system of marked mountain trails. Many high summits require river transport, charter aircraft, permission from Indigenous communities, local guides, and expedition-level planning.

Mount Roraima

The normal trekking route begins in Venezuela and follows a natural break in the mountain’s southwestern cliffs. A typical trip takes several days and involves camping on the plateau.

Approaching the summit from Guyana is a very different undertaking. The Guyanese cliffs are steep, isolated, and technically demanding. Climbs on this side have required advanced rock-climbing ability, extensive equipment, and complex logistical support.

Mount Ayanganna

Mount Ayanganna is usually approached as an organized expedition rather than a casual hike. Travel may involve aircraft, boats, rainforest trekking, river crossings, and steep climbing through wet vegetation. There is no ordinary maintained tourist trail.

Turtle Mountain

Turtle Mountain in the Iwokrama Forest is one of Guyana’s most practical mountain hikes. Visitors normally travel by boat from the Iwokrama River Lodge before following a forest trail to the summit.

The hike is relatively short but can be hot, humid, muddy, and slippery. Guided trips offer opportunities to observe monkeys, birds, insects, and rainforest plants.

Kanuku Mountains

Travel in the Kanuku Mountains is generally arranged through local communities, conservation organizations, or specialist tour operators. Routes are remote and may involve savannah travel, forest trails, rivers, and wildlife encounters.

🏔️ Field Guide Tip: Do not attempt an independent journey into Guyana’s remote mountains without local guidance. Communications are limited, trails may be unmarked, river levels can change quickly, and evacuation from the interior may require an aircraft.

🌤️ Best Time to Visit

Conditions vary considerably between the coastal region, highlands, and southern savannahs. In the Rupununi and Kanuku Mountains, the relatively drier periods generally occur from January through April and during September and October.

Even during a nominal dry season, mountain rain, mist, and thunderstorms are possible. Tepui summits are particularly wet because rising air cools and condenses around the plateaus.

The rainy season can make rivers easier to navigate in some locations but may also produce floods, muddy trails, difficult crossings, and flight disruptions. Visitors should plan according to the specific mountain, access route, and advice from local guides rather than relying only on national climate averages.

🧭 Nearby Mountains and Attractions

Kaieteur Falls

Kaieteur Falls plunges from the Potaro Plateau within Kaieteur National Park. Visitors commonly arrive by small aircraft, although longer overland and river expeditions are also possible.

Rupununi Savannah

The Rupununi is an extensive savannah region bordered and interrupted by forested mountains. It is known for wetlands, ranches, Indigenous communities, giant anteaters, caimans, and exceptionally rich birdlife.

Iwokrama Forest

The Iwokrama Forest offers guided rainforest walks, river excursions, the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, wildlife viewing, and the Turtle Mountain hike.

Orinduik Falls

Orinduik Falls lies on the Ireng River near the Guyana–Brazil border. The river flows over broad steps of jasper and other resistant rocks, producing a series of cascades rather than a single vertical plunge.

Kanashen Amerindian Protected Area

This vast protected landscape in southern Guyana is owned and managed by the Wai Wai people. It includes rainforest, rivers, and sections of the Acarai highlands.

💡 Fun Facts

• Guyana is the only country in South America where English is the official language.
• The word tepui comes from an Indigenous language of the Guiana Highlands and is commonly interpreted as “house of the gods.”
• Mount Roraima’s plateau is divided among or bordered by Guyana, Brazil, and Venezuela.
• Guyana’s highest mountains are hundreds of kilometres from the country’s main population centers along the Atlantic coast.
• Some Guyanese tepuis have been visited by only a small number of scientific and climbing expeditions.
• The Essequibo River begins in the Acarai Mountains and flows north for roughly 1,000 kilometres before reaching the Atlantic.
• Mount Ayanganna has become a national symbol through the ceremonial raising of Guyana’s flag on or near its summit.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What is the highest mountain in Guyana?

Mount Roraima is the highest mountain in Guyana. A 2026 GNSS survey measured its true summit at 2,805.8 metres, reportedly within Guyana. Many older references list Guyana’s high point as a separate 2,772-metre point on the plateau.

Is the summit of Mount Roraima in Guyana or Venezuela?

Mount Roraima extends across Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil. Older sources generally placed the mountain’s 2,810-metre summit in Venezuela. The 2026 ground survey reported that the true highest point is approximately 2,805.8 metres and lies inside Guyana. The result has not yet been adopted consistently across all maps and official references.

What is the highest mountain entirely within Guyana?

Mount Ayanganna is generally described as the highest well-known mountain situated entirely within Guyana. Its commonly published elevation is approximately 2,041–2,045 metres, while Peakbagger maps a nearby Ayanganna Mountains high point at 2,052 metres.

What are the main mountain ranges in Guyana?

The principal ranges and highland groups are the Pakaraima, Kanuku, Acarai, Imataka, and Iwokrama mountains.

Does Guyana have volcanoes?

Guyana’s best-known mountains are not volcanoes. The tepuis are eroded remnants of ancient sandstone plateaus standing on the Guiana Shield.

Can tourists climb mountains in Guyana?

Yes, but relatively few mountains have maintained trails. Turtle Mountain is among the most accessible guided hikes. Mount Ayanganna and the Guyanese side of Mount Roraima require organized expeditions and considerably greater experience.

Are Guyana’s mountains part of the Andes?

No. The Andes run along the western side of South America. Guyana’s mountains belong to the much older Guiana Shield and Guiana Highlands.

🔗 Related Articles

• Mount Roraima
• Mountains in Brazil
• Highest Mountain in Every Country
• Mountains by Country
• What Is Mountain Prominence?

🔗 Related Hiking and Safety Guides

• The Ten Essentials for Hiking
• What to Do If You Get Lost Hiking

Sources

• Peakbagger – South America Country High Points — Recent elevation listing for Guyana’s Mount Roraima high point and comparative South American high-point data.
• Country Highpoints – Mount Roraima, Guyana Highpoint — Account and results of the 2026 GNSS survey reporting a summit elevation of 2,805.8 metres.
• Peakbagger – Ayanganna Mountains High Point — Elevation, prominence, isolation, and mapped location of the Ayanganna high point.
• PeakVisor – Mountains of Guyana — Mapped mountain inventory and elevations for Guyana’s named and border summits.
• Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission – Mountain Ranges — Government geographical overview of Guyana’s mountain ranges and Mount Roraima.
• National Trust of Guyana – Mount Roraima — Guyanese heritage information about Mount Roraima and its plateau.
• Brazilian Journal of Geology – Stratigraphy of the Roraima Supergroup — Geological study of the Roraima Supergroup along the Brazil–Guyana border.
• Smithsonian Institution – Biological Diversity of the Guiana Shield — Scientific overview of tepui environments, elevations, and biodiversity.
• Guyana Protected Areas Commission – Kanuku Mountains Protected Area — Official information on the Kanuku Mountains, protected-area boundaries, and biodiversity.
• Iwokrama International Centre – Visitor Packages — Route and hiking information for Turtle Mountain.
• International Court of Justice – Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 — Current case information concerning the Guyana–Venezuela territorial boundary dispute.