We had heard the swifts put on a display in the morning when they make their way from their nesting place, usually around 6, so we were up and at our vantage point at around 5.45 waiting in anticipation.

We waited for what felt like ages, and aside from the odd swift or two, we saw nothing. We were quite disappointed, both from getting up so early, and because these swifts just hadn't lived up to their reputation.

After breakfast Soldier, David and K took us out to spot the Golden Frog. These tiny frogs, bright yellow in colour, live in the leaves of the Giant Tank Bromeliad which can store a few litres of water around the base of the leaves. Both the frog and plant are endemic to the area.

After a little while Soldier found the first Golden Frog we would encounter. It was much smaller than we had expected so we didn't feel bad that we hadn't spotted one first. We ended up finding a few for that morning scattered around the plateau, and even saw some tadpoles in the water stored in the leaves.

We had hoped to go back searching for the c*** of the Rock again, but Soldier said we needed to get to the visitors centre to call the tour company and report in. It seems that since we had been lucky to spot one the day prior, that activity was satisfactorily completed from the itinerary.

After reporting in, Soldier said he would take us to Menzies Landing, a small community about 15 minutes walk away, populated mostly by women and children as the men are off working in the mines etc.

We were told there was a shop here, so we went back to the guesthouse quickly to get some money. On the way, Lindsay looked down at one point to see a reasonably large snake, maybe 1-1.5m, slithering directly across her path. Fortunately it moved away, rather than attacking as some of the aggressive species in the area will do.

After that little scare, we arrived at Menzies Landing, a very small community indeed. We expected the shop might sell some little artesian crafts but they had only a few food items, and of course some beer. We bought a couple to enjoy later that evening.

We had a look at the river from there, and found a family washing themselves and their clothes, as well as a traditional dugout canoe, but essentially there wasn't much going on in this town. The itinerary had made it sound a bit more like we would have a chance to interact with some local Amerindian people, but Soldier didn't engage anyone to speak to us, so we really just felt like a bit of a nuisance.

Back at the guesthouse we had lunch and a rest before going for a walk back to all the viewing points, and also to see if we could find for ourselves another c*** of the rock. We were lucky enough to spot another couple but only fleeting glimpses. We had all afternoon so we spent quite a bit of time just sitting at each vantage point admiring the views of the falls and the lush green valley.

In the evening we thought we would give the swifts another chance to impress. We stood atop the falls, and started to see some flocks gather overhead. The display started out similar to the night before, but then more swifts gathered, and they began sweeping down, very… swiftly, behind the cascades of water.

This time, there were hundreds of thousands, of not millions of birds. One group would dart past us, then the next, and the next. Just when we thought there couldn't possibly fit any more birds in the cave, more would appear. That evenings show definitely surpassed the morning and previous evening.

After dinner we return to the top of the falls with our beers. It was a clear night, and the almost-full moon cast a beautiful glow on the water and all through the valley. We sat and enjoyed the quiet, the natural beauty, the time to relax, and the beer! After a while one of the rangers came down for a bath in the river, so we ended up chatting to him for a while also.

Thomas, only 19, had been working as a ranger for 5 months. He had done a training course the year prior, and was one of only 4 in his class to be given a job. He was from an Amerindian village up river and told us he was the black sheep of the family. He left school at 14 and had worked as a miner, both on land and as a river diver, an extremely dangerous job that only paid if you found something. So now, he has a great job that he loves with a stable income and has made his family proud. One of the nicest guys you could meet.

We decided in the morning to skip the swifts, but were still awake early with the light and sounds. We were to leave Kaieteur on a 1pm flight, so we used the morning to once again visit all the lookouts, take another million photos, and soak up the last of our time there.

We got to the visitors centre/airport at 11.30 as instructed but were told our flight wasn't until 4! We are doubtful there was ever a 1pm flight despite what was on our tickets. We played some cards with a staff member there, she taught us a great game for 3 people, then we joined the tour with the people that arrived on the plane that was taking us back.

While we had already seen all the viewing points, we wanted to learn about some of the other aspects of the park that are explained on the tour, which our guide hadn't bothered to. They told us about some plants that are carnivorous, that insects stick to then the plants feed on them as they turn to dust, meaning no mozzies in the area!

We helped spot some Golden Frogs to show the "tourists" and cringed as they walked dangerously close to the cliff edges while studying the screens of their cameras. Just before leaving, Thomas took the two of us down onto a lower ledge directly beside the falls. We had spotted it prior but Lindsay had been nervous about being able to get back up if we had gone down there. With a guide showing us how it was a piece ok cake and a great way to end the trip.

As our plane flew off, we had a quick glimpse of the falls from the air and over endless jungle and rivers for the flight back. What took us 2.5 days overland was only an hour flight to return back to stinky, hot Georgetown.

LAPFWT