I’ve had a go at caramel about five times now, and I keep having the same problem of burning it. I’ve been making it without water, I stir it constantly and take it off the pan as soon as it starts to change colour, but it still burns!
Believe it or not, it’s most likely your constant attention and stirring that is causing your caramel to burn.
Sugar behaves a little bit differently when it’s cooked, because it generates its own heat as it breaks down. When you stir it, you cause the hot caramel to crystallise as it hits the sides of the pan, which rapidly increases the temperature of the sugar, to burning point in your case.
Try leaving it alone, or at least stirring it only minimally if you absolutely must – I’m sure your results will improve.