Tour facilitator Ibn Llama De Leon was correct. Guyana is the best kept secret in the world. My trip, with seven local media colleagues, to this vast South American nation last weekend was an amazing one and the stay even better, though hectic. In five days I flew on five aircraft, stayed at five hotels, and travelled hundreds of miles.
Day one
To the average local, Georgetown is Guyana, but nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, Georgetown is densely populated but, venturing into the interior is like entering a whole new world, filled with thousands of miles of untouched, unspoilt jungle; beautiful indigenous peoples; and exotic, exciting cuisines and cultures. This is what Guyana is trying to sell to the world, to woo visitors, especially Caricom neighbours and extra-regional eco tourists and nature lovers. And so, we embarked on a five-day familiarisation tour, an adventure actually, of Guyana, courtesy Evergreen Adventures, Trans Guyana Airways and the Correia Group of Companies. On my first night I stayed at the prestigious Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown. During the day, we were treated to lunch at the Chaurascaria Brazilian Restaurant, where customers could select their choice of beef and pork cuts from slabs of meat. In the evening, we dined at The Dutch Bottle, followed by a night on the town visiting two clubs - Palm Court and The Edge.
Day two
Very early on day two, we were taken into the interior from Georgetown's Ogle Airport to the North Rupununi Savannah. Camp was pitched in the village of Annai, home to the Mukushi Amerindians.
Having quickly settled in at Rock View Lodge, we were welcomed by owner Englishman Colin Edwards and his wife Velda, a descendant of two of the nine Amerindian tribes (Mukushi and Arawak) that inhabit the Rupununi. The other tribes are Wapashana, Akawayo, Arecuna, Waiwai, Potomanie, Warrionu and Carib.
Day three
We departed Annai at 5.30 am on the third morning and headed to Iwokrama, 80 miles further into the jungle, travelling along a rough dirt road in a TM diesel truck, outfitted with rails and seats. Settled in at the Atta Lodge, and welcomed by manager Anthony Andres, we set off on foot to The Canopy, literally a seven-platform suspension walkway, 98 feet over a lush gorge. Our guides Cassius and Alli ensured our safety along the way, pointing out a variety of massive trees and foliage, and alerting us to the possibility of encountering wild cats, like panthers, cougars and jaguars. We saw none in the jungle, but did see a cougar two days before in a cage at Ogle Airport. The breathtaking experience of The Canopy was later overshadowed when we flew into Kaeiteur, passing over the falls. Kaeiteur Falls is the world's highest single-drop waterfall, sending 40,000 gallons of water per minute into the Essequibo River.
On the evening of day three, we flew out of Kaeiteur and headed for Baganara Island, one of 365 islands in the expansive Essequibo River, the third largest in South America. Located five miles south of Bartica, Baganara is said to be the gateway to the unspoilt rainforest of Guyana, and the junction where the great Essequibo and Mazaruni Rivers meet. Moments after landing, we travelled by boat to Pigeon Island to watch thousands of parrots settle for the night. We also went to J'Ouvert, de Leon's home on the river, named after a calypso sung by his father, the late Roaring Lion. Our late night port of call was the town of Bartica, also by boat. A mining town, Bartica is also a trading post where any and everything imaginable can be bought, from gold and diamonds to Carib beer and Fruta juice drinks. Bartica, home to a Benedictine monastery, hospital and school, is sometimes called "the gateway to the interior." If ever there was a village that never sleeps, Bartica is it.
Day four
On the morning of the fourth day, journalists were taken canoeing along the Essequibo. We left Baganara after breakfast and travelled the Essequibo to go to Parika, our rendezvous point for the road trip back to Georgetown. On the way, we returned to Bartica, and also stopped off at the Hukakabra Resort, owned by Kit Nacimento. The 45-minute trip from Parika to Georgetown ended at 2 pm, after crossing the Demerara River, Guyana's deepest river, its bank's joined by a floating, suspension bridge. Back in the Guyanese capital safely, we lunched at The New Thriving Chinese Restaurant on Main Street. This three-storey restaurant is one of the largest I've ever been to if not the most ornately furnished and designed.
The evening of our penultimate day in Guyana saw us touring Cara Hotel, sister to Claxton Bay's Cara Suites, managed by Gavin O'Brien. Surrounded by structures being converted from wood to concrete, it was wonderful to experience Cara's original wooden structure, complete with 100-year paintings now faded beneath coats of lacquer.
On Monday afternoon we checked in at Grand Coastal Hotel in Bourda. In the evening we were guests at a cocktail reception, hosted by the Guyana Board of Tourism, headed by Director of Tourism Indranauth Haralsingh; Evergreen Adventures, headed by Nicole Correia; and the Correia Group of Companies. In attendance were REDjet CEO/Chairman Ian Burns, Evergreen marketing consultant Frank Willison, Evergreen PRO/tour guide Abdoul Ba, and members of the Guyana media. After a brief tour of Georgetown, we departed Guyana at 3 pm on Tuesday