Georgetown (pop 235,000)

Co-operative Republic of Guyana (pop 773,000)

Saturday

January 20, 2018

“Let’s take a photo with the white guy!”

Just outside the Stabroek Market, a group of taxi drivers are curious about me.   I approach them with my usual big smile, and one of them hollers, “Hey, let’s take a photo with the white guy.”  We all have a good laugh as we pose together.

The guidebooks caution against visiting the large and complex Stabroek Market.  Dodgy characters, beggars, pickpockets, unpleasant sights and treacherous walkways, etc.  White guys are a rarity.  Naturally it is my first stop.  Is there a market anywhere in the world sans dodgy characters?

Iwokrama River Lodge

Kurupukaro Crossing

Section 8

Potaro-Siparuni

Guyana

January 25, 2018

Hello from the Tropical Rainforest,

I consulted with Wilderness Explorers and together we devised my itinerary in Guyana.

From Georgetown I flew to the Fair View Airstrip and arrived at the Iwokrama River Lodge.

Here is the itinerary as described by Wilderness Explorers:

Iwokrama

Pickup and transfer to Eugene F. Correia International Airport.

Board scheduled flight for journey over hundreds of miles of tropical rainforest to land at Fair View Airstrip.  

Pick up from Fair View Airstrip and transfer to Iwokrama River Lodge.

The Iwokrama Rainforest is a vast wilderness of one million acres (404,690 hectares). This protected area was established in 1996 as the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development. The Iwokrama Forest is in the heart of one of four last untouched tropical forests of the world - The Guiana Shield of North-Eastern South America.

Surama Eco-Lodge

Surama

South Pakaraima District

Section 8

Guyana

January 25, 2018

My Scandinavian friend Oscar is a Certified Bushmaster. 

As a young soldier, Oscar served two tours in Afghanistan.  He still serves in the military and yet decided to test his skills in Jungle Survival here in Guyana with Bushmasters, a “survival” tour operator based in England.

There are two phases to the “Jungle Survival Experience” – Training and then Isolation.

Karanambu Lodge

North Rupununi District

Section 9

Guyana

I spent two days relaxing at the Karanambu Lodge.

How better to relax then a morning ride across the savannah in search of the Giant Anteater and an afternoon river cruise in search of the Giant River Otter?

Here is the description of Karanambu from my Wilderness Explorers itinerary:

Karanambu, a 110-square mile former cattle ranch, was the home of the late Diane McTurk, conservationist and a world-renowned expert on giant otters. Karanambu is located in the North Rupununi, a region of south-western Guyana known for its expansive wetlands and savannah, as well as its biological and cultural diversity.

Caiman House Field Station and Lodge

Yupakari

North Rupununi District

Section 9

Guyana

January 30, 2018

Regarding spotting of Jaguar and other wildlife, the Wilderness Explorers itinerary provides hope but makes no promises.

At the Iwokrama Lodge, for example, the itinerary states, “After dark we’ll set out on the river in hope of finding one or another of its four species of Caiman or snakes including Cox boa, tree frogs and if lucky maybe a puma or capybara.”

I did see one species of Black Caiman. 

The itinerary continues, “Transfer by 4 x 4 along the trail that is one of the best places to see the elusive Jaguar. The Iwokrama forest is rapidly gaining an international reputation for its healthy jaguar populations that seem not to be troubled by the appearance of curious humans.  No promises, but many have been lucky!”

Caiman House Lodge and Field Station

Yupukari Village

450 km -280 mi from Georgetown

Central Rupununi

Section 9

Guyana

January 31, 2018

My friend Jack tells me that whenever he travels to a foreign country he tries to spend time at a school. 

As I follow Jack’s suggestion, on my very last stop in the “interior” of Guyana, here at the Caiman House Lodge, I didn’t have to walk very far.

The Caiman House Lodge is in the middle of Yupukari, an Amerindian village with a population of about 500 people of the indigenous Macushi tribe.  The village supports three school buildings, outdoor meeting pavilions and a well-stocked, Internet-connected library.