Article & Photos by Gregory Sukull
Born and bred in Georgetown, I would be considered a bonafide city boy. All I knew at seventeen years old were the intricate wooden colonial architecture of Georgetown, the commercial hustle and bustle of the City and the urban web of asphalt roads. This perspective of Guyana changed when I first ventured to the Rupununi Savannahs as an eighteen-year-old young man.
As a young boy and teenager,I visited the creeks on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway, and travelled the numerous trails to get to our many Sunday outing destinations with family and friends. None of that prepared me for the profound peace of mind, that mental calm and absolute joy that I felt when the Rupununi Savannahs burst open as I passed the Surama Village entrance. My first nirvana experience!
Travelers, historians, and scientists have all been fascinated by Rupununi’s remarkable natural environment for years. Many have explored the land through the decades for the fabled El Dorado from the Conquista era!
Harry Everard Turner’s book, “The Rupununi Development Company, An Early History,” detailed the long trip from Georgetown to Rupununi that took twenty-seven days in 1920. He explained that a traveller would take the steamer from Georgetown to Wismar, then travel through the trail to Rockstone. Once at Rockstone, the traveller paddles all the way up the Essequibo River to Kurupukari where they then travelled by horses to take them at last to the vast savannahs of the Rupununi. Fast forward one hundred years and that trip takes a mere ten to twelve hours along paved roads and wide dusty trails.
In this article, I will attempt, as a frequent traveller to the Rupununi, to share my personal experiences at and insights of the little known South Rupununi.
Owning Their Territory
The South Rupununi is considered the South once you venture past the world famous Kanuku Mountains. The geographic area is comprised of twenty-one villages and has a population of approximatey nine thousand indigenous people belonging to the Wapichan, Macushi and Wai Wai nations.
The villages of the South are Parikwarinau, Baitoon, Shiriri, Katu’ur, Potarinau, Quiko, Shulinab, Meriwau, Sand Creek, Rupunau, Katoonarib, Sawariau, Shea, Maruranau, Awarewaunau, Churikidnao, Aishalton, Karaudarnau, Achiwib, Bashaizon and Parabara which are all located across the Wapichan Territory. For generations, the southern part of Rupununi has been referred to as Wapichan Wiizi and the southerners are proud of their Wapichian heritage.
Even though the South Rupununi offers a wide range of experiences, still very few tourists venture there because many choose to stay closer to Lethem. The rich culture of the inhabitants is eclipsed only by their warm welcoming attitude to visitors to the South Rupununi. The adventures and magnificent vistas of the South Rupununi are rare jewels waiting to be explored, experienced and shared with visitors – local and foreigners alike.
My family and friends are frequently charmed by the South Rupununi pictures I post on social media as an amateur photographer. A lot of times I get asked: “Can you please take me with you the next time?”
The South Rupununi Region is home to some of the most breath-taking landscapes that visitors will ever see. It leads the adventurous through several native villages, including the Wapishana village of Shea, where visitors are treated to an awesome view of the Shea Rock, which towers over the flat savannahs. Visitors can enjoy anamazing view of the iconic Bottle Mountain, Shiriri Mountain, and Kanuku Mountain ranges from Shea Village. Tourists can also visit and see the Petroglyphs (Rock Art) that are a part of Guyana’s ancient heritage at the indigenous village of Aishalton.
It is easy to appreciate the vast savannahs that extend around you as far as the eye can see, dotted by the occasional bush island and termite mounds. The cool clear black water creeks crisscrossing the landscape offer a temptation few travellers can resist. The mornings bring a calm stillness caressed by cool breezes scented with the rich spice of surrounding green forests.
Travellers coming from a busy lifestyle of a major city often relay the feeling of having a weight lifted from their being when experiencing the first glimpse these vast savannahs. As for me, whenever I travel to the Savannahs I often take a deep breath on first sight, which brings self-awareness and I start to pay close attention to what life is trying to tell us about the paths we should take and find the solutions to questions and mysteries that have baffled us. We also broaden and deepen our understanding of what it means to be human, and we get a fresh appreciation for our good fortune.
Tourism in this part of the region is still in its infancy stage and as such we see many tourism organisations such as Tourism Guyana, A Path To Travel and Visit Rupununi promoting the Rupununi as a preferred tourist destination in Guyana. While staying at the well managed and visitor friendly Ori Hotel in Lethem, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mrs. Melanie McTurk of Karnambu Lodge regarding sustainable tourism in the Rupununi.
Melanie stated that there was a plan to introduce large hotels in the region to attract more tourists. She presented a more logical approach whereby a series of small eco-friendly fifteen-room lodges could be developed around the Rupununi region which would open up a lot of untouched areas as preferred tourist destinations. It is my hope that more visitors will choose the Rupununi as a travel destination, to discover and experience the true beauty and warmth Guyana has to offer in this part of our hinterland