GUYANA: COUNTRY OF RESPLENDENT RIVERS AND FRIENDLY ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLE

Travelling is an ideal state of being in the world and a magic mineral that provides a frolic enthusiasm for living

I hope for more differences in each place I visit

My writing is not imagination every line I write has foundation.

General notes informing the casual traveller how we feel he can get about and for the Boat Owner many waypoints to enter the rivers from the Ocean. This will need updates as time has progressed. I will be glad to add any updates. Email but we are often without email for months

NOTE WELL All of these notes are given as a guide and the reader should always make his own opinion as to what he should do. i.e. I take no liability for people using my notes.

This may seem disjointed but plod through it and you may find what you want. I promise to fix it when I have time but bird watching calls me

Every where we went on our boat you can go without having a boat by using

River taxis or local boats. Carry a hammock. Everyone speaks English and will help you find what you want or something better

but if you want it like home stay there.

Animals and Birds (These come first as they were the reason we travelled the rivers of Guyana.)

Endangered Giant Otters were in many places but particularly in quiet Caños leading off main caño or when the main caño narrowed. The baby otter was heard by Maracucho our guide from the village between Caño Cojuma and Caño Jawana on the Macareo River. See Photograph in web site. (Maracucho is still in this area and an excellent bird and animal guide for a T Shirt a day plus inflation.

Monkeys – howlers were heard every where, some sighted in Caño Tucapita and Lau Lau

Most seen in Caño Guapoa in groups of 4 to 8 high in the trees

Capuchins were only seen in Caño Jawana in quiet caños off main caño. They however made the caño very noisy with their antics. They sighted us and continuously checked us out. Most comical.

Pre historic Pink river dolphins seen everywhere and sometimes hit our boat at night.

Crocodiles (caymans) seen basking on banks at low tide in really quiet caños and amongst water hyacinth and logs. Many not seen but many big splashes.

Iguanas – sitting in trees above water were easily frightened and jumped into water

Others seen climbing trees or resting in trees just back from the bank of the caño were easy to photograph.

A baby lineated woodpecker was sighted in a woodpecker hole peering out waiting for the parent to return with food. Both the lineated and crimson

crested make a loud drumming noise when wood pecking

A pair of common tody flycatchers was very busy building their nest at eye level from the dinghy

We sighted many of the same species in many different locations so we had a good opportunity for good identification. At least 20 birds sighted were not identified including a very dark ibis with a pink bill near Caño Largo, small warbler type birds, other seed eaters, hawks. A bird list is available.

REFERENCE BOOK USED A GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF VENEZUELA BY RODOLPHE MEYER DE SCHAUNESEE AND WILLIAM PHELPS JR.

Best times to explore the jungle and caños is 6.45am to 11 am and 3.30 pm til 6.30 pm

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HELPFUL PEOPLE Rahaman family Jad, Caroline, sister Nadia, son Ryan, - own Baraca Island Resort up the Mazaruni River one and a half hours upstream from Bartica and White Water Tours (They have rooms in Georgetown too.) They operate a jet boat service from Parika to their resort and up first part of the rapids in the Mazaruni River. We left our boat in front of their resort on anchor for 4 weeks while touring inland to Rupununi (phone Georgetown 226 6614

Mendes family own Dubeley ranch on Berbice River based in Georgetown 2 brothers, Alexander and Andrew and their wives

Ricky and Cynthia Kahn Georgetown and Kumaka in NW region Ph Georgetown 02 271763 or 02 78707 Kumaka 07 75147

Mizam Barakat, Barakat Sawmill, Charity Pomeroon river 071 4539

Halbert Knight pharmacist and Tourist Information Bartica

Donald and Agnes at Rock Landing high up the Berbice – take Hammocks, food, ask around.

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GUYANA – divided into regions ten regions and referred to as the region number

1 NW region Waini Barima Kailua, Sebai, Aruka rivers

2 Pomeroon

3 Essiquibo

4 Demerara-mahaica

5 Mahaica-Berbice

6 East Berbice-Corentyne

7 Cuyuni-Mazaruni

8 Potaro-Siparuni

9 Upper Takutu-Upper-Essequibo

10 Upper Demarara-Berbice