Caribbean Beat — November/December 2018 (#154)

need to know
Top Three
Rupununi
adventures
Guyana’s Rupununi Savannah is a fivethousand-square-mile
region of vast
rolling vistas, packed with flora, fauna,
wetlands, and forest. It’s the Wild
West, but the Guyanese version. Here
are three places to experience the
Rupununi’s remote grandeur.
courtesy esther sam
Makatau Petroglyph Trail
Three kilometres outside the
Wapishana village of Aishalton, Makatau
is one of Guyana’s best archaeological
sites for petroglyphs (ancient rock
carvings) — or timehri, as they’re locally
known. This rock art is estimated to
date back to 3,000 to 5,000 BC, with
over six hundred representations
of humans, animals, geometric
arrangements, and plants etched in
stone around the site (above right).
Karasabai
The Rupununi is a birders’ paradise:
harpy eagles, storks, ibises, herons,
and dozens more are eager to show
off their beauty in your binocular
viewfinder. Almost any location in the
savannahs will offer new species for
your life list, but the village of Karasabai
is special: here is one of the most
accessible remaining populations of
the endangered and brilliantly plumed
Sun Parakeet (at right).
ponsulak/shutterstock.com
Dadanawa Ranch
Once the world’s largest
cattle ranch, still home
to traditional vaqueiros,
and now also a base for
intrepid eco-tourists,
who can join the action
in parting the herds,
or shepherding the
cattle into the corral.
On your safari, look out
for jaguars, anacondas,
and giant anteaters.
At night, the clear sky
yields to the Milky Way,
providing tranquillity and
an ideal opportunity for
photographers.
nicholas laughlin
Camping in the open, grappling
with rough terrain, and toiling up
undulating hills are part of the
Guyana savannah experience.
From 20 to 25 November,
the South Rupununi Safari
will take adventurers on a
trek through the region and
across the border to Boa
Vista, the capital of the
Brazilian state of Roraima. The
safari passes through several
indigenous villages, encouraging
participants to explore different
cultures in new environments.
Prepare to explore little-known
places within the Rupununi
while meeting the indigenous
peoples who’ve lived here for
generations.
SAI
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