By Explorer X Travel Designer, Robyn Goldblatt

It was still pitch black as a jarring noise just outside of our cottages rattled my travel mates and I out of a deep sleep. I looked at the clock, it was 5am on the dot, and in Guyana’s Amazon jungle, there is no need for an alarm, the howler monkeys do a fine job of that. Three weeks ago, I would have never expected to be here, sleeping in the rainforest, amongst the jaguars. I had been invited on a short-notice FAM (“familiarization”) trip organized by the Guyana Tourism Authority and American Airlines, an opportunity that so intrigued me, there was no way I could turn it down. Guyana is on the cusp of some major changes with the recent discovery of oil off it’s coast, elections coming up in March, and a budding eco-tourism industry. It was my time to go see what all the fuss is about.

With my binoculars and malaria pills in hand, I was the first to be released from the customs line and shortly hit with a wall of hot, humid air upon exiting the airport in Georgetown late that first night. “I’m not in Montana anymore” I thought to myself as I felt my curly hair inflating. I looked around at the crowd of eager faces, none of which I recognized, until I heard my name from the back and saw our guide Nigel, whom I’d just met days earlier over a video call, waving me his way. If someone had just dropped me here blindfolded, I would be wildly confused as to where I was. This is a unique place. The people here speak English with a heavy Caribbean accent, there are old Dutch forts alongside small indigenous villages on the banks of the Amazonian rivers, and the mix of religions and races are primarily Hindu, Muslim, and Christian.

“We kayaked black tributaries to the sound of screaming pihas, learned how to make cassava bread, and had endless wildlife encounters with macaws, capybaras, caimans, and giant river otters.”

— Travel Designer, Robyn Goldblatt

The days that followed can only be described as time maximization and efficiency at it’s finest. We only had 5 days to see and experience as much of Guyana as we could, and we were up to the task. Each day began at 5am and was jam-packed with new and exciting things until our heads hit the pillows at 10pm. We kayaked black tributaries to the sound of screaming pihas, learned how to make cassava bread, and had endless wildlife encounters with macaws, capybaras, caimans, and giant river otters. We also gained appreciation for the time that goes into hand-weaving a cotton hammock, watched lily pad flowers bloom at dusk, felt the first beams of the rising sun from the top of trucks in search of the giant anteater, and drank passionfruit rum until we were silly.

It’s hard to say what the over-arching highlight was, when there were so many, but perhaps the most exciting day was our visit to Kaieteur Falls, one of the tallest single-drop waterfalls in the world. We hopped on a small chartered plane straight from the airstrip at Baganara Island Resort for a scenic fly-over for our first glimpse. Once on the ground we had the place all to ourselves, as the only way to reach Kaieteur is via charter plane or several days by vehicle and boat. The sheer size of the Falls and valley below had my jaw very literally dropped at every viewpoint. Not only this, but in the surrounding forest there were other treasures to behold, including vines to swing on like Tarzan, and the unbelievably neon orange cock-of-the-rock birds, if you have a guide who knows where to look.

With the tourism industry still new, things here are how they used to be in many other countries. It’s a refreshing change of pace and I am glad I was able to experience it in this raw, rugged state. All those I met in the industry here seem to have one thing in common – they want to grow responsibly and carefully, doing all they can to ensure that things are done right the first time while maintaining a firm grasp on quality, authenticity, and conservation of the wild places that bring people here. I look forward to watching and being a part of the sustainable growth of this country. What a privilege it is to visit, learn, and help share Guyana’s story.