Exploration Guyana started yesterday with Britisher Charles Montier attempting to sail from the source of the Potaro River into the Essequibo River and then along the Atlantic Ocean to the seawall bandstand in a canoe.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release Montier is a 23-year-old economist from the United Kingdom.
In response to a question about why he chose Guyana Montier said, “There are many places around the world… but what Guyana has is an untouched quality. He said the two rivers have always intrigued him and he has always wanted to explore them. He said too Kaieteur Falls is an inspiration.
Montier will be travelling with two local guides; Rupert Williams and Danny Daniels from Chenapau. Along the expedition route of about 650 to 700 kilometres, the group will receive assistance from local guides. Montier said too he believed that negotiating the rapids, navigating the rivers and surviving the rainforest would be impossible without help from locals who understand the rainforest.
“Anyone in the world right now planning an expedition or looking to go somewhere… I wouldn’t hesitate in telling them to get to Guyana because they are going to experience stuff here that you can’t experience anywhere else in the world,” Montier said. “In one day I saw macaws flying over, a stunning jaguar on the bank of the river, river otters coming right up to the boat; these are experiences that are impossible to experience anywhere else in the world,” he said of an earlier trip into Guyana’s interior.
According to GINA the journey will take the team to the Kaieteur National Park where they will set off upstream to Mount Ayanganna’s summit to the source of the Potaro. They will then head downstream to Kaieteur Falls which will necessitate a two-day portage of the canoe and will rejoin the river at Tukeit Falls. At the end of the Potaro River they will join the Essequibo River and head to Parika and then into the Demerara River to enter into the Atlantic Ocean and arrive at the Georgetown Seawall.
The expedition is expected to last six weeks and the Guyana Defence Force and Frank Singh of Rainforest Tours will be providing logistical assistance to the team.
Meanwhile, Director at the Guyana Tourism Authority Indranauth Haralsingh said the expedition is an important addition to adventure tourism in Guyana. He described it as “A truly amazing and adventurous journey, surely to put Guyana on the map… This will add to Guyana’s profile and create more awareness for Guyana as an adventure destination and build on the momentum that was created and established last year.”
GINA said the entire expedition can be viewed online at www.explorationguyana.com where Montier will be uploading pictures and stories daily. He will be equipped with special technology that will be able to maintain contact at all time.