The fourth South Rupununi Safari is scheduled to start today and continues up to the 29th.
According to a GINA press release, about 50 persons have set out on the six-day trip, moving through Regions Four, Eight, Nine and Ten and in the process touching 10 villages. The safari ends at Achiwuib in Region Nine.
Coordinator of the Safari, Frank Singh said, this fourth edition is a good opportunity for families to bond and make new friends.
The release quoted him as explaining that “this one here is to give drivers the know how to activate a 4×4 vehicle, due to the fact that when we visited the North Pakaraima (safari) before, a lot of persons didn’t know how to engage the vehicles and this is an opportunity for them to learn how to operate their vehicles.”
According to the release, Singh explained that on the convoy there are usually business persons who would buy the villagers’ products and see how best their products can be marketed. The coordinator said that Safari members donate something to each village that they pass through.
Edward Luke King, a participant who is one of the persons who has been on all four Safaris thus far, encouraged families to participate. “We have had persons on the trip who met and got married, new friendships are formed and more persons get to see this beautiful country, Guyana,” the release quoted him as saying.
According to the release, the South Rupununi Safari takes the adventurous through many indigenous villages including the Wapishana village of Shea where travellers will get a glimpse of the Shea Rock which towers over the flat savannahs. From Shea, the sightseers will get a stunning view of the famed Bottle Mountain, the Shiriri Mountain and the Kanuku Mountain range.
The river crossing during the Safari is supported by Mekdeci Mining Company (MCC).
The Safari is organised by the Ministry of Public Telecommunications and GTA in collaboration with Rainforest Tours, Regions Eight and Nine Administrations, and the Ministries of Communities and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs.
