While the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on Guyana’s tourism industry, this has not diminished the resilience of numerous business operators who have devised some measures to ensure the survival of their respective enterprises which is more than a little heartening. Alton and Stephano Primus and their Sky Valley Tours symbolise that spirit of resourcefulness and determination that has helped to keep the tourism industry alive.
During Mash Week, the Stabroek Business caught up with the father-and-son duo, Alton and Stephano, respectively, at Moco Moco Village in Region Nine, approximately 14 miles southeast of Lethem at the foothills of the Kanuku Mountains. A few hours before meeting the Primuses, we had boarded Trans Guyana Airways flight out of Ogle for a journey of just under one hour to Lethem. From there, we did a half hour vehicle drive Moco Moco Village to begin our tour to the Falls. It is here that we were met by the Primuses. The cheerful father and son afforded us the warmest of welcomes.
Sky Valley Tours was established in 2010 to serve tourists willing to explore the Kanuku foothills and the Falls with its photogenic black rock and lagoon setting. A portion of the proceeds from these tours is invested in community development. “This is sustainable tourism where we are helping to make the lives of our people and community better while showcasing what the area and our culture has to offer,” is how the elder Primus summarised the mission. The younger Primus – Stephano, chimed in. “COVID-19 has been tough on us these past 10 months. Hardly anyone has done this tour recently.”
That said, there is much encouragement to be derived from the fact that the area surrounding the abandoned Moco Moco Hydro Station remains well-kept. The facility itself has remained dormant since a 2003 mudslide put it out of commission.
“We put in a lot of work to keep up the entire area,” Stephano says as he led the tour up the ‘999 steps’ to the top of the waterfalls. The ‘steps’ are a testament to the physical preparedness necessary to fully enjoy the rewards of the Moco Moco adventure.
On the way up, we took a brief sidestep to take in the magnificent views atop the black rock.
Forty five minutes after we had begun the climb we arrived at the mountaintop some 3,500 feet (1,067 meters) above sea level. The tiredness of legs, somehow, was soothed by the magnificence of the Falls. We stood in the shadow of its splendour for the next forty-five minutes, gazing at its beauty and taking photographs. The ‘peckish’ amongst us sampled local snacks including organic juices, cassava bread and fruit that Stephano had brought along. All too soon we began our descent to the site of the abandoned Hydro Station.
Once we had completed the descent, we could hear the refreshing roar of the waterfalls crashing into the lagoon, a perfect spot for a swim to remove the rigours of the earlier arduous hike. It was during our ‘chill out’ session there that the Primuses unwrapped remarkable details of the region and how the focus on ecotourism continues to sustain the remarkable wonders of the area for the villagers as much as for visitors.
This may not be a season during which visitor arrival records will be broken, but the senior Primus is brimming with optimism. “Things are starting to pick up,” he chirped., “We are booked for the Easter weekend, despite no confirmation on whether or not the Rupununi Rodeo festivities will occur this year,” he says.
There are optional deals embodied in Sky Valley Tours’ visits to the Moco Moco Falls. There is the half-day tour that costs six thousand dollars (G$6,000.00) and the whole day tour costing twelve thousand dollars. (G$12,000). The Combo Tour package includes the “Sleeping Giant” tour which lasts three days.
On the whole the Moco Moco experience is a delightful distraction from what, all too frequently, can be the frenetic tastelessness of coastal life where, for the most part, environmental mindfulness ‘goes out the window’. Indeed, the magnificence of this setting renders the sights and sounds of the capital decidedly ordinary by comparison.
Persons wishing to share the Moco Moco experience can contact Sky Valley Tours at 691-5526 or by email at tourismmocomoco@gmail.com for bookings.
