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Guyana Destination Video – Indigenous Peoples

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What is daily life like inside some of Guyana’s indigenous communities? This short video provides a brief window into the hunting, cooking, and cultural traditions that have been passed down for centuries.

Discover Guyana’s Indigenous Community. Living in our inland region, the sense of Community Based Tourism and Indigenous lifestyle is still vibrant and a great part of the natural tourism experience. Get away from your everyday life and come discover how someone else lives.   Read  about a trip to  Moraikobai  below:

A Trip to Moraikobai in Guyana

The idea behind Community Led and Owned Tourism (CLOT) is a simple one; communities that welcome travellers should benefit from those visits.

Tourism revenues mean community members can gain direct employment from tourism-related businesses, or establish their own small businesses that cater to travelers–hotels, restaurants, guides. These revenues can also help raise the quality of life in a community by paying for schools, housing and medical services.

Guyana currently has seven community-owned and operated eco-lodges that can host travelers. The first to open was Surama, which began welcoming visitors in 1996. Among the most recent, and the focus for this piece, is in the village of Moraikobai.

One of the most appealing aspects of Moraikobai is that visiting there can be a day trip out of the capital city of Georgetown. The trip begins with a 2.5-hour boat ride down the Mahaicony River, which provides an immediate introduction to some of Guyana’s renowned wildlife, including the National Bird, the Hoatzin, howler monkeys and more.

The village of Moraikobai is peaceful and relaxed. Guests’ arrivals are duly heralded with refreshments and a cultural performance before a tour of the village. The village is laid out around a central square and boasts a hospital, nursery school, primary school, several shops and no less than three churches. The tour continues with the crossing of the Mora bridge, then a short canoe trip to Labadee Landing for a cassava bread-making demonstration, complete with a tasting, of course.

Before a traditional lunch in the village’s benab, guests take in a craft-making demonstration using mukru (a dried straw-like material). After the meal, guests are free to take a swim in the river, take a canoe lesson, or just kick back in a hammock overlooking the waterfront.

In the near future, those who want a deeper Moraikobai experience will be able to stay overnight in the village’s guest lodge. This experience will include a “bush cook” dinner of fish, chicken or beef, followed by a campfire gathering featuring local songs and folktales.

As with all the community-owned and operated eco-lodges in Guyana, all the residents speak English, so travelers can get deeper insights into the local culture and way of life without the need for a translator.

When it is safe to travel again, we hope you will consider visiting one or more of Guyana’s unique community-owned and operated eco-lodges. It will make for a rich and unforgettable Guyanese experience.

PERSON OF THE MONTH: REMINGTON ADRIAN

Remington Adrian is a confident man. “I believe that we can make it,” he says. He’s speaking of the development of community tourism in his native village of Moraikobai, one of the closest indigenous villages to Georgetown.

Remington is the head of the Moraikobai Tourism Committee which was established to streamline the community’s tourism development path, including being instrumental in the design and development of its eco-lodge.

He is very much involved in the over-seeing of the operations, even occasionally serving as the boat captain transporting visitors to the village. As if that weren’t enough, he also serves his community as its Deputy Toshao (chief)

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