The Spirit of GUYANA

Unspoilt Amazon rainforest, one of the world’s tallest waterfalls and a haven for giant species – we visit a land ready to be awoken, where community-benefitting projects are thriving and wildlife is flourishing

- LYN HUGHES

We heard them before we saw them. Strange chattering, barks and snuffling noises that I couldn’t place as I scanned the bird-rich waters of the lake that surrounded us. For a moment I thought back to the stories I had been told of spirits in Guyana’s lakes and forests. Then we saw the bobbing heads of a family of giant river otters looking at us, shouting half indignantly as if questioning our presence.

Behind them, five black caiman were crossing the lake in a flotilla. Herons and egrets flanked the shallows and banks, while jacanas padded across floating vegetation. The high branches of the trees surrounding the lake were alive with yet more birds as well as three different species of monkey: howler, brown-bearded saki and brown capuchin. Down below, eagle-eyed kingfishers scanned the waters intently, before dive-bombing for fish and I marvelled that I had never seen such a concentration before. The wildlife was so prolific that it was hard to know where to look next.

Land of giants

I’d only arrived at Guyana’s renowned Karanambu Lodge in the south-west Rupununi region a few hours earlier. It had been on my travel wishlist for years, ever since I had seen coverage of its work in rescuing and rehabilitating giant river otters. This was all down to a remarkable woman, the late Diane McTurk. Although she passed away in 2016, her family still run the lodge and the Karanambu Trust, working to protect the habitats here while also ensuring local communities benefit.

Three rescued otter cubs were being raised at the Lodge during my visit, so when we took an outing along the Rupununi River and saw a family group of nine in the wild, it was all the more special – even when they were shouting at us.