54 wanderlust.co.uk March 2020
lily changes sex overnight and the following
daythe flower opens a different colour.
Darkness had truly fallen as we headed back to
the lodge, our torches catching the light of caiman
eyes. Fish were splashing and jumping everywhere
around us, a reminder that the rivers here hold at
least 400 species. They were certainly lively and
I started with shock as a fish jumped into the boat.
As we proceeded, several more jumped in and we
threw them back into the water.
Grassroots
While Karanambu is run by a family who originally
settled there in the 1920s, many of Guyana’s
eco-lodges are owned and operated by local
Amerindian communities. Rewa Lodge is one of
these and has garnered many accolades among
lovers of wild places.
Set on the confluence of two rivers – the
Rupununi and Rewa – the only way in is by boat.
On arrival, I was greeted by Rudy (Rudolph
Edwards), one of the managers and the
community’s current Tashao or chief.
The village is 800m from the lodge and has
a population of around 300 people from five
different tribes, but mostly Makushi. From the
1960s to 1990s this village used to hunt and trade
in wildlife, but by 2000 the area had lost much of⊳