KAYAK EXPEDITION www.facebook.com/pages/bushmasters http://www.youtube.com/user/bushmastersamazon Maximum Participants: 10 This kayak expedition will take you to the jungles of Amazonia, sat upon some of the oldest geological formations in the world. This is where Sir Walter Raleigh searched for El Dorado, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle dreamt up the stories of The Lost World. In some of the most pristine and untouched primary jungle in the world, you will paddle inflatable kayaks along a remote forest river. With the addition to our stores of a number of strong, expedition quality kayaks, each year we plan to paddle one of the many rivers in Guyana. Guyana is known as the land of many rivers. Each trip will be a first and the inaugural expedition is on the Burro Burro River in 2017. Initial jungle training will take place in the jungle surrounding a local Makushi Amerindian village. Here we get you comfortable with the jungle and how to use and maintain the inflatable kayaks, before we head deep into the forest. Over the next week we (you) kayak down the Burro Burro river. The kayaks are inflatable and carry two people, plus all you gear. During the day these will be your home and means of transport, so you need to treat them well. Each day we set camp alongside the river. Living in hammocks you have to do all the work from setting up your own hammock, to taking it in turns to run the camp admin, setting fires and so forth. The kayaks are smooth paddling and very quiet. This gives us the chance to sneak up on the animals of the forest which normally are very rarely seen. Everything from Jaguar to anaconda, Tapir to Harpy Eagle, Giant black caiman to capybara call this stretch of jungle home. It is rarely travelled and likely these animals have never come across humans before. 1 of 5
Along the way there are likely to be hazards to avoid, not so much from the wildlife, but fallen trees and fast flowing rapids, which can turn a kayak easily if not taken correctly. Near the end of the paddle we come into the Essequibo River, the third biggest river in South America and large enough at its mouth to swallow an island the size of Barbados. This is the end of the expedition, hopefully being the first to paddle kayaks down the Burro Burro River. We will transfer from here by boats and truck back to the village of Surama, to clean up all our gear, before heading back to Georgetown by plane on the Friday Those who have the time should take a trip to Kaieteur Falls, either on the Sunday at the beginning of the trip or Saturday at the end, you just need an extra day in Georgetown. A trip to Kaieteur is truly amazing and a must do in Guyana. Kaieteur Falls 2 of 5
The map below shows Guyana and its location in South America 3 of 5
ITINERARY Day Event Remarks Sun Meet up day. Please plan your arrival flight so as to be available to meet with the rest of the course members today. We will arrange an exact time and venue to meet in Georgetown closer to the date, as there are a variety of flights with different arrival times into Guyana that people may wish to take. Accommodation will be in a local hotel in en-suite shared rooms. No meals are provided whilst you are in Georgetown. Mon Today we fly into the small Amerindian village of Surama. Here we sort all our kit for the coming expedition, take a first look at the kayaks and make sure we have everything we need; there are no shops in the jungle! Accommodation will be in the village eco-lodge, in shared rooms with en-suite bathrooms Tue This first day we head into the jungle with all our gear, go through some basics of how to live in the forest, use of the machete, setting up hammocks, building a fire and so forth. We also get our first chance at using the kayaks, in pairs, trying to keep this long bag of air going in a straight line!!!! Throughout accommodation is a hammock in the jungle, with meals prepared for you initially but after a few days you then start fending for yourselves, though the rations are provided. Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Through the next week we paddle along the Burro Burro river, through the Iwokrama Forest range. Iwokrama is one million acres of protected land. No hunters are allowed in, which makes the chance to see wildlife much stronger. It is the end of dry season, going into wet so the river will likely be low, which makes fishing and chances to see wildlife very high. Very few people come here so the wildlife has not been spooked by humans and the chances to see some of the most amazing creatures of the rainforest are very high. But it means tough going, rapids and the possibility of having to portage our kit around very rocky areas. Each night we camp in the jungle, we have all the kit we need to support ourselves through the trip, but we can supplement our diet with fish and small mammals we catch/hunt. With us will be two Amerindian guides, following us in an aluminium engine boat, which is our main safety net to get out of the forest quickly. All the paddling will be done by you, for many hours each day to push along the length of Throughout accommodation is a hammock in the jungle, with meals prepared for you initially but after a few days you then start fending for yourselves, though the rations are provided. 4 of 5
the Burro Burro river. Maps of the area are poor and inaccurate. A rough measurement off Google Earth, as the crow flies, puts the distance at about 100kms. With the meander of the river it will clearly be much more. Thur Today we meet up with our boat and Truck extraction and head back to the village of Surama where we all started. Accommodation will be in the village eco-lodge, in shared rooms with en-suite bathrooms Fri Today, probably with a little bit of a sore head, we travel back to Georgetown by light aircraft. Accommodation will be in a local hotel in en-suite shared rooms. No meals are provided whilst you are in Georgetown. Sat The expedition formally finishes today and you should arrange your flights home accordingly. 5 of 5