Guyana’s New Eco Tours Are Giving Indigenous People a Say
Photo Credit: Paruima, the only Arecuna settlement in Guyana, offers a challenging but thrilling adventure trek experience. Waterfall trekking / Wilderness Explorers
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It's one thing to create off-the-beaten-track adventures, but just how sustainable these multi-day experiences are needs careful consideration from the remote locals. After all, they're expected to drip-feed off those offerings by showcasing their everyday existence.
South America's Guyana, one of the most densely forested areas in the world, has piqued the interest of U.S. adventure seekers with its remote expedition appeal.
At a time when local populations are getting a larger and long-awaited say around the world in charting tourism plans, rising demand for Guyana's hard-to-reach natural attractions is offering Indigenous communities the ability to choose the adventure-trekking path of ecotourism to build the economy. The alternative: a deforested, oil-slicked road to unsustainable hell.
In essence, ecotourism sees tourists opt for nature-based experiences, preferably in small groups, with the intention to observe and appreciate nature, along with the traditional cultures who live in that particular area.
In Guyana, a country rich in gold and oil, its Indigenous people have looked to eco tours as business models to stem any negative impact on its environment.
With tourism only generating some
