This time last year Guyana was the place to be..and it still is

So is seems that this year's Wilderness Explorers fam trip to Guyana is underway (thanks Kat for posting photos and to Claire for an email whilst on the 'plane heading off) - if green is the colour of envy then it's quite fitting when thinking and talking about Guyana, what with it's immense swathes of uninhabited jungle greenery.

It's difficult to pick out a favourite moment from last year's trip as the whole 10 days were full of highlights so I'm going not going to, rather here're three of the more indelible memories for starters:

- meeting the people of Surama and seeing how they run and manage their successful, sustainable, comfortable and extremely enjoyable community tourism experience. One of the issues that particularly thrilled me was their approach to and respect for the natural resources of the incredibly biodiverse forest around them and how are able to maintain their traditional way of life but mixed with more modern aspects, whilst also ensuring that the biodiversity all around thrives and survives and how they genuinely and generously want it to be enjoyed by visitors such as ourselves; not-to-be-topped: catching a glimpse of a real, live Harpy eagle and it's nest

Not a harpy eagle but a grey hawk with an impressive haul for lunch beside the Burro Burro river, Surama

- the 2 day walk to and from Jordan Falls from Maipaima Ecolodge, with overnight spent in a surprisingly comfortable hammock. Bellbirds calling all around, howler monkeys howling, spider monkeys spidering and hollering too, and endless smiling support from the very able and amiable guides from Nappi community; not-to-be-topped: cooling down in the falls on reaching our goal

Maipaima Ecolodge, set in amongst the forest at the foothills of the Kanuku Mountains  

- upstream from Rewa's ecolodge along the river of the same name ("Rewa", not "ecolodge" for the pedants out there, you know who you are), sitting in a dugout canoe on Grass Pond as dusk falls, with a rum punch in hand and nothing to listen to but the surround sound of birds and others creatures either settling in or waking up for the night; not-to-be-topped: watching the slow motion opening of a giant water lily flower in real time (seriously, it's exciting stuff)

A tranquil Grass Pond, Rewa

- and that's without even mentioning lying flat-out looking over the precipice next to the thunderous cascades at Kaieteur Falls, being run rings around by baby giant otters under the watchful eyes of Diane McTurk at the infamous Karanambu ranch or experiencing first hand the astounding density and diverstiy of Iwokrama forest thanks to the folks at Iwokrama and Atta lodges.

The mighty Kaieteur Falls (Potaro River)