Kaieteur Falls a majestic beauty

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BallOil
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OUR country is blessed with having the world's largest single-drop water falls measuring 741 feet. For comparison, Kaieteur is about five times taller than Niagara Falls. “Kaieteur Falls is awe-inspiring to say the least,” according to visitor Paul Elias.
“A truly majestic place… no form of photography could ever do this place justice. The Kaieteur National Park is a jewel to be treasured and protected. Kaieteur Falls is a natural beauty tourist destination of Guyana. Located within one of the largest and most deep rainforests in the world, it’s one of the most powerful and spectacular falls on the planet,” gushed an awe-struck Elias.
Indeed, Kaieteur is a jewel and as such should be handled with the utmost care and caution to maintain it in its pristine state.
However, history was made when some 141 years after the ‘discovery’ of the majestic Kaieteur by geologist Barrington Browne, the first ever landline telephone call was made from its location to Georgetown, amidst pledges to balance the demands of tourism and conservation, and disclosures of additional enhancements to facilitate even more attractiveness for visitors.
That telephone call was made by no other than Political Adviser to the President and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Presidential Candidate Mr. Donald Ramotar, amidst cheers from all gathered for the occasion. Mr. Ramotar spoke to his wife on this initial call. The Kaieteur National Park Visitor Arrival Centre was constructed with funds from the Government of Germany under a small-grants component of the Guyana Protected Areas System (GPAS) project.
The centre is a unique complex with facilities for an interactive display, craft store, waiting area, dining area, restroom, improved communication, and properly constructed footpaths and walkways to and from the waterfall.
In his address at the commissioning ceremony on Sunday, Mr. Ramotar made some extremely pertinent observations.
He hailed the Kaieteur Falls as a national treasure and urged that efforts being made to accommodate increasing amounts of foreign and local tourists should go hand in hand with efforts at protecting the pristine environment and rich bio-diversity of the area.
“I have seen the beauty of not only Kaieteur Falls, but of several other areas of Guyana,” he said, stressing that government will continue to play its part in protection and conservation.
He said: “We have passed the Protected Areas Act, but that alone will not be enough. The best form of protection of our natural riches is lifting the consciousness of our people on the importance of preserving the environment.”
This latest addition to the Park is a welcome additional facility which should help to encourage more visitors to this unique “jewel” and boost our budding tourism sector.
Chairman of Kaiteur National Park Board, Mr. Shyam Nokta revealed that the Centre will serve as a point of orientation for visitors providing vital information as well as other services to enhance visitor experience, and encourage spending for revenue generation for the park and the neighbouring communities. The Centre is a continuation of an ongoing programme to incrementally increase the facilities at Kaieteur.
This is a very important aspect for visitors because, apart from briefing them on the history and culture of the residents of the associated communities, impressing upon them the need to maintain the pristine state of the Park is crucial. We cannot allow our national treasure to be tampered with.
If persistent efforts to publicise and promote the Park as a unique tourist destination are continued and intensified, then it could become one of the most popular tourist sites in the world which would bring great dividends to our country. Link
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