A First for Guyana! A New Canopy Walkway!

15 March 2004

Iwokrama's new Canopy Walkway officially opened on 22 November 2003. Over 100 people of all ages gathered for the ceremony and inaugural walk.

The canopy walk is a series of suspension bridges and decks of up to 30 metres in height. It gives visitors a new view on the forest and allows wildlife to be relatively free from human intrusion. The walkway is a significant sales feature for tourism development.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and his wife, Yvonne, were among the honored guests. Mrs. Hinds gladly accepted responsibility for cutting the vine "ribbon" across the path to the walkway. Other honored guests included donors, partners, and International Board of Trustees and North Rupununi District Development Board members. Several of these guests shared thoughts and thanks for the walkway to the crowd.

A large multiple media press corps was there for the opening and then spent the entire day in the region. They accompanied Graham Watkins and others to Surama, Annai and Bina Hill.

Iwokrama Trustee Mr. Sydney Allicock had an opportunity to share the local communities' successes and plans with visitors. One stop was at the new Surama visitor lodge - a low-impact structure at the edge of Surama near the Burro-Burro River. This project is supported through Iwokrama's community based tourism programme funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

CIDA also funded the $180,000 USD state-of-the-art canopy walkway. The unique walkway construction allows trees to grow normally by using adjustable cables and braces throughout the support structure.

Visit Iwokrama and "Walk the Walk".