Karanambu, Guyana.15 Feb 2007
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Arrival at Karanambu Ranch after the 10 mile drive through the savannah.
John, Irene and Heathers mode of transport to Karanambu!
Kids from the ranch playing in the river.
Movie Clips - Playback Requirements - Problems?
(AVI - 2.21 MB)
Dinner time!
(AVI - 6.66 MB)
Play time!
(AVI - 4.17 MB)
Shower time!
(WMV - 454 K)
Noise time!
| Karanambu Ranch is working cattle ranch but it is also an important nature and conservation centre. The Ranch is located on the Rupununi River and is home to the McTurk family. It is run by the charismatic Diane McTurk who is well known internationally for her work in rehabilitating giant river otters into the wild. Eddie is Diane's nephew and along with Melanie, they now run the tourism side of the centre. Diane has been featured in National Geographic as well as in many television shows. Her father Tiny McTurk welcomed David Attenborough to the Ranch in the 1950's ... when Guyana was even less on the tourist map! John, Irene and Heather arrived into Karanambu the following afternoon. They had an even more exciting arrival ... bumping their way over the interior in a small light 12 seater plane from Georgetown via Lethem! They touched down on Karanambu's own airstrip in the heart of the savannah. After a busy week of celebrations for Granny Murray's 100th birthday together with flights from Dublin - London - Barbados - Georgetown - Lethem - Karanambu, the three travelers were in need of a well earned rest. However, it soon became clear that any resting or catching up, would have to wait until Georgetown ... there was simply too much to see in our action packed itinerary than to sit around talking! After a bite of lunch, our boats were launched and we set off to explore the Rupununi River. Karanambu is a paradise for serious "birders" but even for us very soft birders, it was an amazing experience. We soon became familiar with names like Neotropic Cormorants, Spotted Sandpipers, Cocoi Herons, Crested Caracaras, Rusty-margined Flycatchers and Kiskadees (lesser and greater!). We even have our own "birders checklist" for future reference. Birdwatching aside, we also went in search of and successfully saw lots of caiman (both spectacled and black), wild giant river otters and spider monkeys. Unfortunately, the jaguars were in hiding although they let us know they weren't too far away! (Check out the photos!). We also visited 3 nearby ponds: Simuni Pond, Crane Pond and Buffalo Pond. The ponds were covered in beautiful giant water lilies, called Victoria Amazonica. This is the largest water lily in the world and is Guyana's national flower. The flowers are night blooming. When the flowers first open, they are white and go through the female phase, by the second day they have turned a pink colour and actively shed pollen going through the male phase. By the third day, they start to wither. The ponds were so remote and beautiful - the only problem being that we didn't want to leave! The highlight of any visit to Karanambu is the opportunity to witness Diane taking care of her beloved orphaned Giant Otter cubs. The Guyanese Giant Otter is the largest in the world and is an endangered species. At the moment she has four cubs that were rescued from a man who was trying to take them illegally over the border to Brazil, probably to sell them to a zoo. Diane gives them somewhere safe to grow up until they decide to move on. It was an amazing sight to watch her interacting with her "little darlings"! (Check out the video clips!). The hospitality in Karanambu was first class. Despite its remoteness, we ate extremely well and the staff catered for our every need. Our accommodation was in the style of a traditional Amerindian village, with huts made from clay brick and thatched roofs. The roofs, however, aren't attached to the blockwork - allowing lots of visitors into your room at night! An open invitation for geckos, frogs, mice, bats - you name it! However, we had no problems sleeping after all the fresh air and activities during the day. In fact, our daily schedule kicked off with coffee at 5.30am every morning and did not end until the electricity generator switched off at 10.30pm that night! Like all good things, our stay in Karanambu came to an end too quickly! Rather than travel by road, there was just enough water in the Rupununi to make the 2 hour journey upstream to Ginep Landing where our next host, Colin Edwards, was waiting to collect us and take us the last ½ hour by jeep. After a mid-morning snack of Heather's dried carambola (star fruit) washed down by some of Karanambu's home made rum punch, we set off on the road to Rockview Lodge. We decided to let the 'older generation' take the seats in the 4x4, while we rode 'out back' with Colin's youngest son Stuart and the luggage! |
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