Retracing steps to El Dorado – BBC team exploring “Destination Guyana”

-Prashad says tourism sector will receive major boost

A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) team comprised of eight children between the ages of twelve and fifteen years old docked on Guyana’s shores on Saturday, February 5th, after travelling from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in a sailboat.

The team is on a quest to retrace the footsteps of Sir Walter Raleigh when he was in search of the fabled El Dorado, the City of Gold.

Like Raleigh, the team sailed across the Caribbean Sea from Trinidad and Tobago. Their sailboat is named ‘Scaramouche’. They came to the imposing rivers and jungles of Guyana, and will be enduring five weeks of high adventure, exploring pristine rainforests and trekking in mysterious wilderness whilst experiencing the enthralling life of our local indigenous peoples.

During their five-week expedition, the BBC team will be documenting their exploration by filming ten (10) half-hour-long programs titled ‘Serious Explorers Raleigh’, which will be aired in some 150 countries around the world via the BBC and other networks, and on Discovery Kids, a TV series which focuses on adventure for kids and has won the British Association of Film and TV Awards.

The shows will be aired in October 2011 on the BBC 1 in the UK, and they are expected to reach an audience of over 60 million viewers.

Meanwhile, a team from the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry which included Minister Manniram Prashad, together with personnel from the Guyana Tourism Authority, ventured out to sea to link up with the BBC team as it sailed into the Waini River.

Prashad and his team travelled to the main town, Mabaruma, then took a half-hour journey by speedboat down the Waini River to meet with the BBC team at a central point called the “Waini Delta”, located just metres away from the mouth of the Waini River.

Upon coming into contact with the BBC team, Minister Prashad and his team climbed aboard the “Scaramouche” to welcome the international explorers.

Speaking with this publication, crew member and director and producer of the expedition, Ross Edwards, said that team members have never had such a welcome like the one they received on Saturday morning.

“It is so exciting for us to be exploring Guyana’s history; and in all of our expeditions, this is definitely the greatest welcome we have ever had. You guys made us feel like we are (at) home”, Edwards stated.

Edwards disclosed that the children were even more excited about Guyana, for they had never previously seen such untouched rainforests. “The children’s expressions were “Wow!” and “Beautiful!”, that’s all I was hearing as we were sailing through the Waini River. And when they saw land, they were ecstatic since they had been sailing for three days straight.”

Taking the time to relate what this milestone and exploration from the BBC team will mean for Guyana and also the tourism sector, Minister Prashad stated that it will definitely place the spotlight on “Destination Guyana” and will make Guyana the prime place for tourists to visit.

“We feel that this can be a major boost for eco-tourism, adventure tourism and nature tourism. Many people believe that the “Lost City of Gold” does exist, so maybe this team of Sir Walter Raleigh explorers may have the fortunate opportunity to uncover Guyana’s lost history.

We at the Ministry of Tourism extend our deepest gratitude to the BBC team, and wish them a safe and eventful journey through Guyana’s prestigious forests,” Prashad said.

Expedition leader of the BBC team, Ben Major, lauded Minister Prashad for giving the BBC team opportunity to venture on this remarkable exploration of Guyana’s “Lost City of Gold”, El Dorado.

“We of the BBC very much appreciate the Ministry of Tourism for giving us this opportunity to explore Guyana’s secrets. We have never come across such amazing rainforests in all of our expeditions.

This has so far been amazing for me and the crew members, and it’s just the first day; so we are, once again, happy to be here in Guyana, retracing the steps of Sir Walter Raleigh”, Major stated.

Speaking with the eight children who will be featured in the programme “Serious Explorers Raleigh”, all expressed how wonderful they thought Guyana was.

“Before we left home we had pictured what Guyana would probably look like; but now that we are here, we are definitely blown away. Places like this only exist in your dreams”.

Before departing with the BBC team, Minister Prashad and his team, along with the exploring crew, all joined for a memorable photo shot together.

The BBC team will be sailing through the areas of Kaieteur, Rupununi, Mahdia, Mount Roraima, Surama, and Rewa, documenting as they go along.

After departing from the Waini Delta, Minister Prashad continued the voyage to showcase the many wonders of Guyana. Ten minutes away from the main town of Mabaruma, travelling by bus, Prashad and his team headed to the waterfall at Hosororo.

“Hosororo Falls is in Region One, and it is one of the special falls which most Guyanese do not know about. I recommend that people visiting Mabaruma come see the Hosororo Falls; it is a spectacular creation of nature,” Minister Prashad noted.

According to Minister Prashad, the team from the BBC is a huge investment and an endorsement of the Guyana tourism product. He insisted that this series will indeed provide credibility and boost confidence in Guyana’s tourism product and experience.