Hi, I am Jessica Andries, and I live in Lethem, Central Rupununi, Region 9, Guyana, South America.
I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about my first visit to Rewa which is a small village down the Rupununi River in the North Rupununi Savannahs of Guyana, South America.
At this point, I should mention that I am very thankful to those individuals who invited me and made the trip possible.
I was advised to pack for an overnight trip, so I made sure to walk with my hammock and other essentials for the long trip to this village that I had only heard about through others or watching on Television on an episode on Discovery Channel with Gordon Ramsay’s Unchartered show.
It all began around 2:30 am on that Saturday morning (19th, December, 2020).
That morning when the bus arrived, I was more than excited for the long journey ahead. I got in and we drove off. I think I slept most of the way towards the Quatamang landing which is in North Rupununi. We took approximately four hours to meet there arriving at (close to) 6 am.
From there, we offloaded our bags and other items into an engine boat — making sure they were covered with plastic because water could have gotten into them.
There were others already there including our captain, Terry, and guide, Rocky. They ensured everything was in order for the journey ahead and that everyone was safe. We were required to put on our life jacket and sit properly in the boat.
From there, we headed down the Rupununi River for the village of Rewa. We traveled on the water top for approximately 3 hours nonstop. Along the way, we saw some caimans which did not hesitate to duck their heads into the water when we tried to take a pic, birds, and other wildlife. Our guide told us that the place had a lot of wildlife including turtles, capybara, and others.
On the way, we passed a few landings including Crashwater landing which was a very interesting sight to see since there were canoes, small thatched houses and friendly people waving as we passed. Our guide was very alert, and he gave us short narratives about the various places we saw.
Then, after what felt like a lifetime, our guide informed everyone that we were nearing Rewa landing. And sure enough, there was the landing in sight. As we approached the landing, we were happy to have arrived there.
We all got our bags and walked up an incline to a checkpoint since all COVID measures were still in place. We had to check our temperatures and sanitize before entering the village.
After we had followed all necessary procedures, we walked to a little shop at the entrance of the village where we had some snacks and of course there was the Government free Wi-Fi there, so I seized the opportunity to make some updates to Facebook.
Then, we headed to a house that was nearby. We walked through a small track to get to the place. There we tied our hammocks while some village ladies prepared lunch for us.
We got a nice bath fetching water from a well nearby which I had not done in a long time in an outside bathroom.
After that, we had a delicious lunch which consisted of fresh boil fish with cassava water and pepper which we ate with either cassava bread or farine. To go with this, we had cassiri and parakari which are indigenous local drinks.
It was a very delicious meal that I had not eaten in quite a while since I live in Lethem and we do not eat like that on a daily basis.
Afterwards, we lay in our hammocks for the rest of the afternoon just taking in the beautiful scenery with fruit trees everywhere including mango, cashew, oranges, and tangerine. I thought to myself that this place is rich in natural food with lush vegetation and plenty of wildlife.
Around noon, our guide told us we would be spending the night at the Rewa Eco Lodge. This was good news to me since I had heard a lot about this place and it was always my dream to go there, and now we were going there!
We got our belongings, untied our hammocks, and set out for the lodge. So we walked back through the path from where we came, everyone fetching their own belongings. The guide told us that there was a road nearby to trek to the lodge or that we could choose to go with boat. Of course we opted to go with boat, so we all got into the boat and headed for the lodge.
It was like a 15-minute boat ride before we came to the landing near the lodge, and there it was :the Rewa Eco lodge in sight. We got off and walked up some stairs, then a walkway, to get to the lodge. We had to take some pics though.
When we arrived at the Eco Lodge, we were given a cabin to stay for the night which was a beautiful wooden structure with a thatched roof. There was a small flight of stairs to go in. Inside it was beautiful with two double beds, wardrobes for two, and a large outside area which was attached to the building which was provided for bath.
This place was wonderful and everything I had imagined. This was comfort, and the hospitality from the lady working there was amazing. She made sure the rooms had everything you would need.
We relaxed a little, then got a bath and headed to the Benab which was near our cabins. This was a round wooden structure also with thatched roof, and there was where we were going to have dinner.
At the Benab, we met up with all persons on the trip and had a nice evening of chatting about the day and just enjoying the atmosphere.
We played some dominoes and learned about the different arts and crafts in the Benab. There were also a caiman skull and a turtle shell for us to see.
I was truly amazed at this place, and the history which the Toshao and the older men were telling us about. We were told that the lodge was mainly built by women though a collaborative effort.
Around 7 pm, we were served with a giant bowl of soaked farine and fried Arowana fish which we had waited patiently for. This was the freshest fish I had ever tasted and could not have enough of it. I had to ask for another piece of fried fish.
This was served by Mr. Rovin Alvin and his wife,. They were very hospitable people and were happy to have us there. We ate and made jokes as we enjoyed the rest of the night.
Around 10 pm, most of us retired to bed because we had to leave early the next day for the long trip back to Lethem.
We woke around 5 am the next day to get ready for the long journey ahead, packed our belongings and ensured everything was left just the way we had come and met it.
We then headed down to the landing to wait for our captain who appeared a few minutes later. We all got into the boat and said our goodbyes to this beautiful village called Rewa. I’m not sure when will be the next visit, but it will be, hopefully soon.
On the way back, we had an equally exciting boat ride since we stopped at various locations along the river to lay on the sandbank, take pics, and just chill. Our guide took us to a clearing where he was getting phone signal and we were amazed since the location was far from any phone tower.
We passed some canoes, bought some fish and continued our journey back to Quatamang landing where we would catch the bus back to Lethem.
So, this was all about my first visit to this wonderful place called Rewa, and it was everything I had expected and more.
I am sure you will enjoy this experience also since the lodge is fully functional now.
Looking forward to visiting again and enjoying more of what this magnificent riverain village in the North Rupununi has to offer.
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