Special Kaieteur Falls package launched

Jun 12, 2009 News

Tour operator, Frank Singh

Guyanese will once again be able to visit the majestic Kaieteur Falls at a significantly reduced cost through a partnership venture forged some years ago by Rainforest Tours and Air Services Limited, one of the oldest local aviation entities, and the National Parks Commission.
Tour Operator, Frank Singh, said that beginning on Saturday and continuing until the end of August, resident Guyanese will be able to access the special package for a mere $32,000. This cost, Singh said, caters to the cost of the aircraft seat, the National Park Permit and Tour Guide. The traveller only needs to walk with a snack pack.

He disclosed that over the years the package has attracted persons of various standing in society.
The package, he added, entails flights accommodating about 13 persons per trip, departing Ogle Aerodrome at noon and returning at around 16:30 hours.
“It is not just about going to Kaieteur Falls and seeing the falls alone, it has more than that. A lot of people think that we look at the Falls and it is just the water. But the biodiversity is so rich there in the national park…There are lots of things you can learn there.”
The venture, which has been an annual feature for the past six years, was announced yesterday at the Air Services, Ogle Aerodrome training room.
The regular package for visiting the famous attraction amounts to about $54,000. Singh said that a reduced cost package for resident Guyanese was conceptualised after President Bharat Jagdeo emphasised the need for promoting domestic tourism.

And according to Singh, this year’s undertaking marks six years of a boosted domestic tourism drive.
“A lot of people were saying that it is much cheaper to go to Trinidad; well now we are making it affordable to go to Kaieteur Falls and this is because of the effort between Rainforest Tour and Air Services.”
Annette Arjoon, Flight Operations Superintendent at Air Services Limited, suggested yesterday that guided tours to the auspicious location could include more than just learning about flora and fauna. She briefed media operatives about the 12 planes owned by the aviation entity, but noted that only one is dedicated the special initiative. Pointing to President Jagdeo’s Low Carbon Initiative, Arjoon speculated that pilots could expose customers to information about the rainforest even establishing the fact that about 75 per cent of Guyana’s rainforest is still intact.

“We talk about this Low Carbon development strategy but here it is, a chance for us to show our Guyanese customers what we are talking about…This is green gold we are talking about…This is what hopefully will be giving the country US$580 M per year.”
As such she jokingly suggested that the special package this year could be regarded as the Low Price and Low Carbon Tour. Customers will be afforded a leaflet about the low carbon initiative, she added.