Cuyuni-Mazaruni: Forest Landscapes and Remembrance in Bartica

Forested hinterland and hilly areas

The Cuyuni-Mazaruni region encompasses extensive forested hinterland areas and smaller areas of hilly sandy and clayey terrain. The proportions create different emphases: the forested hinterland is extensive, while the hilly sandy and clayey areas make up smaller parts of the region. If you are weighing landscapes and history when choosing your trip, the hinterland and the Monument of Hope in Bartica offer different thematic perspectives.

The Monument of Hope in Bartica

The Monument of Hope in Bartica is a black marble monument. It was unveiled on December 13, 2010, in honor of the ten men and two police officers who lost their lives in the attack on Bartica on February 17, 2008. This sequence distinguishes the event from the later commemoration; at the same time, the dedication records the reason for the tribute. The monument thus offers a specific, dated point of reference for understanding Bartica’s history.

Guyana in a broader context

Within the broader destination of Guyana, Kanashen is in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo region and borders Brazil. It is Guyana’s southernmost Indigenous village, where about 300 Wai-Wai people live. The mountains of Wassarai, Yahore, Komoa, and Kaiawakua, as well as extensive grasslands, are part of Kanashen. The headwaters of the Essequibo River are also located in Kanashen. The tropical forest there covers about 648,000 hectares, around 3% of Guyana’s land area. These figures illustrate two different scales: the number of hectares describes the forest area, while the percentage indicates its share of the country’s total area. The mountains, grasslands, headwaters, and tropical forest represent different landscape features of the place in question.

The Kanashen Amerindian Protected Area was added to Guyana’s National Protected Areas System in 2017 and is considered the largest and first Indigenous-owned protected area. The Kanuku Mountains Protected Area and the Shell Beach Protected Area were established after decades of groundwork with local communities and other stakeholders.

The Kanuku Mountains Protected Area covers 611,000 hectares and has a perimeter of about 590 kilometers. It accounts for around 4% of Guyana’s total forest area and consists of 99% forest and 1% savanna. The figures describe different things: area, perimeter, share of the country’s forest area, and the division between forest and savanna. This makes it possible to distinguish the different measures. For comparison, Kanashen’s tropical forest covers about 37,000 hectares more than the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area.

Cultural significance is also part of the broader picture of Guyana. For the Indigenous Patamona people, Kaieteur Falls is a significant spiritual place and an important symbol. This connection adds an explicitly cultural perspective to the landscape and protected-area examples.

Discover more destinations: Poterima, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Demerara-Mahaica, Potaro-Siparuni, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara.

Return to the main travel overview: Guyana.