Waterfalls are always intriguing and mesmerising, especially when they are accessible. One such beauty is the Sky Valley Waterfalls, located in the Rupununi Savannahs at Moco Moco, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
Just one hour’s drive from the township of Lethem, the water can be heard pounding on the rocks.
The Sky Valley Waterfalls
The waterfall brings its own music and lacy white to the travelling stream. However, this music of the natural world is soft enough for one to enjoy. This waterfall is just one aspect of the attraction when visiting the area.
There are 999 stairways to the top of the mountain but before you reach the top, the Moco Moco Hydro project sits below.
The Moco Moco Hydro Power Station
The hydro station was hit by a mudslide in July 2003 which forced work on the project to discontinue. Efforts were being made to resuscitate to facility but a fire a few years later destroyed the power plant.
The building still stands and it is a part of Sky Valley tours which takes you 999 stairs up; if you can make it.
The Sky Valley Waterfalls
After climbing to the top of the mountain which does not have a known name, visitors can spend the night. It would take six hours to get to the top of the mountain from the base.
However, whilst there, the beauty of the Rupununi Savannah is witnessed in abundance along with an overhead view of some parts of the Pakaraima Mountain range.
Tour guide Alton Primum pointing to the infamous 999 steps
The waterfall at Sky Valley Creek gives you a sense of tranquillity and peace with the magnificent roar of the water splashing. The mountain contains several aquifers (bodies of porous rock or sediment saturated with groundwater) where villagers of Moco Moco go to fish. There is enough fish in the mountains for the village of about 1500 people.
Visits to Sky Valley Waterfalls and experiencing the Sleeping Giant tour also bring additional benefits to the community in that proceeds garnered from tourists help to purchase fuel for the bus which takes about 100 children to school.
A view while climbing the 999 steps
Moco Moco Village is an indigenous community at the foothills of the Kanuku Mountain range in the Rupununi Savannahs and provides excellent relaxation and tranquillity for visitors.
The village is known for the beautiful and refreshing Moco Moco Falls, the dangerous 100-steps hydro dam, the famous black rock, its lagoons and beautiful scenery. (Andrew Carmichael)
