As eco-tourism around the world picks up pace globally, following a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic, a new tourism entity based in the North Pakaraimas has been launched with the aim to promote and showcase the rich culture of Region Eight.
Under the slogan “For the adventurous and wild at heart,” Patamona tours was launched in May 2022, according to one of its founders, Louana Augustus.
The former Indigenous beauty queen told Guyana Times that the launching was made in time to commemorate Heritage Month this September.
According to this young entrepreneur, Patamona Tours is the first ever Indigenous tour company that was founded in the North Pakaraimas. “It will be collaborating with Village Councils to bring to adventure-spirited persons the ultimate nature-friendly travel experience,” she said.
Recounting the journey leading up to the formation of the entity, Augustus said that while growing up in the small Indigenous community of Kopinang, she felt privileged to live among breathtaking flora, fauna, and majestic mountains that tower over the village.
“As I grew, I learned about eco-tourism and Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy,” she said. Augustus said she saw “great potential” to market her hometown and the wider Region Eight area in an eco-friendly and sustainable way that directly benefits the various Amerindian communities.
The United Nations has declared 2019 the International Year of Indigenous Languages, to raise awareness not only to benefit the people who speak these languages, but also for others to appreciate the important contribution they make to the world’s cultural diversity. For Augustus, this awareness lies paramount in the plans of the new tourism entity.
Region Eight, Potaro-Siparuni, is home to the Patamona Indigenous nation, and according to Augustus, the Patamona language is spoken by approximately 8000 to 9000 people, many of whom live in the region, and there are those who have migrated to other parts of Guyana and the world. “Therefore, this company was established as a way to educate, promote, and preserve our unique and dying language,” she said.
She has said that while the entity is raising awareness and preserving the Patamona language, it is simultaneously promoting community-based, eco-friendly tourism to show the rest of the world and Guyana the beauty of Region Eight.
