Refurbished guesthouse opens at Kaieteur Falls
Stabroek News
November 29, 2003
A royal unveiling: Amelia Vega, Miss Universe 2003 unveils the Kaieteur Guesthouse sign yesterday in the presence of, from left, Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, Chairman Guyana Tourism Authority, Brian James and Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, M
Kaieteur Falls now has a refurbished guesthouse remodelled for overnight visitors and within the sound of the rushing water.
The Kaieteur guesthouse, originally built in 1975, was re-opened yesterday by the reigning Miss Universe 2003, Amelia Vega with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds delivering the feature address.
He said the falls was Guyana's calling card to hook tourists and the government would soon approve sites for development within the Kaieteur Park, an area of 762 square kilometres.
Chairman, Kaieteur National Park Board, Shyam Nokta said the board envisaged more economic opportunities for the locals with the guesthouse re-opened.
But he said the real challenge lay in maintaining the delicate balance between preserving the pristine environment and allowing Guyana to benefit from sharing Kaieteur, its treasure.
The refurbished Kaieteur Guesthouse. (Ken Moore photo)
A solar power system is expected to be installed at the guesthouse before the end of the year.
With a sheer drop of 226m (741 ft) and a total height of 251m (822'), Kaieteur is the highest single-drop waterfall in the world.
It is five times the size of Niagara Falls, Canada and two times the size of the Victoria Falls in Africa.
More than 136,200 litres (30,000 gallons) per second of tannin-coloured water, shrouded in mist and pierced by rainbows, crash 251 meters to the bottom of the rocky but lush gorge.