GUYANA’S premier tourist destination, the majestic Kaieteur Falls, last month saw its highest visitor arrivals for the year.

This is according to Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manniram Prashad speaking to the media at his South Road, Georgetown office last Monday.

July recorded 582 arrivals compared to 214 for July 2008, representing a 172 per cent increase.

It is the crown jewel of all of Guyana’s natural resources, its sheer drop of 741 feet and a total height of 822 feet rendering it the world’s highest single-drop waterfall with a flow rate of 30 million gallons of water per minute.

And as if that’s not enough, its environs — an area of some 627 square kilometres (242 square miles) — also has the distinction of being home to a host of rare and endangered species, including the rarely seen Cock-of-the-Rock, and the brightly-hued Golden Frog which spends almost all its life inside the giant Tank Bromeliad.

The visitors to Kaieteur are foreigners and a considerable number of locals taking advantage of the special domestic package for Guyanese living here.

The package affords Guyanese the opportunity to visit and experience the beauty and wonders of Kaieteur Falls, through the collaborative efforts of Air Services Limited, Rainforests Tours, KNP and National Parks Commission.

The reduced price of $32,000 per person, from $54,000, is on offer every Saturday until the last one in August.

The Kaieteur National Park (KNP) is located deep in the heart of Guyana in the Potaro/Siparuni region, some 120-odd miles from the city, and smack at the centre of what is known as The Guiana Highlands or Guiana Shield, arguably one of the oldest rock formations on the face of the earth going back some two billion years or more to the Precambrian Age.

Also, Minister Prashad stated that his ministry is in discussions with local hoteliers about introducing an “all inclusive package” which seems to be very popular these days.

“Guyana is yet to have an all inclusive package,” he noted and explained that this will enable persons to book with a tour operator in New York or Toronto and pay a fixed price which includes air fare to and from Guyana, hotel accommodation and in some cases, visit to tourist sites.