Many coastlanders are heading to Lethem for the Easter weekend – at a place where, upon their approach, the wide-open Rupununi savannah is there like welcoming arms to greet them, where there is space unlimited for the weekend activity on land, and with less emphasis to be placed in the sky, as is done traditionally; one would want to see how high kites can fly, but many people who are to be on this venture intend to take up a more challenging exercise in Guyana’s south savannahs.

Lethem, during the Easter weekend every year, hosts the Rupununi Rodeo, a two-day event organised by the local people there with sponsorship from Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL), Demerara Distilleries Limited (DDL) and Digicel, among other companies.

Rodeo activities would include a beauty pageant, belly dancing, and lime beginning on Friday, April 2, and on the following day, bull riding, barrel race, bare back bronco, calf- roping and greasy, pig among other adventurous sport will be offered. Apart from this, the local people display for sale items of art and craft, along with local dishes.

This year the organisers are anticipating a sharp increase in the number of coastlanders and foreign tourists for Rodeo, and particularly a significant number of people visiting from neighbouring Brazil, since the roadways of Guyana and that country have been linked with the establishment of the Takutu River Bridge.

Chairman of the Rupununi Rodeo Committee, John Macedo, said that with the number of visitors expected at Lethem for the event, adequate accommodation would be the key question for many, and he has learnt that all rooms are already booked.

However, with the event being adventurous in nature, he would like to advise visitors to equip themselves with dome tents and other suitable camping gear, and an area has already been set aside to cater for such visitors. The camping area will have floodlights and washroom facilities.

Many coastlanders are planning to take the over-400 mile road trip to Lethem. There are already indications that people are keen on making the trip with smaller vehicles that are not with four-wheel-drive transmission.

They are motivated to go there overland because the route once described as a “trail that wrecks” has from time to time being upgraded to a user-friendly road, maintained by Mekdeci Machinery and Construction Inc. (MMC).

Vehicles traveling to the Rupununi are required to pay a toll fee at Kurupukari based on their size and wheel drive stipulations. The average travel time from Georgetown to Lethem is between 8-10 hours, depending on the type of vehicle that is being used and Macedo would like to advise drivers who have no previous experience using the road to the Rupununi to apply the necessary safety precautions for accident-free travel.
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