GOVERNMENT is fully supportive of the visit to the Rupununi of the world renowned British explorer, Colonel John Blashford-Snell.

The expedition by Colonel Snell and a team of 25 started last week with the aim of surveying a trail in the South Rupununi to allow villagers of the remote Wai Wai village of Masakinari easier access to other villages in the South, Central and North Rupununi.

At the moment, villagers of Masakinari can only get out to northern villages such as Aishalton by foot and boat a journey which can take as much as three weeks one way.

The aim is to open up a “lifeline” trail so that the Wai Wais can get to these villages to the north by tractor and trailer to access essential supplies and to market their agricultural produce and distinctive craft.

The start of the three week expedition was announced at a media conference at Cara Lodge hosted by the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce.

Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority Indranauth Haralsingh, who headed the media event, disclosed that the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce as well as the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs were fully supportive of the expedition.

He hailed Colonel Snell who participated in the media conference, as a great ambassador for Guyana as a tourism destination.

Colonel Snell, he disclosed, is among the world’s highly respected explorers.

His expeditions have included the first descent of the Blue Nile, a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia (1986) the Crossing the Darien Gap, a large swathe of undeveloped farmland and forest separating Panama’s Darien Province in Central America from Colombia (1971-1972); overseeing the first north-south vehicular journey from Alaska to Cape Horn, and a complete navigation of the Congo River in 1974.

Colonel Snell founded the Scientific Exploration Society (SES) in 1969.SES initiates a worldwide programme of expeditions focusing on scientific, conservation, education and community aid projects in 1969.

This is his fifth visit and expedition to Guyana, and his fourth visit to the remote village of Masakinari where, in 2000, at the request of the Wai Wais, he took a grand piano by air and overland for use in the church in the village.

Colonel Snell disclosed that the survey will last for about three weeks and will be conducted with least disturbance to the forest.

The team is multinational and comprises both male and female professionals in civil engineering, medicine, cartography, surveying and dentistry among other disciplines. All are volunteers.

They will be guided and assisted by the villagers.

Apart from the survey, they will provide medical attention to the villagers during the course of their visit.

Shaun McGrath, Director Wilderness Explorers, disclosed that his company will be doing all the logistics to ensure that team members carry out their expedition and return safely.

Major General (Rtd) Joe Singh, who is the local representative of the SES, said that the results of the survey will be given to him and he will hand the same over to Government for follow-up action.

He was optimistic that the villagers of Masakinari will get full support from Government in establishing the tractor- trailer trail to enable them to get out to the Rupununi in a relatively easy manner.