VISITORS to Kaieteur Falls are to benefit from an enhanced experience with the imminent completion of the $45M Arrival Centre. It is to be commissioned next month, said Manager of the National Parks Commission (NPC), Ms. Yolanda Vasconcellos, who also manages Kaieteur National Park (KNP).

She told the  Chronicle: “We have put in the solar panels for electricity and are furnishing the place. We expect to complete everything else by that time.”

Vasconcellos described the facility as a unique complex with amenities for an interactive display, a craft store, waiting and dining areas, rest room and improved communication.

Not intended to provide overnight accommodation, the Centre will be the first stop for visitors to Kaieteur.

It has a viewing gallery and visitors will be greeted on arrival by the Tour Guide and taken there, where they will be allowed access to the cafeteria, the craft store, washroom etc. before being briefed about the Falls, Vasconcellos explained.

She said the briefing will include the visual of a trail leading from the Centre to the Falls, so that those visiting can see what they will experience before actually starting the short walk.

Steps will be taken to label the trees cut by the NPC along the route, for the education of visitors.

The Centre was constructed through a grant obtained from the KfW Small Grants component of the Guyana Protected Areas System (GPAS) that is funded by the German Government and supports conservation and livelihood projects within and near to protected and areas proposed for protection.

The project agreement was signed on February 5, 2009, between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is the executing agency for GPAS and the NPC, on behalf of the KNP.

Two other projects, which previously received funding from the  KfW Small Grants, were for the provision of field kits for KNP wardens and a boat/engine for Waratuk to improve monitoring activities in the park.

Additionally, a $24M grant agreement was recently signed for the ongoing construction of a warden/guesthouse at Tukeit at the bottom of the Falls.

The KNP spans an area of 627 square kilometres (242 square miles) and is known for its rich biodiversity, but the central attraction is the majestic Kaieteur Falls.