Iwokrama River Lodge and Research Centre – not just tours, but wildlife experiences

Iwokrama River Lodge and Research Centre, situated on the west bank of the Essequibo River, is not just a resort, but a tourist destination which offers a wildlife experience.

The Lodge is Iwokrama’s operational hub. While remote, it offers all that you could possibly need for a comfortable stay in the forest. Iwokrama International Centre works continuously to further knowledge of nature and the environment. Operations Manager of the Iwokrama International Centre, Rohanie Roopnarine, says the Lodge offers several packages which allow guests to see wildlife in their natural habitat.

While Iwokrama is a conversation area, Roopnarine explained, it has two sustainable businesses, one of which is eco-tourism and the other sustainable operations. “We have three packages here at the River Lodge, which is rounded with one-night, two-night and three-night packages.

Depending on which package you choose, we offer several tours. They include trips to Turtle Mountain, a rapid, a lake caiman spotting, and nocturnal spotting. There are nine cabins and six single rooms for researchers, because we also offer a place here for researchers to come and do research,” she added, while further explaining that the Iwokrama forest is split into two zones, with half being the wilderness reserves. “That is 50 per cent of the area where limited re- search is conducted, but it is used as a controlled area for the other 50 per cent of the forest, which is a sus- tainable utilisation area. Both businesses are within that sustainable utilisation area, and the majority of the research is also conducted within that area.

“The jaguar-spotting tour is done in the evening, like from around 5 O’clock, or depending on the time guests want to do it. At one time we did it at 3 O’clock in the morning,” she said.

“The slow drive in the dense forest is about 10 kilometres from the Lodge. The slow drive allows visitors to look out for any wildlife available. The chances are higher to see a jaguar, because mostly you see them at night,” she said.