Kanashen Amerindian Protected Area

Kanashen covers around six hundred and twenty-five thousand hectares of the headwaters of the Essequibo in Guyana's far south, and it is unusual in being titled land: the Wai-Wai community owns it outright and asked for it to be declared protected in 2007, making it the first community-owned protected area in the country. Access is entirely at the community's discretion. The forest is intact and biological surveys here have described species new to science.

What you actually see

• The Essequibo headwaters - the river's upper reaches running through intact forest.
• The community ownership - land titled to the Wai-Wai, who requested its protection.
• The intact rainforest - some of the least disturbed forest in the Guiana Shield.
• The village - Masakenari, the Wai-Wai settlement at the centre of the area.

When to go

September to April is the drier window. The wet season from May to August raises the rivers and complicates travel. Visits are arranged around what the community can host.

Honest expectations

Access requires permission from the village council obtained well in advance, and it is not always granted. The only practical way in is a charter flight, which is expensive. There is no tourist infrastructure and visitors are guests of the community.

Nearby

Lethem is far to the north, and the Brazilian border runs along the south.