Go back in to time in remote and beautiful Guyana and help to sustain local Amerindian cowboy community’s centuries old lifestyle by rebuilding the ranches.
This volunteer program is especially suitable for:
Did you ever dream to live the life of a cowboy but you haven’t figured out how to travel back in time yet? Then this is your chance! Go back in to time in remote and beautiful Guyana and help to sustain local Amerindian cowboy community’s centuries old lifestyle by rebuilding the ranches and help them set up basic eco-tourism facilities.
Times are dire for the cattle ranches of Guyana Savanna’s, no longer being able to sell their meat to neighboring Brazil and not even longer allowed to sell their meat in the coastal regions of Guyana they struggle to continue. With the times changing and barely any source of income left the Amerindian Vaquero’s of the Savannas are in need of your help! They are on the brink of abounding their centuries old lifestyle, help now by building basic eco-tourism facilities and relive the days of old as a Cowboy (or girl) in beautiful Guyana!!! This is a great volunteer abroad opportunity for all adventures especially for those who love the ranch life, who are interested in native Amerindian cultures and have a passion for horse riding.
You will volunteer alongside experienced Cowboys as well as international volunteers. For a full kit list please contact us.
This is Why
- Venture in to the amazing savannas of South America and help out on a local remote cattle ranch
- Set up sustainable eco-tourism with the vaqueros and help protect their way of life
- Learn how to live and survive a truly rustic lifestyle along side real vaqueros
- Experience incredible Tropical wildlife right on your doorstep
Requirements:
- You must be physically and mentally fit.
- Age: 18 and over. There is no upper age limit but good health is essential for this project.
- Must love animals/outdoors
- Make sure to contact your local health organization to inquire about the needed/recommended vaccinations and medicine.
- Strong work ethics are required: reliable, responsible, honest, good sense of humor and dependable.
With this project you will be involved in sustaining the rancher’s way of life as they struggle in their existence. Since the government of Guyana no longer allows them to sell their meat along the coast, and the Brazilian government does not allow the import of meat form Guyana their only option for sales is locally in the small town of Lethem.
The ranch you will be working with currently has about 15 horses, all of which are used to work the cattle and need regular feed and care. The horses are important for ranch work but are also an opportunity for the family to take potential paying guests out into the savannah.
This great experience will take you to the golden savannahs of Guyana, a magnificent landscape of open grasslands and jungle covered mountains, where vaqueros on horseback have lived and raised cattle in co-existence with the local wildlife for many centuries. It was here that even Frank James (Jesse James older brother) used to gallop through the vast planes. His great experience will take you to the golden Savannas’ of Guyana a magnificent place where Vaquero’s with its horses and cattle have lived in co-existence with the local wildlife for many centuries.
Your help is needed to set up ecotourism facilities and related projects so that the ranchers have an income to sustain their ranch. In addition, and as part of the longer term eco-tourism plan, a lot of work is needed to renovate, improve and maintain the ranch itself. One of the tasks that needs to be completed is constructing an 8km fence to keep the cattle nearer to the ranch during calving. The fence will make a huge difference to the ranchers. At present the cattle can roam unrestricted. This means a lot of time spent finding the cattle and bringing them in for branding or castrating. It also makes valuable unbranded cattle vulnerable to rustlers. A fence would protect the cattle and create more valuable time for the ranchers to embark on ecotourism.
Projects or activities you will mainly be involved in:
- Constructing a new cattle fence
- Developing the vegetable garden and managing the chickens
- Helping to bring in the cattle and manage them in the corral
- General maintenance around the ranch buildings
- Repairing the compound fence
- Day to day cleaning and preparing of meals
- Building additional accommodation for tourism
- Constructing a horse coral
- Improving the out buildings
- Fishing
The projects you are involved in will directly benefit the local ranch community. We concentrate on things that work, not that look fancy. This is the real deal! It's no American dude ranch! Are you ready for a genuine adventure while helping to preserve the original cowboy culture and experiencing wildlife and landscape like nowhere else on earth?
During your days off, volunteers can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Rupunini Savannahs; tropical wildlife viewing animals such as the giant anteater, deer, armadillo and cougars. Also enjoy swimming in the tributaries of the Rupununi river; hikining trails and climbing small mountains. However these activities are at the volunteers own expense.