SITUATED on 187 acres of lush foliage, some five miles from the mining town of Bartica, Baganara Island Resort, serves as a home away from home and an ideal getaway from the hustle and bustle of the City.
The resort, which has its base at the offices of Evergreen Adventures, is the pride of the Correia family of mining fame. It started initially as a getaway joint for family members following their acquisition of it in 1989.
Realising the beauty and serenity it can offer also to visitors, the family, in1996, began offering a service using just five rooms.
The service has recently been expanded through a $25M investment, which saw a new accommodation being set up. The resort now offers 17 comfortable rooms.
The facility, which caters for small and very large families, as it did for Minister of Hydraulics and Transport, Anthony Xavier, his wife and 13 children for a weekend during the recent August holidays, offers a variety of activities to keep one occupied.
Visitors can engage in outdoor activities including tennis, volleyball and football, skiing, boating swimming or canoeing, or they can take long jungle walks to admire the flora and fauna.
And for those who do not wish to be involved in that kind of excitement, there are the options of sunbathing or hanging out at the bar which is well stocked with non-alcoholic beverages. These include Baganara Special; Mix Pleasure; Island in the Sun; Essequibo Classic; Dream Kiss and Diamond Glitter.
Sales and Marketing Manager, Abdoul Wahab ba, a native of Senegal, appears to enjoy every moment of his job. Once the jet boat - the popular mode of transport to the resort - sets sail, he assumes the role of tour guide. Visitors who prefer air travel, can be flown to the resort by way of Correia’s private aircraft.
`Abdoul’, as he is known to his guests, explained that visitors to the resort are introduced to places of interest such as Fort Kyk-over-al, a former trading post of the Dutch colonial masters from where they had a bird’s eye view of all that took place in the waterways.
Other places of interest include the Two Brothers Island, formerly owned by the Mighty Joe Young, and now the private setting of internationally acclaimed Guyanese singer, Eddy Grant; Mazaruni Prisons; Mazaruni Granites Limited, Marshall Falls and a brief walk-about of the mining town of Bartica.
He pointed out too that the famous Mick Jagger; Leader of the Opposition Desmond Hoyte; Prime Minister Sam Hinds; Ministers of Government and Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur, have all graced the facility with their presence.
Abdoul noted that management, in their expansion plans, also considered the corporate sector and included a conference room which can comfortably accommodate 30 persons.
Also, arrangements can be made for visitors to enjoy a popular day’s package which includes a trip to Kaieteur Falls during the morning and relaxing in the afternoon at the resort.
All these, Abdoul said, can be had at competitive prices.