Essequibo: Hidden River - The Mysterious Source | Guyana Documentary, Part 3/3

The Essequibo River. Huge, untamed and unexplored. 1,000 kilometers of treacherous rapids, huge waterfalls and wild animals. Only the strongest survive in these waters. Yet it's a wildlife paradise. People crowd the busy delta, a melting pot of races and cultures for centuries. And further inland lies the wild south, where indigenous people still live on the Essequibo's banks. Now filmmakers Marion Poelman, Rainer Bergomas and Young Sandy are on a mission to discover the mysterious source of the mighty Essequibo. On their quest to follow the Essequibo from coast to source, the team has already explored the vast delta and its diverse wildlife. They've seen the great Kiter Falls, been guests in an Indian village and arrived in the wild south. But the Essequibo's treacherous rapids put an end to their progress. They have to find a different route. From Daranawa, the team will travel south to the Kuyawini River and continue their travels by boat until it joins the Essequibo once again. This is wild country. There are neither roads nor bridges. The truck is tightly packed with equipment and people and the rainy season is making progress in the savannah very difficult. Where there was a ford just a few days ago is now a waterfall. The land has become unpredictable, but they need to push on. In some places the ground is so soft that the truck gets stuck despite its four-wheel drive capability. The only way out, the cable winch. If it's long enough to reach the next robust tree. Success at last. The winch does the job. The last few kilometers of their journey take them through dense forests. Large parts of it are already underwater and this is just the onset of the rains. The truck has to fight its way through the muddy water. Fallen trees block the road. The sudden ground no longer provides enough anchorage for their routes. But finally they reach the river. Absolutely everything the expedition might need on their travels now has to be securely packed on the boats. It's the beginning of a new adventure. From here the river is the only way through the forest. It should take around four days to reach the Essequibo and another two to Masakinari, the last village on the river. Beyond that, nobody knows what might await them. The journey by boat is not exactly comfortable amongst all the equipment, but at least they're making progress. Dawn on the Essequibo. A rare chance to stretch their legs. The riverbanks are usually too soft to leave the boat. About 100 miles. 160 kilometers. So we will reach it tomorrow. Time to continue their journey to Masakinari village. Speed is of the essence now. They can already notice the backwater of the bigger river ahead. The current has died down and the water surface is a perfect mirror. The end of the Kuyawini is in sight. They're back on the Essequibo. Everything takes place on board. They don't want to waste precious time. Burley even does the washing on the fly. But there is always time for something special. A tapir, gorging on fresh leaves. Here at the river's edge, where the canopy reaches down to the ground, it can find plenty of food. At up to 250 kilos in weight, this is a formidable rainforest resident. Its bizarre, highly flexible snout can move in all directions and grab hold of foliage that might otherwise be out of reach. Large, splayed toes help the tapir walk on the soft, muddy ground of the riverbank. And, living so close to the river, it spends a lot of time in and out of the water. The expedition is making progress. Just a few more hours to Masakinari. Duane is already looking for the landing site. Masakinari is the very last known settlement on the Essequibo. This is the designated meeting point with Marion and a German remote sensing specialist who'll join the team. This is Waiwai Indian land. They alone can give permission to visit their village and their area. Duane knows the community well and arranged the contact with the filmmakers. Out here in the forest, they still live largely traditional lifestyles and old-style wooden houses. The large community house, called the Umanayana, is the central meeting point for everyone in the village. Only around 200 people live here. Masakinari lies in Konashen, God's land, a 625,000 hectare piece of primary forest that stretches from here to the Brazilian border. It belongs to the village community. The Waiwai do all they can to protect the area from negative outside influences. Eco-tourism is the new hope. It can generate income and offer a future for the young people of the tribe. Marion's plane is already on its way to Konashen. Professor Martinos Shipka is also on board and eager to get involved in the expedition. He's a remote sensing specialist and explores the earth from above. His tools? Satellite images and aerial photographs. Before his journey to Guyana, he collected relevant satellite images from the National Aeronautics and Space Research Center near Munich. Detailed images of the Akkarai mountains in the south of Guyana may help find the mysterious source of the Essequibo River. It'll be interesting to see just how useful satellite images can be for the exploration of unknown territories. During their flight, thick clouds hang just over the forest. Navigating here is not easy. One of the pilots is working as navigator and co-pilot. Masakinari is a tough destination. It takes three hours before the village suddenly appears right in the forest. Finally, they can get ready for the last push to the mythical source. Five Waiwai and a canoe also join the expedition and food supplies are restocked. Then the last stage of the great Essequibo adventure begins. From here on in, the team is on its own. Ahead lie only forest and true wilderness. Martin plots the way using GPS coordinates. For the next few weeks, these boats will become home. As the crow flies, the place where the sipu, the river arm that will hopefully take them to the source, splits off is still another 100 kilometers away. But on the river, that translates into almost 200 river meanders. It'll take them several days to get there. In the evening, they make a simple camp and build a small fireplace. Nobody knows what lies ahead, but the expectations are high. In the morning, a soft mechanical hum cuts through the mist. Martin has brought a remote-controlled octocopter and camera unit with him. He wants to take a look at the surrounding forest from the air. He's making a few practice flights in these warm, humid conditions. Martin's aim is to use the drone as an additional aerial tool to the satellite images. Day after day passes and the scenery around them hardly changes. Everyone tries to get as comfortable as possible, a challenge in itself. Finally, the Essequibo splits into the Choricar and Sipu rivers. The expedition will follow the Sipu, the longer of the two. Hardly anyone has ever taken a boat onto the Sipu. Its riverbanks are unexplored. The humid forest is the mysterious realm of the spectacle caiman. Its body is more like that of a crocodile. That's why it's also known as crocodile caiman. It's a shy, smaller version of the black caiman further downriver. The team has to forge its own passage through the forest. The further they travel up the Sipu, the more they have to resort to sawing and cutting through obstacles. The chainsaw becomes the most important tool. The idyll of the tranquil rainforest river is deceptive. High water marks on the trees are a reminder that these waters are anything but predictable. Clouds frequently drop their wet load here. The heavy downpours swell the rivers. If it rains long and hard enough, small streams are suddenly transformed into imposing torrents. The river bursts its banks, spreads out and floods entire forests. Some seem to be grateful for the excess water, but for others it spells mortal danger. Fish are now no longer bound to the confines of the river and spread out through the forest in search of food. Fallen fruit enrich their menu. The team now takes longer than usual to fish for the next meal. Freshly caught fish is a firm component and favorite in the team's provisions, and the Essequibo's underwater world is both rich and varied. Some of it with prehistoric undertones. It's time to put up a more solid base camp. The YY are in charge of the construction. They know how to use the materials the forest has to offer. A heavy tarpaulin will serve as a makeshift roof, while tables are quickly constructed from wood and lianas. Gurley rules the kitchen. The rainy season has its advantages. A flushing toilet. And of course the camp also provides a wet room. Delicate film equipment and computers are stored especially carefully. Any water damage here would be disastrous. The team is already close to their target. The Essequibo's mysterious source should be no more than 20 kilometers away, somewhere in the foothills of the Akarai mountains. For the next few days the camp will be home to the 14-strong team. The stove forms the center of their little community, a comfort in the middle of the wilderness. At night this is where the expedition team of YYs, Guyanese and Europeans meets. The forests along the Sepu are new country even for the YYs. Noisy caciques are busy renovating their homes. Using their beaks they skillfully weave hanging nests for their young in large colonies. When it comes to removing hurdles, James and the other Indians work like a well-oiled machine. Again and again trees block the way forward. The team is pushing into new territory, saw cutlers and axe in hand. They're making good progress. At this pace their target seems almost within reach, just a few days away at the most. A family of giant otters makes their presence known. The YY call them water dogs. Up to two meters long and about 20 kilos heavy, the otters are formidable creatures out here. The patterns on their necks and chests are unique for each one. Pushing out of the water is designed to impress the intruders. Rainer tries out an old Indian trick to get the giant otter's attention. The animals are curious. They've likely never seen a person before. The strange sounds appear to calm the animals down. It seems they're unsure what to make of the strange visitors. Time to move on, but further up river there's an unexpected surprise for the team. The river divides, and not just once. The sipu fans out on the flat valley bottom. It divides repeatedly. These individual channels were not visible on the satellite images. They're too thin and hidden below the dense canopy. This is swamp forest. The riverbanks here are soft and muddy. The green all around is almost overpowering. Mosses, epiphytes and lichen cling to branches and lianas. Exotic flowers lure colorful insects close. A hermit hummingbird is looking for food. Not much bigger than a bumblebee, it's very delicate. Colorful kingfishers and parrots flee at the sight of the strangers making their way through the undergrowth. The further the expedition team pushes into the labyrinth, the denser the vegetation gets. Then a rare treat. A huertzin is hiding in the dense foliage. It's Guyana's national bird, and it has a nest with young chicks. They're not alone. About 10 pairs have hidden their nests in the dense vegetation just a few meters above the water where few thieves can follow them. Huertzin are very strange birds. They fly badly, only feed on leaves, and their digestive tracts are more like those of a ruminant. The chicks are just 10 days old. They need the protection of the adults from the onset of the rains. Huertzins have not been seen this far south before. Until now, colonies were only known in the north of Guyana. This tiny creature, too, shouldn't really be here. It's a blue poison dart frog, only five centimeters long, and has so far only ever been found in the border area of Suriname and French Guyana. But in the Akarai mountains, it appears to be a regular two. The rain puts an end to this excursion. Back at the camp, Rainer and Martin take a renewed look at the satellite maps. I'm not on this branch, but I cannot tell you where. You can see it's all covered with vegetation, so there's very little to see of the river. But here later on, especially in this narrow area, we can see the river quite clearly. You see this? Yeah. They may be able to use the outboard engine there as well. What's this green color here? I would expect it to be scrub, low vegetation, maybe a bit muddy, I don't know. The Waiwai believe it could be bamboo. The team uses the rainy day to add to their meager rations. They found a wild bee nest and collect its honey. It's a welcome and valuable vitamin source in the monotony of dry beans, rice, and cassava flour. And on this evening, there's also fresh fish. It would seem that the rainy season is the wrong time of year for an expedition like this, but the higher water levels allow the team to use their boats and make progress. Back in camp, everyone's frustrated. Icy cold water has been falling from the sky for days without an end in sight. Even the animals hide and seek shelter. Only a few venture out in search of food. Spider monkeys feed on leaves and fruits and need regular meals. But as soon as there's a break in the rain, the team is back on the river. But which is the way through this labyrinth? And how can they find the way back to camp in this confusing maze of waterways? The thicket of wet leaves and trees reduces the GPS signal. More than once, they cannot go on. Perhaps now is the time to initiate the octocopter. With any luck, they'll be able to see something where the satellite images fail. But the flying camera too can't see past the thick vegetation. The team will have to find a more conventional route through. There's probably a main creek over there. So we're going to pull the boats out of this creek, fetch them over land, put them in that creek. But there is no consensus on the way forward. Duane thinks that the main river actually flows on the other side of their island, but the Indians want to persevere on their current route. Their guess is that the two rivers meet again further upriver. Eventually, they decide to form two teams, one to follow each channel. One of the boats is laboriously carried across the island to the second channel. Some of the Indians will follow this route. Meanwhile, Young and two others will continue to hack their way forwards on the first channel. To get ahead more quickly, they only take absolute essentials with them. Back in the camp, Rainer is busy lighting a fire under the tarpaulin. He dries the wet wood before it can be burnt to provide some warmth. It's the only way to keep moisture and mold out of the equipment. Together with Martin, he plots the YY's route on satellite images. They take some educated guesses as to how the course of the channel might develop. Every night, they compare their results with the experiences of the teams on the river. The team's been on the river for over three weeks now. Soon, Martin has to return to his job at the university. He carefully teaches Marion about the way to use and interpret the satellite images and the geolocation software. Then Rainer receives the call everyone's been waiting for. The different channels come together further upriver. It's a day's journey away at the foot of the mountains. A new base camp is ready and waiting. For Martin, the good news is too late. He has to leave the team heavy-hearted. Duane will take him back to Gunns by boat. All being well, he'll be home in about 10 days. A reminder of just how remote this part of the Essequibo really is. The rest of the team also leaves camp to join the others ahead. Finally, they have some good weather and it lifts the mood. Everyone is elated that finally they're moving forwards once again. The hope is they can make real headway now. But over just a few hours, the water level has changed dramatically. New hurdles have emerged. Again and again, fallen trees block their way. It takes the team almost a day to reach the new base camp. But there's no holding them back now. For the first time, they catch a glimpse of the mountains. Almost close enough to touch. They all feel they can reach the source of the Essequibo now. Everyone is highly motivated, despite the huge effort involved. Some were even a little boisterous. Finally, the new camp where the advance party is already waiting. They immediately set about settling in. But Burly is worried about the supplies. I'm checking through our ration and see how many left so so I could average how many days we could stay and packing to carry up. I have a lot of beans, black eyes, split peas, rice. I don't know if it will last us for two more weeks. The expedition is taking longer than planned. Now a shortfall in supplies could mean they have to abort it altogether. Duane returns and rejoins the team. The camp lies on solid ground. Again and again, they find scorpions amongst the equipment. It pays to watch where you put your hands. Small animals can pack a big punch. At first glance, the jaws of a spectacle caiman are impressive. Growing up to three meters long, they're only mid-sized crocodilians. They're incredibly adaptable, which is why they're far more widespread in middle and South America than other crocodile relatives. The pronounced spectacle-like ridges around its eyes give it its distinctive look. Here they live along the upper reaches of the Essequibo, beyond the reach of the larger black caimans. Young and Marion have come across a group of giant otters. They approach the boat fearlessly. It seems they've had a successful hunt. Now they're playing without a care in the world. The sudden noise means unexpected danger. The boat narrowly evades disaster. The relentless rain has softened the forest soil dramatically. Tree roots no longer have enough to keep them anchored in the ground. These young keel-billed toucans should thank their lucky stars for a solid, safe home. Not everyone is so lucky. The trees in the rainforest are each home to countless species. Whenever a tree falls, an invisible world dies with it. The camp is positioned at the first bottleneck at the foot of the mountains. From here, it is no more than 10 kilometers to the end of the river valley. But what is just a few kilometers on a map means long days of hard work on the river. That's why the team decides to build yet another camp further into the valley. They continue through the tunnel that the Indians cut into the undergrowth in the last few days. For the expedition, the bamboo stands here are a tough challenge. The only way through it is to cut them down by hand, a time-consuming effort. The stems block the channel and get caught in the boat's propellers. They're dangerously sharp. The new camp lies above a steep riverbank. But Elisha thought ahead and is already busy building a bamboo ladder. The next day, fog hangs between the trees and the humidity in the air is worse than ever. Last night, the Waiwais killed a deer. But without sunlight, the meat is drying very slowly. Burley constantly has to remove maggots from it. There's more and more bamboo growing in their way. The cutlers has replaced the chainsaw as the most important tool. The stems are far too flexible for the cumbersome saw. But the bamboo, the exhaustion and the dwindling food rations are all taking their toll. Everyone has lost at least 10 kilos in weight. Now fever is making the rounds. The pulse is high, but not too high. Anyone not floored by illness does what they can to help on the river. But eventually, the fever gets them all. The Waiwai resort to traditional healing methods. The burning log not only provides heat, its sap also burns with a pleasant spicy smell. The smoke works as a disinfectant and frees the airways. Elisha also has a roundworm, a parasite transferred by mosquitoes, which lives beneath the skin. Duane tries to get the worm out using his snakebite kit, but to no avail. Brazil nuts are a welcome addition to their depleted food supplies. They provide protein, many trace elements and valuable fat. During the rainy period, the fish follow the rising waters into the forest. For them, this is like paradise. There are new food sources and a bigger area to roam. Only few remain in the river itself. Catching a fish now requires a good dose of luck, especially such a large wolffish. It will be their next meal. To gain energy, the Indians prepare a kind of bush cocoa. It's made from cooked and mashed fruits and has the color and flavor of cocoa. It's reputed to help strengthen the body and its immune system. The team's progress continues to slow down in the dense bamboo thickets. Sometimes they only advance a few meters a day. And where they can identify channels, they often lead them in a circle. The expedition has become stuck in a dead end of wild bamboo. Young and Rainer want to look for clues from above. To get into the canopy, they use a climbing rope, which they loop over a strong branch. Both are experienced tree climbers. They always carry their equipment with them on filming trips. The tallest of the rainforest trees are over 60 meters high. From up here, the view across the forest is breathtaking. Rainer determines their exact position. Above the leafy forest canopy, their GPS once again works. Then he catches a glimpse of a large raptor, just a stone's throw away. It's an ornate hawk eagle. And it has its nest right here. A filming opportunity not to be missed. The camera is hoisted up at the end of a rope. The hawk eagle is not particularly big, but an impressive hunter. The chick remains in the nest for around three months, but will stay nearby for another year. But sadly, the bird is only a temporary distraction. The problems with the expedition's progress remain unsolved. Yesterday, they didn't make any ground at all. Now they have to consider their options. Continuing on their way through the bamboo thicket doesn't seem to have any chance of success. If they want to get ahead, they need to find a different route. Perhaps they can avoid the bamboo by walking some of the distance into the valley that harbors the Essequibo source. The Waiwai discovered a small stream that split off from the Sipo River. Perhaps it would bring them closer to the basin that gives birth to the Sipo. We could move our stuff forward so you have less distance to walk with equipment and stuff to get to the headwaters. Eventually, go walk. The new plan means they will use a sidearm of the main river to get closer to the basin where the Sipo emerges. From there, they will have to go on foot, taking only bare essentials with them. First, they have to clear the small river. Although it only goes in the right direction for a few kilometers, it shortens the distance considerably. The boats are almost empty. The team only takes what it can carry. Their provisions will only last a few days. Then they continue on foot. The skilled Waiwai make a Varashi from palm fronds, a carrier that enables them to carry heavy loads even in difficult terrain. The route takes them through thick undergrowth. The canopy is so dense that only little light filters down to the ground. Rocks, roots and lianas make the ascent even more difficult. They have to master two mountain ridges to reach the end of the river valley. The forest is saturated with the rain of the last few days. Initially, the team reaches a stream that enters the bamboo-filled basin from the south. Traversing it on a tree trunk is tough with such heavy loads. They discover further two streams that feed the lake and channels in the Sipo's basin. All three are similar in look, volume and current. They drain the rainwater that falls on the forest here. For thousands of years, it has carved its paths and scarred the rocks clean. It's not easy to find a good foothold on the wet, slippery ground. The explorers make a simple camp on the banks of the most southerly stream. Once again, it's necessary to dry the clothes and equipment over the fire. The Waiwai have managed to kill a paka on their travels. A large rodent, which is prepared immediately. Climate and exhaustion take their toll. Rainer is scouring the stream for signs of life. The bottom is covered in sand and polished rocks. He's hoping to find insect larvae or small crabs, the typical inhabitants of mountain streams here. But the clear water yields nothing. So the bamboo swamp that feeds the Sipo River receives water from three almost identical streams. Their characters change with every rainfall. But since they seem to be devoid of life, it could indicate that these are seasonal streams. It puts the spotlight back on the bamboo swamp in the Sipo's basin. One of the Indians takes a camera and climbs up into the canopy to take another look at the basin. The bamboo's light green stands out from the rest of the forest. Down there is where the Essequibo truly begins. The team decides to follow the most southerly stream up into the mountains to find out more about its origins. Short trees and palms grow on the wet ground. With its dense undergrowth, the flora resembles the cloud forests of the Andes. Raindrops are virtually sucked up by the vegetation. It's like a giant green sponge. Large epiphytes don't just grow on trees here, but also on the ground. Then the team finds a stream spring. It's just a few hundred meters from the drainage divide that separates the Guyana Shield from the Amazon basin. The small stream spring lies under a large rock in a stony hollow on a mountain slope. The expedition has reached its destination, against the odds, the source of the Essequibo. Symbolically, the youngest member of the team, Nereo's Chiquima, plants the flag of Guyana in the sandy ground of the spring. From here, the stream makes its way into the basin and the Sipu River. For most of the year, the Akarai Mountains are shrouded in dense fog. On their slopes thrives a magical world of mosses, lichen, and ferns. They absorb the water from the clouds. And like a sponge, they can store and release the moisture as needed. From there, the water collects and channels and gradually makes its way to join the mighty Essequibo further downstream. It seems there is no definitive spring. The reality is far more complicated. Could one of the streams be the true source? Or do they vanish in the dry season? The definitive answer will have to be determined by the next generation of explorers. What is certain is that the Essequibo gathers the power that sustains it over more than 1,000 kilometers and allows it to become one of the greatest rivers in South America right here, in this basin.