Tumatumari is a community located within the Potaro-Siparuni administrative region of Guyana. While its residents were originally mainly Amerindians of the Arawak tribe, at present the people who live there are a mix of many different races. A Guyana National Service center was established in the area in 1981 to train the local population in agricultural and technical skills so they could farm the fertile agricultural land in Tumatumari. At present, gold and diamond mining is the main industry in the area, apart from tourism from the nearby Potaro River and its waterfalls.
The main attraction in the area is the Kaieteur Falls, famous as one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world and which has a free fall height of over 700 feet. The waterfall is located within the Kaieteur National Park, one of the most bio-diverse spots on the globe and among the few places where you can still see many endangered species. The rare species visitors can find in the park include the Golden dart-poison frog, whose hide is adorned in bright colored patterns to warn potential predators of their toxins, the Scissors-Tailed Swift, which spends most of its waking hours eating insects and skimming across the Kaieteur Falls, and the Bush Dogs, which are notable for being able to run backwards very quickly while still keeping an eye on their enemies.
Visitors wishing to travel to the area have a choice of going by air from the country’s capital of Georgetown, or an overland trek to the base of the Kaieteur Falls that takes between three to five days.