The Baramanni is a stream running across the Barima-Waini, one of Guyana’s ten administrative regions, which can be found in the northwestern part of the country. The territory is currently the subject of dispute by both Guyana and Venezuela. The Barima-Waini’s Atlantic Coast, where it borders the Atlantic Ocean, is home to many beaches, including the Luri Beach, Almond Beach and Turtle Beach. But Barima-Waini’s most prominent beach is probably Shell Beach, because four of the eight species of sea turtles that are indigenous to the area use the beach as their nesting grounds. The turtles had previously been slaughtered for their eggs and meat, driving at least one species, the Olive Ridgley, to the brink of extinction. Presently, however, Shell Beach has become a center of non-government conservation activities to save the sea turtles.
If you would like to see the sea turtles nesting, nesting season is between March and July, when the turtles come out of the sea to dig their nests among the tiny shells that make up the beach. The turtles lay as many as ten dozen eggs each before returning to the water. The Giant Leatherback, the largest species of turtle in the world, is one of those that make Shell Beach its nesting grounds. The Scarlet Ibis, the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago, is also a common sight on the beaches. And eco-tourists can enjoy taking nature hikes in the nearby tropical rainforest, trying to spot some of the many different types of flora and fauna that call the forest home.