Photos by renan_ozturk / words by m_synnott / Science and the search for new species was the raison d’etre of the natgeo Lost World Expedition in Guyana. But the beating heart of our team was the native Akawaios who served as guides, porters, citizen scientists, and friends. Some of roughly 70 Akawaois who accompanied us live in this village, which is called Wayalayeng, home to about 50 families and accessible only by foot or boat. Over the years that I've been exploring our planet, I've secretly dreamed that one day I might find a real Shangri-La. The term was coined by British author in 1933 and is defined as “a remote, beautiful, imaginary place where life approaches perfection; utopia.” It's tempting to project this vision onto Wayalayeng, and I’ll admit that I have. But the truth is that life in this village is hard. Wayalayeng lacks basic amenities that many of us take for granted in our daily lives—electricity, running water, cellular communications, and medical care. Wayala...