Venezuela - Geodyssey

Transcription

Venezuela
GEODYSSEY
Welcome!
W
elcome to Geodyssey’s fifth brochure dedicated exclusively to Venezuela.
It is part of our growing series of in-depth travel brochures for selected
countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our aim is to provide
deeper and wider coverage of travel and holiday opportunities than is usually available elsewhere. By focusing on one country at a time, we hope to provide a real feel
for what is unique and special, and the very different ways in which each country can
best be visited, explored and enjoyed, with the best value for money too.
For independent travel, with or without a guide, this brochure provides a
wide selection of sample itineraries for you to choose from, or you can ask
us to design a holiday that is tailor-made to suit your tastes and budget.
We also run three small group holidays with fixed departures throughout the
year, where you can join up to a dozen people travelling with a guide. Our
fair-price policy means no local payments and no single supplements if you are willing to share.
This brochure spans the wide range of styles that Venezuela offers: touring staying in comfortable
lodges, fabulous alternative beach places, opportunities to discover Venezuela’s impressive wildlife,
rugged treks and expeditions that go deep into wilderness areas, diving trips and specialist birdwatching holidays.
Our philosophy remains to support local economies wherever possible, for example by staying at
locally-owned hotels and guesthouses, and employing local guides. We try to minimise any harmful
impact on the environment or on local cultures, and to encourage conservation wherever we can.
We have been the UK’s leading specialist for Venezuela for a decade or more and we are always
looking for the best new ideas and opportunities. We are usually the first to offer hotels, lodges and
posadas that have reached a good standard and have something special to offer, and we closely
monitor them subsequently. No wonder Conde Nast Traveler’s ‘Truth in Travel’ campaign chose Geodyssey as their ‘Special Agent’ for Venezuela.
We are not an ordinary travel company and we hope you will find that this is more than an ordinary
brochure. How did we get our information? By travelling in Venezuela widely and often, by being in
close contact with local people in each region, by asking our clients to report back to us when they
return, and simply by being the only company in probably the whole of Europe that spends every
weekday (and a few others besides!) making arrangements for people to visit mainland Venezuela.
When you are deciding where to go for your next holiday you’ll want to turn to someone who really knows the area you’d like to visit. For Venezuela, we hope you’ll choose us.
Gillian Howe and John Thirtle
Birthday party at the beach, JT
Front cover: Mount Roraima, DF
Contents
Venezuela’s regions
Gran Sabana
Angel Falls & Canaima
Llanos
Andes
Orinoco Delta & rainforests
Paria
Ciudad Bolívar & Puerto Ordaz
Coro
Caracas
4
6
7
8
10
11
12
12
13
Venezuela’s Caribbean beaches
Margarita
Los Roques
Paria beaches
Tacarigua
Choroní
14
15
16
16
17
Planning your holiday
Touring & wildlife
Chill-outs & honeymoons
Active & adventure
Small group holidays
18-23
24
25-29
21, 27, 29
Birdwatching
30
Travel Notes
When to visit Venezuela
Most areas of Venezuela enjoy good weather for
large parts of the year.
Venezuela’s dry season (usually October-April) is
characterised by fine clear days with little rain and it
is a good time to escape northern winters.
When you get back we will send you a short questionnaire to make sure that everything went well for
you and to gather your comments on the places you
visited.
The wetter season (May-September) still has plenty
of sun, is not very wet, and much of the rain falls conveniently at night. It is Venezuela’s season of abundance: landscapes are green and fresh, and waterfalls
are at their most spectacular.
We will also ask what you think of us. No less than 93%
of our customers give us top marks, describing their overall level
of satisfaction with their holiday in Venezuela as “Excellent”.
Their most frequent comment is:
Los Roques, Margarita and Coro are very dry and
sunny and you are virtually guaranteed good weather there at any time of year.
Temperatures are nearly constant all year round, with
most areas in the 80s (27-32°C) in the day: think of
the best Mediterranean weather, but not as baking
hot as southern Europe can be in July and August. It
is cooler in the Andes, with the Mérida valley typically
in the 70s (21-26°C) in the day, sometimes falling to a
nippy 40°F (5°C) at night.
Venezuela is comfortably outside the hurricane zone.
Booking with Geodyssey
It’s good to know that when you book your holiday
with Geodyssey you not only get the benefit of our
in-depth knowledge of Venezuela from many years of
making travel arrangements to all parts of the country, and our up-to-date knowledge of the best places,
old and new. You also get our experience in designing holidays to suit different tastes and budgets, the
confidence that your money is fully protected, and
the reassurance that if anything goes wrong while
you are away you have a well-established network of
helpful, knowledgeable and resourceful people both
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locally and back in the UK to support you. We’re at
the end of a phone for you when you are planning
your holiday, preparing to leave, or out in Venezuela.
“this was the best holiday we have ever had”
Your protection
You may book with Geodyssey in the knowledge that
your money is completely protected.
The air holidays in this brochure are ATOL protected
by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is
5292. The CAA make stipulations as to our paid-up
share capital to help make sure that we stay in business, and they require us to lodge a bond as surety so
that clients who buy domestic or international flights
as part of the holiday they purchase from us will be
protected should the company fail. The protection
afforded by the ATOL bond extends primarily to customers who book and pay in the United Kingdom.
It is not widely recognised that this system does not
protect those who do not buy any flights from their
tour operator. As a member of the Association of
Independent Tour Operators (AITO), Geodyssey also
provides equivalent protection for these customers.
A note of caution
If you have experience of travelling in developing
countries, Venezuela’s culture of mañana and sporadic inefficiency will come as no surprise—you may
even be pleased at how well some things work. However despite all our efforts it is almost inevitable that
at some point during your stay you will face some
delay or local inadequacy. If you can approach such
situations with a flexible, positive attitude you will
help yourself to maximise your enjoyment of your
trip. Venezuelans are fond of saying that even when
things don’t work, everything will work out. Remember, this isn’t Switzerland!
You will travel among different cultures and it goes
almost without saying that local people must be
treated with respect and politeness. This is particularly true when meeting people who have chosen a
traditional way of life that may be under great pressure from other sources—a pressure to which all of
us must be very careful not to add.
Language can be a problem if you are travelling
without a guide—few ordinary Venezuelans speak
English. A handful of Spanish words is all you need
on an organised itinerary. To make travel and other
arrangements locally it is essential to learn Spanish
above a basic level and to greatly reduce the amount
you hope to see to allow more time for logistics.
Contact us
Geodyssey Ltd
116 Tollington Park
London N4 3RB England
www.geodyssey.co.uk
Tel:
020 7281 7788
Fax: 020 7281 7878
Email: [email protected]
GEODYSSEY LTD REGISTERED OFFICE: 116 TOLLINGTON PARK LONDON N4 3RB REGISTERED IN ENGLAND: NO 2782574
Venezuela
Playa Medina, Paria, RR
Angel Falls, RR
Venezuela
V
ENEZUELA IS AMAZING. NOWHERE ELSE WILL YOU FIND ITS COMBINATION OF CARIBBEAN BEACHES,
impressive Andean peaks, swathes of open plains with abundant wildlife, and even larger areas of deep
rainforest. Add to that a few things that are completely unique, such as the ‘Lost World’ of the Gran
Sabana, Angel Falls, and the Orinoco Delta—another world again, and you have something truly exceptional.
With large reserves of oil, Venezuela doesn’t need to hype its attractions, so you won’t find ads on the TV or in
the newspaper urging you to go. And while Venezuela isn’t expensive, it isn’t cheap either, so you won’t find it on
the backpacker routes. Venezuela has some great places to stay, but nothing that ranks in the top 10 for style-hungry journalists, so you won’t read much about it in the glossy magazines. It is possible that the first time you really
started to find out something about Venezuela may have been when you opened this brochure. Here are some of
the highlights:
The Gran Sabana Our favourite. A remote region the size
of Belgium served by just one road, where impressive
table mountains rise up over grassy uplands dotted
with palms, and valleys thick with rainforest. Angel
Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall, drops a sheer 1km
into the forest to the northwest. Home to the Pemón
people, some of the most considerate, resourceful,
egalitarian and community-spirited individuals you
could hope to meet. Conan Doyle called it the ‘Lost
World’. You might say it’s the rest of us that are lost.
tively restored. Echoes of independence heroes such as
the great Simón Bolívar are to be found in many places.
Caracas, the capital, has a very fine small historic quarter. Many small towns with a less illustrious past have a
scattering of houses, a church or a hacienda that date
back a few hundred years.
Contemporary culture According to Sir Simon Rattle,
Venezuela’s youth orchestras, which involve a quarter
of a million kids, are doing the most important work
in classical music in the world. They reflect the nation’s
appetite for excellence and its democratic ideals.
Venezuelans adore music, from a raw salsa beat or the
refinements of classical music, to esoteric pieces for
piano or guitar. Visual arts are extremely strong, from
the leading kinetic and geometric artists of the 1950s
and 60s (to be found not just in museums but painted
on motorway underpasses and the walls of whole villages), to great new work in smart galleries in Caracas,
and artists’ studios and collectives around the country.
Venezuela is easy to fly to from the UK (via a choice of
European hubs), it has a great climate, with a long dry
season and a not very wet ‘wet’ season (some parts are
dry all year), and it is outside the hurricane belt.
Tourism is a minor activity for Venezuela, but there is
enough infrastructure in the right places to make for a
rather comfortable time while you discover what the
rest of the world has been missing.
The Andes A double range of sierras that rise quickly
from nothing to above the tropical snow line. Families
till steep fields below lofty peaks and high moorlands,
growing everything from sugar cane to coffee and
from potatoes to cut flowers. The lively university town
of Mérida sits between the sierras, and attracts artists,
crafts people, musicians, philosophers, writers, hikers,
climbers and adventurers.
The Llanos Vast fertile plains fed by Andean rivers. They
are in flood from May to September, then the waters
retreat and the landscape becomes baked dry. Some
ranches that farm cattle here are run with conservation
in mind and are wonderful places to see the animals
we think of as typically South American: giant anteaters, armadillos, anacondas, giant otters, howler monkeys, hoatzin and many more.
The Orinoco Almost the whole of the Orinoco, one of the
great rivers of the world, is in Venezuela. Rising deep in
the Amazonian rainforests of the south west, it traverses the country, gathering volume, until it empties itself
in a massive delta the size of Wales, creating a unique
environment that has been home to the Warao people
for several thousand years.
Beaches With more miles of Caribbean coast than all
the Caribbean islands put together, Venezuela offers
a wide choice of beaches, including some of the most
wonderful you could hope for, sometimes with stylish
small hotels and high quality posadas serving great
food.
Historic cities For a bustling youthful country, Venezuela
is full of history. Towns like Ciudad Bolívar and Coro
have kept the atmosphere of their colonial past. Many
buildings that survive have been, or are being, sensi-
GEODYSSEY
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VENEZUELA
www.geodyssey.co.uk/venezuela
reservations: 020 7281 7788
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Dawn at Churi-tepui, JT
Gran Sabana
T
HE GRAN SABANA IS A LAND OF ROMANTIC
and spectacular table mountains. Some of the
oldest land forms on earth, they were created
long before the continents drifted apart. Now they
stand as sentinels—witnesses of the world’s beginnings—islands lost in time.
Wide sweeps of open savannah, scattered
with elegant stands of moriche palms, are typical of the Gran Sabana’s higher areas. Immense
skies give the feeling of being on the roof of
the world. Dramatic views of the scattered table
mountains add to the sense of great distance
and of separateness from ordinary realities.
To see these mountains at dawn or in the evening
casts a special spell: the changes of light and the movement of mists around their summits accentuate their
remoteness and their age. The tallest is Mount Roraima,
whose massive summit is another world again—one of
weirdly eroded rock formations, strange plants, valleys
carpeted with crystals, and endless labyrinths. Its walls
are so sheer and high that repeated Victorian expeditions claimed it was unscalable. Reports of its first ascent inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s adventure yarn
‘The Lost World’—a name that has since been applied
to the Gran Sabana as a whole, as well as to Roraima
itself. It is a fitting description of this ancient and surreal landscape.
Rivers spilling over the edges of escarpments and
table mountains create dramatic waterfalls. The most
famous is Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world
–see page 6. There are many other waterfalls of every
imaginable type, from wide thundering falls like Chinak-Merú and Kamá Falls to gentle cascades like Jaspé
Falls—where sheets of clear water tumble over the rich
reds and bright oranges of a river bed made from solid
jasper, a semiprecious stone.
This land is the home of the Pemón people, who are
farmers, hunters and fishermen. They live in small communities, notable for their practical egalitarianism and
tolerance. Their word for mountain is tepui, by which
the Gran Sabana’s table mountains are commonly
known.
The summits of the tepuis contain many endemic
species that have evolved in isolation and are found on
perhaps one mountain only. In the grasslands animals
are sparse: there are giant anteaters and other mammals but they avoid being seen. Much of the rest of the
region is covered by primary rainforest, a secret world
where vision is restricted to a few tens of feet and
where the lives of thousands of different species are
interleaved in complex ecological webs.
Most people come to the Gran Sabana just to see
Angel Falls and the nearby tourist village of Canaima.
Angel Falls is a truly spectacular sight, and Canaima
has a very beautiful setting, but these are just tastes
of the region. To the south and east there are places
where table mountains surround you on all horizons,
where pristine rivers meander through gentle valleys
between dramatic escarpments, where huge waterfalls
roar and tumble into empty chasms.
The Gran Sabana is a special region for us and it
is where our love of Venezuela began, over fifteen
years ago. We are able to offer some very special trips
throughout the area. These include on- and off-road
tours by 4WD vehicles, river journeys to the foot of Angel Falls or along the remote rivers that wind through
the biggest concentrations of tepuis, short day walks,
longer treks to the summit of Mount Roraima, and
mini-adventures in seldom visited areas.
The essential character of the Gran Sabana remains
the same throughout the year. Its weather is not predictable: there can be long dry spells in the supposedly
wetter May-August period, and the mountains can
create local rain at any time. The drier season usually
starts by October, by March the land is often parched
and dusty. When the chance of rain increases in April or
May, the grasslands revive and the rivers rise again to
feed the waterfalls.
The Gran Sabana is so far from Venezuela’s cities
that there are few visitors for most of the year. The
exceptions are at Christmas, Carnival and Easter, when
most Venezuelans flock to the beach but some take
advantage of the public holidays to explore a part of
their country that most of their neighbours will never
have experienced—though even at those times very
Akopán-tepui from Aurak, JT
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Chinak-merú waterfall, SM
Apauray-tepui (Irama formation behind), Wonkén, JT
Pemón hut, Techinén settlement looking back to Ptari-tepui, JT
few venture far from the only black-top road that runs
through the area.
Mount Roraima is starting to become known among
the trekking cognoscenti (justifiably so), and one will
usually find one or two small groups on the mountain,
with more at Christmas and Easter.
Since 1962 almost the whole area of the Gran Sabana
has been protected as a national park, covering nearly
12,000 square miles. It is an important area of endemism, with over 300 endemic species of plant identified so far. Beyond the boundaries of the park there are
areas of forest under threat from gold and diamond
mining, and there is some wildcat mining by garimperos within the park itself. The few visitors who venture
into the heart of the region bring an alternative source
of income for hard-pressed villagers, and can play a
greater role in helping to support the protection of this
delicate and enchanted land.
Ptari-tepui at dawn, JT
Small group holidays ‘Venezuelan Odyssey’ (p21), ‘Trek to the Lost World’
(p27), and ‘Angel Falls, Orinoco Delta and Paria’ (p29).
Independent holidays ‘Venezuela Explorer’ (p18), ‘Gran Sabana Discovery’ (p22), ‘Islands in Time’ and ‘Mount Roraima Trek’ (p26), and ‘Gran
Sabana mini-adventure’ (p28).
Kamá Falls, JT
Chimantá formation, JT
Jaspé Falls, JT
Techinén Falls, JT
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Carrao River and Auyán-tepui, RR
Angel Falls, RR
Angel Falls and Canaima
L
OCKED AWAY IN A RAINFORESTED CANYON
to the northwest of the Gran Sabana, Angel
Falls is the world’s tallest waterfall: twice the
height of the Empire State Building, three times higher
than the Eiffel Tower and four times Canary Wharf. The
waters drop almost one kilometre, tumbling and billowing out of the sky before they meet the forest floor.
Angel Falls is so isolated that despite a first report in
1910 it was not finally known to the outside world until
1935 when it was seen by bush pilot Jimmy Angel, the
far from celestial being after whom the falls are named.
Angel only confirmed the falls’ location in 1937 when
he crash-landed nearby on a search for gold.
Angel’s story is an entertaining one. A Canadian
air-force pilot of the First World War, he was in a bar in
Panama when he met geologist and explorer J.R. McCraken. McCraken contracted him to fly to the Gran
Sabana, landing on the summit of a tepui. Here McCraken settled down to a day’s serious gold-panning,
extracting a sack of nuggets so heavy that Angel was
worried the plane could not take off. When it was time
to leave, the plane waddled as best it could over the
sheer edge of the tepui then dived alarmingly before
Angel could level it out. He coaxed it back to Caracas,
where McCraken settled the second half of Angel’s
hefty $3,000 fee.
Clearly no fool, McCraken did not give Angel a map
but simply directed him as they flew. Angel later
scoured the area on his own account, but though he
found the falls that bear his name, he never located
McCracken’s lode again.
Auyán-tepui, the mountain from which Angel Falls
plummets, is the largest in area of the hundreds of
tepuis scattered over the Gran Sabana and the Orinoco rainforests. The falls pour into the side of a deep
canyon that splits the mountain almost in two. At the
canyon’s bottom runs the Río Churún, a pleasant fastrunning river which winds around rocks and boulders
through the forest of the canyon floor, between the
mountain’s massive orange, red and mauve walls; here
sparkling with quartz in the sunlight, there lowering
broodily in the gloom of the shadows.
An exciting way to see Angel Falls is to travel up
this river by dugout when its waters are high enough,
mooring opposite the face of the falls, which are an
hour and a half’s walk away on a jungle trail. You can
stop at a lookout point in front of the falls, or continue
to their base for an exhilarating dip in the pool below
the cascade, billowing and tumbling over itself from an
impossible height above you. Wildlife is never far away:
sightings on our most recent trip included a sloth
swimming across the river.
To reach the falls you generally fly to the tourist village of Canaima where there is a small selection of
lodges. Canaima’s location is seriously beautiful: to the
Angel Falls from the air, JT
side of a lagoon fed by two sets of handsome waterfalls, with a backdrop of two fine tepuis. A boat trip
around the lagoon is very worthwhile, with the option
of walking behind one of the waterfalls – an impressively deafening experience. River trips to the foot of
Angel Falls start nearby.
From Canaima you can also take scenic flights to
see Angel Falls from the air. If the jungle adventure to
reach the foot of the falls is not for you, then this is an
excellent way to experience their sheer scale and the
romance of their remote location.
To the east more tepuis stand like sentries across the
landscape, but the next village of any size is far-away
Kavanayén perched on the edge of an escarpment
overlooking the forest. If you are looking for a real jungle expedition we occasionally run a 6-day trek across
this uninhabited forest with guides from the Pemón
community – ask us for details.
Independent holidays ‘Venezuela Explorer’ (p18), ‘Andes, Angel Falls and
Paria beaches’ and ‘Canaima and Angel Falls, Llanos and Los Roques’ (p20),
‘Gran Sabana Discovery’ (p22), ‘Canaima, Margarita and Los Roques’ (p24),
‘Angel Falls River Journey, Margarita and Los Roques’ and ‘Islands in Time’
(p26), and ‘Orinoco Delta, Gran Sabana, Angel Falls and Margarita’ (p28).
Canaima lagoon, KR
Canaima lagoon, Hacha Falls and Kusari-tepui, JT
Auyán-tepui from Río Carrao on the way to Angel Falls, JT
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Giant River Otter, JW
Llanos, JR
Spectacled Caiman, JW
Tamandua, JW
Llanos
T
HE LLANOS IS THE GEOGRAPHICAL AND
spiritual centre of Venezuela and holds a
special place in the heart of even the most
urbane Caraqueño. A region of wide skies, slow rivers,
and plains stretching to every horizon, it is home to
hard-working cowboys who have raised cattle here on
horseback for a dozen generations.
In the dry season the plains of the low Llanos are
baked dry and dusty, but when the rains return to the
Andes the meandering rivers spill over to flood and
regenerate the land. The annual pattern of flood and
drought creates a special ecology which makes this
one of the great wildlife areas of South America.
There are huge numbers of birds, with as many different species as Britain and the USA put together: bright
red scarlet ibis, roseate spoonbills, elegant sunbitterns,
prehistoric hoatzin and many many more. Animals typical of the region include giant and collared anteater,
several armadillo species, anaconda (many over 30ft in
length), deer, giant otter, spectacled caiman, Orinoco
crocodile, howler monkey, jaguar, puma and ocelot.
Many people’s favourite is the capybara, the world’s
largest rodent, which can be seen in great numbers in
protected areas. There are freshwater dolphin in the
rivers, arrau turtle, small numbers of manatee and, of
course, large numbers of piranha fish.
to see the wildlife of the Llanos. A typical day starts
with a morning safari, by boat or vehicle with a local
tracker-guide, returning for lunch and a siesta at the
ranch, followed by a mid-afternoon safari, then drinks
and dinner. Night safaris are provided on some days.
Rooms are to comfortable standards.
The drier season (October to April) is probably the
best time to visit. At this time the increasing drought
drives animals and birds together in great numbers
around the few remaining sources of water. Even so,
we have been very impressed with the numbers of
animals and birds we have seen in the wetter months,
when they are dispersed but more active. An 8ft long
giant anteater looks pretty impressive going about its
business even under a cloudy sky!
Capybara, JW
The culture of the Llanos is a special one. The llaneros
are proud of their hard lives, the true cowboys live
close to nature from cradle to grave. They break in fresh
horses each year, releasing them to run wild when the
rains come. Their rich folklore is revealed in legends
and stories, and in poignant songs accompanied by
the strum of the cuatro guitar or the lilting rhythms of
the Venezuelan harp.
Small group holiday ‘Venezuelan Odyssey’ (p21).
Independent holidays ‘Venezuela Explorer’ (p18), ‘Canaima and Angel
Falls, Llanos and Margarita’ and ‘Andes, Llanos, Caracas and Tacarigua’ (p20),
‘Wildlife Hatos in the Llanos’ (p23), and Birdwatching (p31).
Special conservation ranches are the best places
Llaneros cowboys, JW
Sleeping Giant Anteater, PF
Scarlet Ibis, JW
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7
Mucuposada, AT
Andes villagers, JT
of the day, their mules or donkeys tethered to a tree.
The way of life in these villages has changed little for la
gente—the people who live on the land; they sustain
a well-mannered charm and a serious approach to life
that stems from a long history of hardship and selfdetermination. Wheat is a staple crop and you will still
find circular threshing floors and rickety water-mills.
Village streams also power small trapiche mills that
crush sugar cane to make sticky bricks of brown sugar,
encapsulating the occasional honey bee from the
many that congregate around the millers. The region is
famous for good quality coffee, the majority of which
is grown beneath shade trees in the traditional, songbird-friendly, way.
ingredients such as garlic, Guinness and trout), and the
Teleférico de Mérida—the world’s highest and longest
cable-car. This climbs for nearly 8 miles to the summit
of Pico Espejo, at an oxygen-starved 15,633ft. A fabulous ride, with great views all the way.
Andes
I
N VENEZUELA, THE NORTHERNMOST PART OF THE
Andes takes on a more human dimension, with
high farmlands and villages nestling beneath its
dramatic peaks. The university town of Mérida is the
centre of this region. It lies between two mountain
sierras: the Sierra Nevada, which provides a spectacular backdrop of five snowcapped mountains behind
the town, and the Sierra La Culata. Mérida is a friendly
place, with plenty to see and do.
Landscapes around Mérida change at every turn.
There are lush cloud forests, with trees crowded with
orchids and bromeliads, and flowering shrubs that attract a succession of hummingbirds. Turn a corner and
you might be in a dry desert of cacti and scrub with
solitary vultures wheeling in the sky. Climb the road
north of town and small farms and fields soon give way
to the dramatic high moorlands of the páramo, while
little dirt tracks lead off to quiet valleys where stonewalled fields are still ploughed with oxen, and small
streams trickle through eucalyptus groves alive with
fuchsias and lupins.
Pretty Spanish-colonial style hamlets are scattered
among the mountain valleys. Their cobbled streets
and white-washed houses, with terracotta tiled roofs,
colourful window boxes and dark blue doors, are
often very photogenic. In the villages’ main squares
be-hatted elderly citizens meet to discuss the issues
The countryside provides fresh fruit, flowers and
vegetables in abundance and Mérida’s covered market
brings a feast for the senses with mounds of produce
from strawberries to asparagus, avocado to papaya,
gladioli, begonias, gentians and other native Andean
flowers, jams and pickles, hams, smoked cheeses
and dulces abrillantados (crystallised guava chunks
wrapped in leaves), as well as pottery, weavings and
other handicrafts. The old streets near the centre of the
city contain many colonial houses in various states of
repair, often built around a small courtyard.
Mérida claims two superlatives: Heladería Coromoto—a tiny shop that holds the world record for
the most flavours of ice-cream (around 800 flavours
at the last count, including many unlikely-sounding
Mérida posada
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The cable-car rises over tropical cloud forest which
soon changes through several intermediate zones
where silver-crowned trees are interspersed with
slender tree-ferns and thickets of bamboo (typical
habitat for Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Crested Quetzal
and Spectacled Bear), reaching the páramo at about
12,000 ft. At this altitude the only trees are the rare
red-trunked coloradito—the highest growing tree species in the world. The notable plant here is the yellowflowering frailejón whose radial layers of furry silver
leaves build slowly upwards leaving a fat dark stem.
Mature specimens stand a few feet high and show how
they got their name, which is Spanish for ‘little friar’.
Remarkably, there are hummingbirds even here, they
adapt to the extreme night-time cold by entering a
hibernation state every night.
Above the páramo the vegetation gives way to bare
rock and scree, before reaching perpetual snow. The
cable car stops at several intermediate stations where
you can get out, walk around and catch a later car (not
something to risk at the end of the day!). There is a
small café at the summit where you can sip a hot chocolate and watch Venezuelans enjoying the snow—often for the first time in their lives.
Making sugar in a trapiche, JT
Hummingbird at feeder, JT
Silk weaving, JT
Plazoleta Miranda and the Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Mérida, JT
Loma - cable car station (insets: snow and hot chocolate at the summit), JT
Valley near San José, JT
Ceremony in the Plaza Bolívar, Mérida, JT
Only a few hotels in the Andes can be recommended,
but instead there is a growing number and variety of
family-run guesthouses or posadas. There are styleconscious conversions of old Mérida town houses
and country properties ranging from spacious and
moderately grand coffee haciendas dating from the
nineteenth century, to modest but delightful and comfortable cottages hand-built by their proud owners.
For walkers, there is much to recommend. You may
choose a quiet valley at moderate altitude to take daywalks along clear tracks between villages, with a great
variety of scenery, flowers and birds.
Here the walking is easy, temperatures are moderate, there is much to see along the way, and there are
homely guesthouses whose owners will be delighted
to welcome you to their piece of heaven. “Poor you”
they say, “your coffee comes in jars and your food from
far away. Have some of this coffee I roasted just now.
My hens laid these eggs this morning—will you have
some with this bread my wife baked from the flour we
ground yesterday?”
The high mountains continue to the southwest into
Táchira state where they spread out and descend to
just 656ft, before rising again to join the Colombian
cordillera. The border is high in the mountains well
past the low point, so this furthest part of Venezuela’s
Andes offers opportunities to see bird species otherwise found only in Colombia.
The Llanos plains (see page 7) lie to the east of the
sierras. To reach them you first ascend to a pass at
13,000ft, where high moors are presided over by a
monastery-style hotel much beloved by Venezuelans,
before the road descends the eastern slopes of the
Andes to reach Barinas at just 700ft. The flatland plains
of the Llanos stretch into the distance from here, with
the sea still 750 miles away.
Fruit shop, Mérida, JT
Small group holidays ‘Venezuelan Odyssey’ (p21)
Independent holidays ‘Venezuela Explorer’ (p18), ‘Andes, Angel Falls
and Paria beaches’, ‘Andes, Llanos, Caracas and Tacarigua’ and ‘Andes and
Margarita’ (p20), ‘Day walks in the Andes’, ‘Village to village’, and ‘Trekking in
the Andes’ (p25), and birdwatching (p30).
For the serious trekker, there are magnificent highlands among Mérida’s sierras, where rocky trails lead to
mirror-smooth glacial lakes and through barren passes
to hidden valleys where century-old giant frailejón
plants stand in clusters on frost-shattered screes beneath deep blue skies. Experienced mountain guides
are essential. Packs can be carried by mules if you wish.
Resident of the Tostos Valley, JT
GEODYSSEY
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VENEZUELA
Andean Condor, JR
Mérida Cathedral, JT
Forest below the Mérida cable car, JT
San José, JT
9
San Francisco de Guayo, Orinoco Delta, JT
Exploring the flooded forest, Orinoco Delta, JT
Orinoco Delta
A
LMOST THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE ORINOCO,
one of the great rivers of the world, lies within
Venezuela. It rises in tropical rainforests that
continue to the Amazon to form the planet’s largest
area of rainforest, and it ends at the Atlantic in the
only neotropical delta, the most extensive anywhere
in the tropics. Here the Orinoco’s final journey to the
ocean is through a maze of narrow creeks and channels
that seep between thousands of low islands of palm
forest and mangrove.
The central area of the Delta, about the size of Wales,
is home to the 20,000 strong Warao people. Their world
is as remote and timeless as the hidden world of the
rainforest in which the river began. The history of the
Warao dates back perhaps 6,000 years and maybe
much longer. Once more widely scattered, they have
remained secluded in the labyrinth of the Delta for
centuries, weathering Arawak and Carib conquests of
the West Indies, and the arrival of the Europeans. Their
way of life is well adapted to their unusual environment and their culture is counted as one of the most
long-lived and successful in South America. Although
many hundreds of miles apart, the Warao people who
live in the Delta find many cultural echoes with the
indigenous communities of the rainforests of the upper Orinoco.
In their view they inhabit the centre of a world that is
Warao family home, Orinoco Delta, JT
a flat disk, surrounded by water. The disk is rather thin,
which explains why the land is permanently sodden.
The Warao’s name means ‘boat people’ and the skill
they regard most highly is the making of canoes, to
which boys and young men are trained for many years
in both craft and spiritual aspects. All are made from
single trees and they vary in size from tiny ones a few
feet long, to giants capable of carrying 50 people. Hollowed out to leave just an inch of wood, the average
canoe for a man is strong, stable and manœuvrable,
but longer craft with several crew are needed for large
rivers or the sea. Everybody gets about by canoe—children paddling tiny craft before they can walk.
Warao houses are usually built on tall stilts to cope
with constantly changing water levels, and to take
advantage of the cooling trade winds. Each house is
connected to its neighbour by a raised walkway, to
form little family communities or villages of up to a
thousand or more inhabitants. Everyone is an expert
at fishing, and the moriche palm provides food, wine,
boats, rope and hammocks. Other crops include plantains, sugar cane, maize, rice and yucca. Chickens and
ducks are kept, but no other food animals are required,
given the constant supply of a variety of good fish.
Music for dancing is provided by the violin, which has
become fully absorbed into Warao culture, with many
talented exponents.
The Delta’s birds and animals, though made shy
by hunting, are generally easier to see than those of
the rainforest: macaws, parrots, toucans, hoatzin, the
horned screamer, many species of waterbirds, howler
and capuchin monkeys, giant river otter, fresh water
dolphin, caiman, turtle, piranha and four-eyed fish can
usually be seen in a trip of a few days.
There are lodges close to the land-side edge of the
Delta which provide an introduction to the region, its
people and its fauna and flora—with a taste of adventure too. Close to the ocean at San Francisco de Guayo,
it is possible to stay in a locally-owned guesthouse on
the fringes of a large Warao village—a wonderful place
for relaxation and reflection in the simplest style.
Small group holidays ‘Venezuelan Odyssey’ (p21), and ‘Angel Falls,
Orinoco Delta and Paria’ (p29).
Independent holidays ‘Venezuela Explorer’ (p18), ‘Northeast Discovery’
and ‘Lodges in the Orinoco Delta’ (p23), ‘Orinoco Delta, Gran Sabana, Angel
Falls and Margarita’ (p28).
Orinoco rainforests
Dense rainforests fill most of Venezuela south of
the Orinoco and west of the Gran Sabana.
Viewed from above, the forest possesses a benign
and powerful force. At dawn its breath rises in delicate
ribbons of mist. Down amid the tangled darkness and
humidity of the forest floor the jungle seems confusing and hard to comprehend, but all around you there
are opportunities to learn about the patterns that
make this most complex ecosystem work: bringing
sense to the apparent chaos.
Saturday morning swim, Orinoco Delta, JT
Most forest creatures will be aware of your presence
and will keep well out of sight or high in the canopy.
It is more likely to be the small things—the tree frogs,
deep iridescent blue morphos butterflies, columns
of leaf-cutter ants and plants’ often cunning and
intricate defence mechanisms—which will keep you
spellbound.
The most convenient opportunities to gain some
insight into this remarkable habitat are from the
TransAmazonica highway en route from Puerto Ordaz
to the Gran Sabana, an area also partly subjected to
the predations of gold and diamond mining.
The Caura river rises in the deep south and runs
through the centre of the forests to join the Orinoco
upriver from Ciudad Bolívar. It flows through the
homelands of the Ye’kwana people who fish and farm
10
GEODYSSEY
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VENEZUELA
Río Cuao, Upper Orinoco, JT
shifting plots along the river banks, and it is an important communication route between them and their
cousins further south. You can make the same journey
as far as Pará Falls, a powerful horseshoe of thundering waterfalls deep in the forest, see page 28.
In the upper Orinoco, near Puerto Ayacucho, narrow
rivers are overhung with trees and lianas reflecting in
the glassy waters. A scattering of tepuis (table mountains mostly found in the Gran Sabana) stand above
the forest. The Cuao and Autana rivers pass either side
of Cerro Autana, a tall stump-like tepui that represents
the Tree of Life to the Piaroa. Travel in this border
region is frequently subject to restrictions.
You can experience a taste of the rainforest on tours listed on pages 26-29,
or go deep into the forest on ‘Rainforest River Journey to Pará Falls’ (p28).
Cacao plantation, Hacienda Bukare, JT
Paria
HE PARIA PENINSULA IS ONE OF VENEZUELA’S
hidden gems—a lush green landscape of
small hills, farms and isolated hamlets that
give way to luxuriant cloud forests as the peninsula
grows more mountainous and reaches out like a finger
towards the island of Trinidad a few miles off the coast.
T
a stylish set who are restoring the fine old houses set
back from the sea front that were built when Río Caribe was a successful cacao port. Be sure to visit in the
morning when the fishermen fuss over their brightly
coloured boats and local ladies carefully select the best
fish laid out for them at the market stalls, while pelicans waddling at their feet vie for scraps.
On Paria’s northern coast, palm forested hills come
down to the sea and create a succession of idyllic
beaches that are some of the most beautiful in the
whole Caribbean. Sheltered by headlands, the best
beaches are long bays of warm yellow sand, backed by
groves of coconut palm.
A few miles from Río Caribe, the village of Chacaracual has whole-heartedly adopted the art of Juvenal
Ravelo. Nearly every house, shop, garage, railing and
garden wall fronting the little road through the village
bears his ‘chromatic modulation’ designs. Locally born,
Ravelo was among the Paris kineticists and studied sociology at the Sorbonne in the 60s. He has had several
international exhibitions but retains a strong public
art ethos. His striking geometric repeating designs can
also be found on urban highways around Caracas.
Christopher Columbus first landed on the American
continent here, and it could be said that not much has
happened in Paria since then. The pace of life is relaxed
and friendly, everyone has time to stop and chat, and
there is a profound sense of harmony and wellbeing.
Tropical fruits abound and the area’s small farms produce cacao for the finest chocolate in the world.
The lively little town of Carúpano (whose small claims
to fame include rum distilleries and the telegraph office of the first transatlantic cable to reach South America) is worth a visit. Its narrow shopping streets lead to
the convivial Plaza Colón, where everyone stops to sit
and talk under the trees. It is reckoned to be one of the
best places in Venezuela to celebrate Carnival.
The fishing village of Río Caribe is starting to attract
GEODYSSEY
|
There are many local surprises, including some
thermal mud-springs. Daub your skin thoroughly with
the mud as it bubbles out of little pits in the ground
in an open meadow, let it cool and harden, then soak
yourself in a succession of small pools, heated by the
springs. Surprisingly cleansing and invigorating, and
pleasing to be doing all this in a field rather than a
health club!
Small group holidays ‘Angel Falls, Orinoco Delta and Paria’ (p29).
Independent holidays ‘Andes, Angel Falls and Paria beaches’ (p20),
‘Northeast Discovery’ (p23). ‘Paria and Margarita’ (p24).
Fishing boats, Río Caribe, JT
On the edge of Chacaracual is Hacienda Bukare, a
cacao estate that roasts its organic cacao and refines
it into delicious artisanal chocolate and rich truffles.
Homely guest rooms in the hacienda allow you to ‘stay
on a chocolate farm in paradise’ (see p16).
There are wildlife viewing opportunities at Finca
Vuelta Larga—a water buffalo farm that is run with
conservation in mind: if you won’t be going to the
Llanos then a visit here is a must. Capybara, caiman,
and several monkey species are usually seen, ant-eaters are present and jaguar is a remote possibility. The
birdlife here is very good, with 250 species listed.
Thermal springs, JL
Playa de Uva from high on the headland, JT
Chromatic modulation designs, Chacaracual, JT
Drying the cacao beans, JT
VENEZUELA
The region is generally rich in birdlife, with the cloud
forests of Cerro Humo and Caripe’s Guácharo Cave,
with its large oilbird colony, being special attractions.
Beach palms, JT
11
Ciudad Bolívar Cathedral, JT
Ciudad Bolívar and Puerto Ordaz
Coro
A
PAIN’S FIRST CITY IN SOUTH AMERICA, CORO
was founded in 1527. Its cathedral dates from
1583 with other principal buildings from the
18th century when Coro found wealth from trade. Its
well-kept city centre (a UNESCO site), contains a succession of beautifully restored and maintained houses on
cobblestone streets, with handsome plazas and fine
churches.
FULL 400KM FROM THE SEA, CIUDAD BOLÍVAR
is the highest navigable point on the Orinoco.
It was an important town in colonial times,
a small Manaus, trading the agricultural riches of the
Llanos directly with Europe and looking more to foreign capitals than Caracas.
The city was then called Angostura, meaning ‘narrows’, as here the Orinoco is funnelled through a deep
channel just a mile wide. The bitters for pink gin were
invented here before production moved to Trinidad. A
modestly grand cathedral was built, and city streets of
fine houses leading down to an evocative waterfront.
Simón Bolívar paused here after a series of defeats in
the campaign for Venezuela’s independence. He re-focused on the idea of ejecting the Spanish not just from
Venezuela but from all of South America, and uniting
the colonies in a grand federation. Those he hoped to
rally to his cause assembled here at the ‘Congress of
Angostura’ in 1819, were won over and appointed him
President of the putative federation. At a celebratory
banquet Bolívar leapt on the table and cried ” Thus, as I
cross this table from one end to the other shall I march
from the Atlantic to the Pacific and Panama to Cape
Horn until the last Spaniard is expelled!”
Bolívar was then 35. By the time of his death at the
age of just 47 he had liberated Venezuela, Colombia,
and modern day Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, and presided over territories of 3 million square miles—larger
than the Roman Empire at its zenith. Arrogant and
determined but selfless in his objectives, Bolívar led
by inspirational oratory and physical example: in the
course of his gargantuan achievement he travelled
20,000 miles on horseback, crossing and re-crossing
some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth, and
fought around 300 battles and skirmishes, marked by
decisive generalship and speed of manoeuvre. The
campaign began with unconscionable cruelty and
slaughter on both sides, and finished with a disillusioned Bolívar, wearied to death and trapped in a labyrinth of intrigues, idealisms, petty rivalries, the leftover
emotions of a string of affairs, and the abiding memory
of his wife and true love who died when he was 20.
In a typically Venezuelan juxtaposition, Ciudad Bolívar brings together not just the echoes of this past, but
also one of the most important small contemporary
art collections in Latin America: the Jesús Soto Museum, dedicated to the principal figure of kinetic art
who was born here. With its origins in 1950s Paris, but
inspired by the vibrating intensity of light in his home
town, Soto’s wide-ranging work inspired a group of
other Venezuelan artists. Their art has visual parallels
with that of Bridget Riley, for example, but its social
aesthetic finds Soto’s sculptures on the Caracas metro
and suspended in airport halls over geometric floors
designed by Cruz-Diez, and the communal art of the
Paria village of Chacaracual by Juvenal Ravelo, rather
than restricted to galleries and museums.
Nearby Puerto Ordaz is Ciudad Bolívar’s 20th century
equivalent: the commercial heart of eastern Venezuela.
Puerto Ordaz is well worth a visit, principally to see the
massive cataracts of the Río Caroní as it descends in a
swirling maelstrom half a mile wide bringing black waters from the Gran Sabana to join the Orinoco’s brown
waters from the Andes and the Amazon.
Here Sir Walter Ralegh’s expedition of 1595 came to
a halt, though his scout Berio reported that beyond
them to the south lay mountains of crystal, high waterfalls and doubtless the gold of the El Dorado legend.
Driving southwards today towards the Gran Sabana,
farmland gives way to tropical rainforest in which there
are gold mining concessions where international companies fulfil Berio’s promise, and trading posts where
hard-working private miners exchange nuggets for the
family groceries or the fleeting pleasures of hard liquor
and loose women. Not for nothing does a small town
on the road bear the name ‘El Dorado’ to this day.
Independent holidays ‘Venezuela Explorer’ (p18), Andes, Angel Falls
and Paria beaches’ (p20), ‘Northeast Discovery’ (p23), ‘Orinoco Delta, Gran
Sabana, Angel Falls and Margarita’ (p28).
Ciudad Bolívar, JT
12
S
Coro’s name comes from the Arawak word for wind
and a dry east wind blows steady and warm along the
mainland coast for much of the year, sweeping sand
into enormous shifting dunes that march westwards,
grain by grain, creating a large area just out of town
that echoes the Arabian desert. The dunes are especially impressive in the cool of the afternoon when the
rich sidelight brings intense colours and contrasts.
The sands form an isthmus between the mainland
and the Paraguaná peninsula. Paraguaná offers worldclass windsurfing, miles of empty and rather desolate
beach, a handful of good quality posadas, some interesting local handicrafts and tradition-inspired painters,
and, for ornithologists, the Yellow Shouldered Parrot.
Inland the landscape changes rapidly as you ascend
into a chain of limestone hills: the Sierra de San Luis.
Coming from dry scrub and sand dunes, it is astonishing how the scenery changes, culminating in rich
cool cloud forest—all in less than an hour’s drive, with
expansive views over the coast along the way. There
are some good walks in these hills, which have national
park protection, with stops to explore caverns with
massive stalactites, stalagmites and columns, to peer
down 1,000ft sink holes, or to swim below tumbling
waterfalls.
Coffee grown here once laid claim to being the best
in the world; a local initiative is intent on restoring that
reputation by reintroducing traditional methods. With
its variety of ecosystems, and many migratory species,
the area is also good for birdwatching.
Just along the coast at La Vela, Francisco de Miranda,
one of the most flamboyant and attractive figures in
Río Caroní cataracts, Puerto Ordaz, JT
GEODYSSEY
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VENEZUELA
House of the Iron Windows, Coro, JT
Sand dunes, Coro, JT
Parque Central vegetable gardens, Caracas, JT
Caracas
South American history , who commanded Spanish
troops in the American War of Independence, and had
been a lover of Catherine the Great of Russia, and a
general in revolutionary France, landed in 1806, raising
the Venezuelan flag for the first time in a thwarted invasion (partly backed by Britain); a precursor to Bolívar.
Residents of La Vela’s older streets are particularly
proud of their colourfully painted houses in the old
style. If you pause to look you are quite likely to be
invited in to admire the inner courtyards and other
hallmarks of the colonial and early republican periods.
The landscape around here is dry scrub and it is well
worth a walk to get the feel of how much life can be
supported with so little water: one good trail leads to a
lighthouse above a pretty beach.
Inspired by this dramatic, rather severe, landscape,
several artists have made this area their home. Some
keep open house, more or less, so you can visit their
studios, share a cup of coffee or something stronger,
and perhaps buy. Coro’s Museum of Contemporary
Art promotes their work and also shows items from
its Caracas parent’s collection. The Coro museum is
housed in a beautifully restored 19th century house
built by Jewish merchants, many of whom fled to the
Dutch islands from the Spanish inquisition and were
then attracted to Coro by trade and the new Venezuela’s guarantee of freedom of worship.
At Taime Taime, archaeologists have uncovered a
prehistoric watering hole scattered with the bones of
long extinct animals (including mastodon, giant sloth
and giant armadillo). Arrow cuts in the bones indicate
that this was a place pre-historic man killed and butchered his prey. The scene is presented under a dramatic
tensioned fabric pavilion that was Venezuela’s stand at
the Seville Expo.
To complete a very varied picture, there is a wonderful botanic garden just outside Coro specialising
in xerophytic plants from the region and around the
world.
Independent holidays ‘West Coast Discovery’ (p22)
C
ARACAS IS A MODERN CAPITAL WITH SOME
impressive architecture, multi-lane urban
highways, a state-of-the-art metro system,
parks, gardens, museums and art galleries, a plentiful
supply of restaurants and bars, shopping malls, prosperous suburbs, and well-to-do apartment blocks. Like
other major capitals there are also many people struggling to survive on the city’s sprawling edge, and there
is dirt, noise, traffic jams and pollution.
As city people ourselves we always enjoy spending
time in Caracas. It would be a shame not to see Caracas
if you want to understand the country better, in particular the efforts to use the country’s oil wealth for the
benefit of its citizens. A logo that says ‘Now Venezuela
is for everyone’ is widely applied, some prominent city
parks have been turned into vegetable allotments for
the poor, and you can buy a copy of the new constitution and a Simón Bolívar T-shirt from vendors around
the bigger metro stations.
There is a small photogenic historic quarter with
prestigious government buildings. Bolívar is an especially significant figure here, with a large plaza in his
name near the house where he was born—worth a
visit. There is a well manicured Botanical Garden right
in the centre of the city, and UNESCO-listed architecture at the city campus of the University of Venezuela.
The Museum of Colonial Art is housed in a lovely old
Spanish style residence. The Museum of Contemporary
Art houses a very impressive collection of work. Museums are closed on Mondays.
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VENEZUELA
As in any major city it pays to be generally streetwise. Always take a licensed taxi to your destination if
you are out after dark. Do not wear expensive jewellery
or watches, or carry large amounts of cash. Shanty
areas of the city are no-go areas for outsiders.
Independent holidays ‘Andes, Llanos, Caracas and Tacarigua (p20).
Capitolio Nacional, Caracas, JT
Soto sculpture reflection at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Caracas, JT
The city lies in a long valley between two ranges
of mountains. In the mid-1950s a cable car was built
to the top of Mt Avila, to the north, and it recently
re-opened with fabulous views across the city on one
side, and the Caribbean to the other. At the summit,
incongruous attractions for the city’s escapees include
an ice rink, strawberry and cream kiosks and the stunning Humboldt Hotel (Sanabria, 1956) long closed to
customers but at the time of writing open for tours
pending refurbishment and very highly recommended—it may re-open as a hotel one day.
Paraguaná peninsula posada, JT
GEODYSSEY
Back in the centre there are shopping streets and
malls, and pavement cafes where passers-by pause for
a game of chess. For a slice of middle-class life join the
Lycra’d joggers on the lower trails of Avila National Park
or visit the boutiques, galleries and small restaurants in
the colonial-style suburb of El Hatillo.
Lunchtime chess, Caracas, JT
School outing, Bolívar’s birthplace, Caracas, JT
13
Playa Caribe, Margarita, GH
Caribbean beaches
Margarita Island
A
T
S A SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY WITH A
CARIB-bean coast (more of it than all the
Caribbean islands put together), Venezuela is uniquely blessed. And there is almost every
kind of beach to choose from: small palm-fringed
bays, long sweeps of soft sand, and the Caribbean’s
only coral archipelago—Los Roques.
Naturally, Venezuelans love the beach.
Beaches anywhere near a major city, particularly Caracas, are likely to be lively at weekends and crowded in local holiday seasons
between Christmas and New Year, at Carnival,
and before Easter. But that leaves plenty for
the rest of us.
Here and there are good places to stay:
small hotels and up-market posadas that are
comfortable and well-run, with good food
and often nicely chic accommodation. We
have chosen a selection of the best. We have
stayed in almost all of them (and inspected
scores of others).
For each beach area we show in its Beach
time panel how a few days there can be neatly
added to a tailor-made or small group holiday visiting other parts of the country.
Chill-outs and honeymoons on page 24 has
suggestions that are wholly or mostly at the
beach.
The offshore islands of Los Roques and
Margarita enjoy a high probability of fine
weather throughout the year. The mainland
coast has good weather in the dry season,
and usually a mix of sun and cloud in the
wetter season, with some sharp rain—usually
at night. Venezuela is well outside the hurricane zone.
HE SUN SHINES ON MARGARITA AN AVERAGE
of 9 hours a day almost all year. It is Venezuela’s resort island, with a wide choice of hotels,
bars and restaurants, nightlife, shopping, and water
sports, and days spent at the beach.
67km from east to west and 33km north to south,
Margarita is made up of two arid islands linked by a
narrow spit of land behind which lies the Restinga
Lagoon National Park. Almost all the commercial activity and mainstream tourism takes place on the eastern
part, mostly in the south around Porlamar, the principal town, and nearby Pampatar.
A quieter part of the island is the north coast, near
the small town of Juangriego, where there is a lovely
sandy beach at Playa Caribe with just a few low-key
beach bars and cafes—perfect for a relaxing few days.
Juangriego itself has a small fishing harbour, shops, a
few modest restaurants and sunsets over the bay.
We also recommend the northeast coast which has
the loveliest beaches but is rather more commercialised (but less so than the south of the island). At Playa
El Agua, for example, hotels are low rise, and there is a
good selection of places to eat, ranging from relaxed
beach bars and cafés to seafront restaurants. The beach
is wide and long. There is plenty going on, including
a jolly succession of beach vendors selling everything
from shellfish to gin and tonic! There is a surf here so
bathers are advised to stay in their depth.
There are not too many all-inclusive resort hotels in
this area, and there is a scattering of smaller properties with a little more character. When you are taking
a break from the beach there are pleasant villages and
scenery to explore locally, by taxi or hired motorbike
(not for the inexperienced as roads are busy).
Nature enthusiasts should take the boat trip through
the mangrove ‘tunnels’ of the Restinga Lagoon.
For a taste of other parts of the country there are day
trips and longer excursions from Margarita to Canaima
and Angel Falls, Los Roques, and the Orinoco Delta.
Playa Caribe boutique hotel
A stylish small hotel in a walled garden that since we
pioneered it in 2000 has become one of our clients’
favourite places in Venezuela. Eight individual two-storey houses with adobe-style walls, pan-tiled roofs and
secluded garden area stocked with flowering tropical
plants, are set around a lovely swimming pool. A spacious palm-thatched churuata (an airy round structure
typical of the Gran Sabana and the upper Orinoco)
houses a bar area and small restaurant for hotel guests.
The cooking varies from very good to superb—some
of our foodie clients have compared it to top London
restaurants, but such high standards depend on who
is the chef at the time. Playa Caribe beach is a few minutes walk away, where the hotel has a beach club with
loungers, sun umbrellas, etc available for its guests.
Playa El Agua B&B hotel
A pleasant family-run, colonial-style, 3* hotel with a
swimming pool and patio garden, just one block back
from Playa El Agua beach. Staying here on a bed and
breakfast basis allows you to sample the plentiful
beach cafés, bars and restaurants along the sea front.
Beach time on Margarita
Playa Caribe boutique hotel
5 days/4 nights Starts and ends at Caracas airport.
Day 1 D Fly from Caracas to Margarita, met and transferred to the hotel for 4 nights half board.
Day 2-4 BD Free at the hotel
Day 5 B Transfer to airport for flight back to Caracas.
Playa El Agua B&B hotel
5 days/4 nights Starts and ends at Caracas airport.
Days 1-5 As above, but on a B&B basis
Please see the Booking Information insert for prices etc.
Turtles, Los Roques, RR
14
Our recommendations
Playa Caribe boutique hotel, JT
GEODYSSEY
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VENEZUELA
Playa El Agua B&B hotel, GH
Los Roques, GH
Los Roques, GH
Los Roques
Los Roques, GH
L
OS ROQUES IS SERIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL. OVER 50
coral islands, and numerous low reefs and sand
flats, are thrown like a necklace around a central lagoon. Each has powder-soft, white sand beaches,
set in shallow emerald and turquoise waters. The only
activities are swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving,
windsurfing, and sailing—or just lazing in the sun.
Los Roques lies 85 miles off Venezuela’s mainland.
Days are typically sunny and hot all year round with
pleasant breezes. There is an almost total absence of
both rain and insects.
Gran Roque is the only inhabited island in the archipelago. A 30min flight from Caracas, it is a small fishing
village with three sandy streets of cottages, a few tiny
shops, a dive centre and a number of attractive posadas (guesthouses). Most buildings are whitewashed
with brightly painted doors and windows, and fishermen’s colourful wooden boats are beached on the
sand. There are no cars. No wonder Christopher Columbus called Los Roques “Heaven on Earth”!
Our recommendations
There are no hotels in this marine national park. Instead you stay in small posada guesthouses, all on the
main island of Gran Roque. There are several that we
recommend, at various prices, and it is sometimes a
question of which of these has a vacancy.
The posadas we recommend tend to be among the
ones that have recently been upgraded, often with
Italian influence. Styles tend to be sun-bleached, barefoot, and minimalist with a tropical twist. A couple of
beach bars have opened and there is a choice of places
to eat, though full board is the norm. Locally-caught
fish and seafood are specialities, often prepared to
high standards. For environmental reasons there are
no swimming pools, and cooling is by sea breezes not
air-conditioning.
Los Roques, GH
The posadas provide a boat ride each day to different
parts of the archipelago for sunbathing, swimming,
snorkelling or diving. At most times of year you are
likely to find a handful of other people on any beach
near Gran Roque, but very few as you go further afield.
Natural shade is hard to find, so bring plenty of high
factor sunscreen against the bright sun, which glitters
off the water and reflects off the talcum white sands.
Los Roques is starting to feature in the style magazines, with an award-winning cover story in Conde
Nast Traveller, and sightings of stars (Gerard Depardieu,
Leonardo DiCaprio, Bruce Willis, Harrison Ford, Antonio
Banderas, Francis Ford Coppola…). There is little wonder: year-round Los Roques has better, more reliable,
weather than the Mediterranean in high summer (and
seldom too hot), the setting is impressively beautiful,
the beaches are much nicer and completely natural,
and there are far fewer people.
Freshly caught, GH
Beach time on Los Roques
Los Roques posada
3 days/2 nights. Starts and ends at Caracas airport.
Day 1 LD Early flight from Caracas to Gran Roque where
you are met and taken to our favourite posada for a
two night stay, full board.
The archipelago is the Caribbean’s largest and longest-established marine national park. Tight controls
protect the marine environment and the reefs are as
free from exploitation as any in the Caribbean. There is
great snorkelling off many of the beaches. You can see
pelicans, frigate birds, brown boobies, scarlet ibis and
herons. Turtles lay their eggs on the remoter beaches.
Waiting for the fishermen, JT
Beach posada, GH
Change and head out by small motor launch to a
beach on one of the islands near Gran Roque for
swimming and sunbathing. Sun umbrellas are provided; snorkelling equipment can be hired. In the
mid/late afternoon the boat returns you to Gran
Roque. You might stroll on the beach or relax on the
posada’s roof terrace before dinner at its courtyard
restaurant, which has excellent cooking.
Day 2 BLD By boat for a full day at another nearby
beach or to an empty beach on one of the more
distant islands for a moderate extra charge.
Day 3 BL A morning at the beach then catch the late
afternoon flight back to Caracas. (Fly in the morning
if you need to connect with an international flight.)
See page 24 for diving, windsurfing, and bonefishing.
GEODYSSEY
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15
Paria beach, JT
Paria beaches
T
Tacarigua
HE BEAUTIFUL PARIA PENINSULA WAS FEAtured on page 11, but its beaches deserve a
special mention here.
A succession of bays along Paria’s north coast offer
some of the most wonderful beaches in the whole of
the Caribbean: palm-fringed crescents of soft golden
sand that gently slope into clear calm turquoise waters,
sheltered by rocky headlands.
Conditions at most beaches are good for swimming
and there are usually also opportunities for a little
snorkelling by the headlands. Most beaches attract just
enough sun-worshippers to support a little beach bar
or two but not much besides.
Our recommendations
steaming open-air pools, there are local families who
are delighted to invite you for a coffee and show off
their traditional homesteads, a buffalo farm with conservation credentials offers a llanos-type landscape
with wildlife and birds, and there are walks into the
cloud forests of Cerro Humo NP, which is also good for
birdwatching. Nearby Río Caribe makes a pleasant trip.
The market town of Carúpano is also fun to explore.
Back at the hacienda one can walk in the grounds,
or relax on the verandah, before an ice-cold drink at
sunset and a dinner of thoughtfully-prepared mainly
traditional-style dishes using locally grown produce,
often with a chocolate something, prepared by enthusiastic local ladies trained to good standards. Books or
conversation while away the quiet evenings.
Beach hotel
Hacienda Bukare—a chocolate
farm in Paradise
Our favourite in this area has long been a small cacao
hacienda which we pioneered shortly after it opened
as a homely posada. Dating from 1908, the hacienda
is set in the cool of the green hills above the best
beaches on the edge of the village of Chacaracual with
its kinetic art murals. There is a small bar and dining
area for guests, with a verandah leading to rooms set
around a simple garden with a plunge pool. The owner
is an amiable and thoughtful host, and an avid chef
and chocolatier. With micro-project support he has imported small-scale refining equipment from Europe so
that the estate now turns its fine organic cacao beans
into high-quality chocolate in bars and delicious truffles, so you can ‘stay on a chocolate farm in paradise’!
A typical day at Hacienda Bukare starts with a breakfast of fresh mango, papaya and melon with local coffee and chocolate pancakes. You can choose to spend
your time at the beach, with a picnic lunch of salads
and fruit in a cool box provided by the hacienda. The
best beaches are a 30-40 min drive on country lanes.
The hacienda will also organise little trips into the
nearby countryside: there are hot springs where you
can smother yourself in volcanic mud washed off in
Paria beach, JT
To stay right by the sea we recommend a small Caribbean-style hotel set behind a small cove. Its beach is
covered at high tide, and the ratio of rock to sand depends on recent seas, but there is a very nice pool and
deck area, and an alternative larger beach just over a
small headland. A bar and restaurant serves simple but
appetising food. Rooms are tasteful, airy and spacious.
Río Caribe boutique hotel
A boutique hotel in Río Caribe in a restored colonial
house is among other attractive options.
T
ACARIGUA IS A GOOD OPTION IF YOUR ITINERary ends at Caracas with time to spare for the
beach but not long enough to justify a flight
to Los Roques, Margarita or Paria. Tacarigua is a 90
mile drive from Caracas airport, a journey made faster
by a new highway.
Arriving at the little town of Río Chico you cross Tacarigua Lagoon by boat to reach a long strip of pleasant sandy beach facing the Caribbean.
Tacarigua Lagoon is a national park of shallow lakes
and mangroves behind the beach. In the late afternoon flocks of herons, storks and ibis gather to roost,
including very good numbers of brilliantly coloured
scarlet ibis. 5 species of marine turtles lay their eggs on
the beaches, and dolphin can be seen offshore.
The fertile lowlands of Barlovento lie inland. Here
cacao plantations were worked by large numbers of
Africans brought in slavery. Some escaped or bought
their freedom, and survivors were set free at age 28 (life
expectancy was just 35). In time they made up the core
of the populace.
Barlovento takes pride in its African dances and
music. An example is the tambores drums. The calendar
is peppered with feast days when the tambores are
played in the streets. The chief drummer stands at the
head of a drum made from a long tree trunk. He sets
the beat, while others join in with a variety of rhythms,
Beach time at Paria
Stay on a chocolate farm in Paradise
6 days/5 nights (extendable to any length) Starts and ends at Caracas airport.
Direct transfers are possible from Puerto Ordaz, Ciudad Bolívar, Maturín, other
parts of NE Venezuela, and Margarita.
Day 1 LD Fly from Caracas to Carúpano (1hr), to be met
and driven to the hacienda for 5 nights full board. Rest
of the day free by the small pool, or to explore the hacienda and learn about chocolate making.
Days 2-5 BLD Daily trips to the beach are included. On
some days you might choose instead to go exploring
on one of a variety of other excursions at extra cost.
Hacienda Bukare
Day 6 B Driven back to Carúpano for the Caracas flight.
Playa de Uva, JT
Paria beach hotel
5 days/4 nights (extendable to any length). Starts and ends at Caracas
airport. Direct transfers are possible as above
Day 1 LD Fly from Caracas to Carúpano, where you are
met and driven to the hotel. Rest of the day free to
relax by the sea or at the pool.
Days 2-4 BLD At the hotel.
Day 5 B Driven back to Carúpano for the Caracas flight.
16
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VENEZUELA
Tacarigua, JT
Choroní, JT
Choroní
beaten with stout sticks along the drum’s entire length
accompanied by resounding conche shell blasts.
Spanish, Carib and African influences combine in
the ‘devil dancing’ ceremony that takes place in San
Francisco de Yare at Corpus Christi, dating back to rites
established in Europe in the Middle Ages. Devil dancing
is a serious matter for all the participants, who dance
each year in penance for the sins of their families.
Our recommendations
There is just one hotel here, but it is a good one. A
row of linked duplex cottages face the sea across a
wide beach. Rooms are spacious and colourful, airily
designed against the heat. Boardwalks lead across the
hot sand to a restaurant and bar housed, beachcomber
style, in a spacious thatched loggia.
Thatched parasols dot the beach, a few steps from
the sea. At most times of year there is a cooling breeze
that also brings reasonable waves—refreshing to
plunge into, but you should not venture out of your
depth unless you are a confident swimmer.
The hotel is popular with well-to-do young families
and couples from the capital and so is quiet during the
week and busy at the week-end, but not usually disagreeably so. There is no swimming pool.
T
UCKED BETWEEN THE CARIBBEAN AND THE
mountainous cloud forests of Henri Pittier
National Park, Choroní has been popular with
a young Venezuelan set for many years.
Several houses in this pastel-painted fishing and
farming village that dates from colonial times have
been restored and made into guesthouses—with some
chic new ones of excellent quality.
There is a good local beach about a 400m walk from
the small harbour area (Puerto Columbia); quieter
beaches can be reached by boat. The surf can be rough
for swimmers, but the beaches are otherwise very
good for relaxing in the sun.
sions into Henri Pittier NP, where cool rivers tumble
through dense cloud forest.
Our recommendations
A posada we particularly recommend is an old hacienda estate house dating from the seventeenth century, recently renovated, in a quiet setting in its own
extensive grounds. It has a garden and an attractive
courtyard where you can relax in hammocks. Rooms
are attractively furnished with antiques. All have private bathrooms; some have air-conditioning.
The beach is a 15min walk away, or the posada can arrange transport. Boat trips to beaches that can only be
reached from the sea are also available locally.
Peaceful midweek, the seafront becomes very lively
at weekends when party-goers from Maracay and
Caracas come for a day at the beach and an evening
of music and dancing. These days the traditional tambores drums have mostly been replaced by mega-bass
systems. Everyone is welcome to join in, but if you are
staying in Puerto Columbia itself and you prefer your
bed then bring earplugs!
Choroní inlet, RR
Monday is a day of clearing up before calm is restored for the week.
Choroní itself is a pleasant little village back from the
sea, with colourful streets a small church and a few local shops—well worth a stroll after a day at the beach.
For a more dramatic change of scene there are excur-
Beach time at Tacarigua
Beach service, Choroní, JT
Beach time at Choroní
Tacarigua beach hotel
Choroní hacienda posada
airport.
Day 1 D You are met at the airport and driven through
Caracas to Tacarigua Lagoon where a small boat ferries you to the hotel. Settle in and relax on the beach.
Dinner at the hotel’s beach restaurant and bar.
airport or city centre.
Day 1 You are collected from Caracas airport or from
the city centre if you prefer. The drive takes about 4
hours from downtown Caracas, with a spectacular
trip through the
cloud forests of
Henri Pittier NP,
which should be
undertaken in
daylight.
Day 2 BLD Relax at the beach. In the late afternoon you
might take a boat trip on the lagoon to see hundreds
of storks, herons and scarlet ibis return to their roost,
covering the
trees of some
of the small
islands in a
spectacular
display.
Local bus, Choroní, JT
The hacienda
posada is your
base for three nights on a B&B basis.
Days 2-3 B Free days relaxing at Choroní. Transport to
the seafront can be arranged by the posada locally,
as can boats to transfer you round headlands to remote beaches.
Day 3 B Return
across the
Scarlet Ibis, Tacarigua lagoon, JT
lagoon and
be driven back to Caracas airport for your onwards
flight.
Day 4 B Return by road to Caracas or Caracas airport.
GEODYSSEY
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17
Planning your holiday
Decisions, decisions
Use the first part of this brochure to discover which
parts of Venezuela interest you the most, then
choose your style of holiday from the following sections:
• touring and wildlife
page 18 - 24
• active and adventure
page 25 - 29
• birdwatching
page 30 - 31
You also need to decide whether you would prefer to
travel in Venezuela as part of a small group, or independently on a private tailor-made trip.
Beach time can be added using the ideas on pages
14-17, or see the special Chill-outs and Honeymoons section on page 24.
Small group holidays
Selecting your small group holiday is a matter of style
and dates. There are now three holidays to choose
from, each with its own very different style and several departures in a year. See pages 21, 27 and 29.
We offer carefully designed itineraries, high quality
local guides, thoughtfully selected accommodation,
careful attention to what makes group travel work
best for everyone on the trip, predominantly UK
clientele, and fair pricing with no ‘local payments’ and no
single supplements for those willing to share.
Touring and wildlife
V
enezuela has some great opportunities for travelling in different landscapes, seeing different things,
meeting different people and gaining a rich variety of wonderful travel experiences. With some fabulous wildlife too, it makes an excellent choice for a touring holiday.
For an escorted small group holiday, our Venezuelan Odyssey on page 21 is a firm favourite.
There is a wealth of options for independent holidays. The Venezuelan Explorer itinerary shown below, is
a grand tour covering many of the classic highlights in 21 days but not going to the beach.
The Classic itineraries on page 20 are examples of shorter independent holidays visiting selected
highlights around the country often with some beach time, while the Discovery itineraries on pages
22-23 explore particular regions in greater depth.
The Chill-outs and Honeymoons on page 24 are largely based at the beach.
We can tailor-make your holiday to suit your individual style and budget: please call us to discuss
ideas. For the sample itineraries shown here we chose a style based on comfortable characterful
lodges and posadas, and an easy pace while seeing a lot each day. We included a private guide in
each region, who meets you on your arrival and is yours until your check-in for your onwards flight.
You fly unaccompanied to your next destination, where a guide for that region will be waiting. Private guides are usually stood down while you are staying at a wildlife lodge or at the beach.
The booking information insert included with this
brochure covers dates, prices, the practical details of
each tour, and how to book.
Independent holidays
On our independent holidays you travel on private
trips designed to fit your own tastes, dates and budget. You are travelling independently, usually with a
local guide in each region.
The sample itineraries shown can be modified to
suit you, and combined in many ways. Pick one or
two that you like the look of and call us to discuss
how we can adapt them to make your perfect trip.
We’re there for you
Whether on a small group or independent holiday,
throughout your time in Venezuela you have the assurance of full support locally and from the UK.
Arriving and leaving
Most international flights from Europe arrive in the
mid-afternoon, usually too late to travel onwards the
same day. You might spend your first night on the
coast near the airport, or cross the mountains into
Caracas. At the time of writing, options on the coast
include 3-4* hotels in the seaside town of Macuto 2030min east of the airport (used in each of the example itineraries here, see Day 1 of ‘Venezuela Explorer’
for a description), or a 4* hotel 20-30min to the west.
New hotels are being built.
Hotel options in Caracas include a pleasant 3-4* hotel in a garden setting in a residential area at the foot
of Mt Avila, serviceable 3* hotels closer to the centre,
and the faceless but nice luxury of upper range business hotels. Allow 1-2 hours travelling each way.
Caracas
Day 1 You are met on arrival at Caracas airport and
driven to a comfortable 4* hotel in the nearby seaside
town of Macuto, overlooking the Caribbean. You might
go straight to bed, or have your first dinner in Venezuela at a seafront restaurant.
Mérida and the Andes
Day 2 LD Early next morning you are collected from your
hotel and driven back to the airport for your flight to
Mérida in the Venezuelan Andes. Here you are met
by your English-speaking local guide and driven to a
lodge just below the cloud forest in time for lunch. This
enchanting lodge is your base for the next two nights
on a full board basis. In the afternoon explore trails
that lead through the cloud forest onto open páramo
with wide views of the sierra, or relax and watch hummingbirds at their feeders in the garden.
Day 3 BLD You might walk among fields below the lodge,
perhaps stopping by the owners’ flower farm and
helping to cut armfuls of carnations and gerberas. The
gardens around the lodge are well-planted and include
a section devoted to orchids, bromeliads and other
plants of the cloud forest. The owners are very hospitable and speak just enough English to get by.
Day 4 BL Your local guide returns to collect you and
takes you to the restored Andean village of Jají, with
Andes valley, JT
its classic colonial layout around the main square, then
to Hacienda El Carmen—an historic coffee hacienda
with a quirky museum. Back in Mérida you stay at a
stylish renovated town house in the historic quarter,
with patio garden and decor showing the work of local
contemporary artists: your base for 3 nights.
Day 5 BL Your guide collects you for a morning’s tour of
Mérida, visiting the Cathedral, the Plaza Bolívar, the
covered market and some of the other notable sights.
After lunch, drive the short distance out of town to visit
silk and textile artists Maria Devila and Eduardo Portillo. They rear silk worms fed on mulberry they grow
on the slopes above their house, then spin, weave
and dye their own silk and other fabrics to their own
richly-coloured modern designs which are exhibited
internationally.
Day 6 BL This morning your guide accompanies you
on the Teléferico de Mérida—the world’s longest and
highest cable car. You ride up to the penultimate station where there are twin glacial lakes, fascinating flowering mountain plants, and views across to forbidding
peaks above the permanent snowline. As you ascend
from the Mérida valley, you pass over montane forest,
bamboo thickets, then cloud forest, to high moors and
rocky screes. If the weather is fine you can buy a ticket
for the final cable car section up to the snows. Return
to Mérida in the mid-afternoon after a picnic lunch.
Plazoleta Miranda and the Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Mérida, JT
International flights to Europe generally leave Venezuela in the late afternoon and fly overnight. Where
appropriate we have included check-in assistance
at the airport just in case there are any last minute
problems for our local staff to help solve.
Guides
The best person to introduce you to a country is a
local, so our guides are Venezuelan. They can turn a
successful trip into a truly memorable one with fresh
insights, which foreign guides struggle to match.
Mérida cable car, JT
Our guides are typically well-educated, fluent English speakers, experienced, naturally hospitable and
easy to get along with. Almost all of them we have
personally known well for several years through our
many visits to the country. They know how to make
things work locally, to help put things back on the
rails if something needs to be changed at the last
minute, and to search out the things that interest you
the most. Even if you are only visiting Venezuela for
a few days we recommend you to take a guide for at
least a part of your trip.
18
GEODYSSEY
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Touring & wildlife
Jaspé Falls, Gran Sabana, JT
Day 7 BLD A full day visiting the picturesque villages of
the páramos north of Mérida, including a visit to a
stone chapel built single-handledly by sculptor Juan
Féliz Sánchez, and a walk (or mule ride) to the Laguna
Negra (Black Lagoon) whose waters form a perfect mirror reflecting the hillsides. Perhaps stop for a hot drink
at Hotel Los Frailes, high on the moors, before continuing over a pass to sleep at a more comfortable altitude
at a small lodge in the Santo Domingo valley.
Llanos wildlife
Day 8 BLD It is time for the very different landscapes of
the lowland plains of the Llanos. Here you stay for 3
nights at Hato El Cedral, see page 23. You stay on a full
board basis with twice-daily wildlife excursions led by
an experienced resident naturalist guide, usually with
good English. You arrive by road in time for lunch and
a siesta before an afternoon safari. You are likely to see
capybara, caiman, giant river otter, anaconda, piranhas,
giant anteater, scarlet ibis, roseate spoonbill, large
jabiru stork, hoatzin, armadillo, several species of monkey, deer, and orinoco crocodile up to 18ft long.
Day 9-10 BLD Two full days of morning and afternoon
safaris at Hato El Cedral, by vehicle or boat.
Puerto Ordaz
Day 11 B This morning you are driven to the town of Barinas beside the foothills of the Andes for your flight via
Giant Anteater, Llanos, JW
Caracas to Puerto Ordaz in eastern Venezuela. You are
met on arrival in Puerto Ordaz by your English-speaking local guide and transferred to a local 3* hotel. (You
could choose to upgrade to a 4-5* hotel with views of
the Caroní rapids).
Day 12 BLD After breakfast, set out with your guide and
4WD vehicle to drive south on the Transamazonica
highway to the gold and diamond mining region south
of El Dorado in lowland tropical rainforest. Stop on the
way to see the mining and its effects on the forest, and
take a walk in unspoilt forest by way of contrast. You
might also visit a local family who make traditional
casabe bread. Overnight at a tourist lodge by the forest
in a small trading settlement.
Angel Falls, JT
time, he may make an unscheduled detour over Angel
Falls, at extra cost. On arrival at Canaima you will be
met and transferred to an attractive lodge where you
stay for one night full board. Your afternoon is free for
optional local excursions, or just relaxing at the lodge
or by the lagoon.
Day 17 BD Morning free at Canaima. You might visit
Sapo Falls, where you can walk behind the waterfall,
or perhaps buy a seat on the regular sightseeing flight
over Angel Falls if you were unlucky on your flight
from Santa Elena. Catch a late morning flight to Ciudad
Bolívar where you are met on arrival, and taken to a
stylish posada in a renovated town house in the historic quarter.
Gran Sabana
Ciudad Bolívar
Day 13 BLD Today you drive up ‘La Escalera’, the road
that ascends the steep escarpment that defends the
Gran Sabana. Until this road was built in the 1950s the
only way up was by ladders and jungle vines. As late
as 1800, maps of Venezuela showed the fabled lake of
Pacarima, where El Dorado washed gold dust from his
body, in the barely-explored area beyond the escarpment. Pause at the top for magnificent views back
across the rainforest, at a spot where in season you
may see black and yellow poison arrow frogs. Travel
off-road to visit Chinak-merú, a very impressive waterfall 105m tall and 76m wide, with broad views across
the savannah below. If there is time you could walk to
the foot of the falls before continuing to the Pemón
mission village of Kavanayén. Kavanayén is set in one
of the Gran Sabana’s most evocative locations, on the
edge of a mesa overlooking the rainforest with views
of tepuis (table mountains) in every direction. Stay at a
simple tourist lodge here for 2 nights.
Day 18 BD Today is free for you to explore Ciudad Bolívar. You might stroll around the historic quarter, take
a taxi to some of the other sights, such as the Jesus
Soto museum, go on a river excursion on the Orinoco,
where river dolphin can often be seen, or just relax by
the posada’s small swimming pool.
Orinoco Delta
Day 19 BLD Your driver collects you from your hotel and
takes you to a river landing stage for your trip by boat
into the Orinoco Delta to stay at a lodge (see p 23).
Day 20 BLD The lodge takes you on excursions by boat to
explore the world of the Delta, its environment and the
way of life of the Warao people who live there.
Day 21 B Journey by river out of the Delta this morning
and by road to Maturín for your flight to Caracas, in
time for your international flight home overnight.
Day 14 BLD A short drive then stroll through the grasslands, with handsome views of Ptari-tepui, to Hueso
Falls. Stop for a dip in the pool below at the falls then
hop into a dug-out boat for a short journey up river to
join your waiting vehicle for the return to Kavanayén.
Auyán-tepui from the flight to Angel Falls, RR
Day 15 BLD Continue exploring south through the Gran
Sabana, returning to the paved road and visiting
hefty Kamá Falls and little Jaspé Falls, where a shallow
stream runs over a bed of semi-precious stone in shimmering reds and oranges. Overnight at a comfortable
lodge in the frontier town of Santa Elena de Uairén.
Warao home, Orinoco Delta JT
Canaima and Angel Falls
Day 16 BLD A short transfer to the local airstrip where you
board a light plane bound for Canaima. On a clear day
there are breathtaking views of the table mountains
spread beneath you as you cross the heart of the Gran
Sabana. If conditions are favourable and the pilot has
GEODYSSEY
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VENEZUELA
19
Touring & wildlife
Classic itineraries
These sample itineraries for independent holidays show how different selections of Venezuela’s highlights can be combined. They can be tailor-made to suit you.
Caracas
Day 5 BL Ride on the cable car, stopping at the penultimate station. If the weather is fine you can decide to
buy a ticket for the final section.
Day 8 BLD Morning tour of Ciudad Bolívar, fairly short as
you must also be driven (6-7hr with stops) to Hacienda
Bukare in Paria, where you stay for 7 nights full board.
Ciudad Bolívar
Paria beaches
Day 6 BD Morning flight via Caracas to Puerto Ordaz. Met
and driven 1hr to Ciudad Bolívar. Stay 2 nights at a 3*
hotel with swimming pool in the historic quarter.
Days 9-14 BLD A driver from the hacienda takes you to local beaches each day with a cool-box of refreshments.
A good variety of trips is available locally (see p16).
Day 4 BL South of Mérida to visit the lush coffee growing
region, the restored colonial village of Jají and a traditional coffee hacienda.
Day 15 B Fly from Carúpano back to Caracas for your
international flight home
Caracas
Day 1 Met at the airport on arrival, stay in Macuto.
take an optional excursion, then fly to Caracas, where
you are met and transferred to your hotel in Macuto.
onwards to Los Roques, where you are met and transferred to our favourite posada for 5 nights full board.
Llanos
Day 2 BLD Late morning flight to Canaima, met on arrival
and transferred to a lodge by the lagoon, with a beautiful view across the lake, for 2 nights full board.
Day 5 BLD Morning flight to the Llanos, met on arrival at
Barinas and driven to Hato Cedral (3hr) for a 3 night
stay. Arrive in time for lunch and a siesta, then take a
wildlife safari in the late afternoon by boat or vehicle
with resident English-speaking naturalist guide.
Day 9-12 BLD At the beach. Each day the lodge provides
trips to nearby coral islands for swimming, sunbathing
and optional snorkelling, with your own sun umbrellas,
deck chairs and a cool-box with refreshments and picnic lunch. The local dive school offers ‘baptism’ dives for
beginners and a range of options for certified divers.
Day 2 L Morning flight to Mérida, met by your guide
with vehicle. Afternoon city sightseeing in Mérida. Stay
4 nights at a stylish posada in the historic quarter.
Day 3 BL Tour the high páramos region north of Mérida
Day 3 BLD Take a morning sightseeing flight over Angel
Falls, weather permitting. Return to Canaima where
there is a choice of excursions locally at extra cost.
Day 4 B There is also time to fly over Angel Falls this
morning, if conditions yesterday were not good, or
Days 6-7 BLD Two full days of safaris at Hato El Cedral.
Day 13 B Morning flight to Caracas for your international
flight home.
Los Roques
Day 8 BD Transfer back to Barinas, fly to Caracas, then
Caracas
posada in Mérida for two more nights.
Caracas
buy a ticket for the final section. Rest of day free.
Day 10 B After breakfast, transfer to Barinas for the flight
to Caracas. Met on arrival and driven to your 3-4* hotel
below Mt Avila, with pool, gardens and city views.
Day 6 BLD Tour the high páramos region north of Mérida.
Stay at a simple comfortable lodge on the way down to
the Llanos, or high on moors at Hotel Los Frailes.
Day 11 BD Morning tour of Caracas, with a stroll in the
historic quarter and visit Simón Bolívar’s birthplace.
Drive (2hr) and boat across Tacarigua lagoon to the
beach lodge for 4 nights full board (see page 17).
a night at a stylish posada in the historic quarter.
Day 3 BLD Visit the lush coffee growing region south of
Mérida, the restored colonial village of Jají and a traditional coffee hacienda. Continue on scenic small roads
to a lodge by the cloud forest for one night full board.
Llanos wildlife
Day 7 BLD Descend to the Llanos reaching Hato El Cedral
for lunch. Go on a wildlife safari in the late afternoon.
Tacarigua
Day 12-14 BLD Three days at the beach hotel. Excursions
available locally at extra cost include fishing and nature
tours of the lagoon.
Day 4 BL Enjoy the gardens around the lodge or walk a
cloud forest trail to emerge on open páramo, with long
views in fine weather. Lunch at the lodge then return
to Mérida with time to stop along the way. Stay at your
Days 8-9 BLD Two full days of safaris at Hato El Cedral (see
page 23)
Caracas
La Mesa de Los Indios. On Saturday nights the village
wind orchestra usually plays in the main square. Stay at
a pretty guest house.
Day 7 B Drive back to Mérida, perhaps stopping to visit a
studio of silk weavers and textile artists (prior appointment essential).
Day 5 BLD Visit the lush coffee growing region south of
Mérida, the restored colonial village of Jají and a traditional coffee hacienda. Continue on scenic small roads
to a lodge on the edge of cloud forest for two nights
full board. The owners are charming and very hospitable but speak only a little English.
Margarita
2 nights at a stylish posada in the historic quarter.
Day 3 BL Tour the high páramos region north of Mérida
buy a ticket for the final section. Drive to the village of
20
Day 7 BLD A day trip to visit Canaima and fly over Angel
Falls (weather permitting).
Day 15 B Return by boat and road to Caracas for your
international flight home.
Day 6 BLD Free day at the cloud forest lodge—walking,
birdwatching, relaxing.
GEODYSSEY
|
VENEZUELA
Day 8-14 BD Morning flight from Mérida to Margarita via
Caracas. Met on arrival and transferred to our favourite
boutique hotel there (page 14) for 7 nights half-board.
You might choose to visit Canaima and Angel Falls on
an optional day trip.
Day 15 B Late morning transfer to the airport. Fly to Caracas for your chosen international flight home.
Touring & wildlife
Small group holiday
Venezuelan
Odyssey
13 days/12 nights. Starts and ends at Caracas airport. For departure dates
and prices please see the Booking Information insert.
Canaima lagoon, JT
This small group tour visits many of Venezuela’s
classic highlights in a trip combining a great variety
of scenery, wildlife, picturesque towns and villages,
and insights into Venezuela’s history and cultures.
We tour the mountains, villages and towns of
the Andes, go on safari at a cowboy and wildlife
ranch in the Llanos, visit historic Ciudad Bolívar,
fly over the world’s tallest waterfall, Angel Falls,
and explore the world of the Orinoco Delta.
We travel in comfortable style with lots to see
and do each day.
Caracas
Day 1 You will be met on the arrival of the international
flight of your choice and driven from the airport to a
4* hotel in the seaside town of Macuto. There is a small
pool at the hotel. In the evening we meet for a welcome cocktail overlooking the Caribbean.
Day 2 BLD This morning we take the morning commuter
flight, with breakfast at the airport, to the Andean town
of Mérida, set beneath the snow-capped peaks of the
‘Five White Eagles’.
Our base for the next 2 nights is one of our favourite
posadas in Venezuela, a stylishly converted town house
in colonial streets near the city centre. We spend the
afternoon exploring Mérida and seeing its main sights
including the Plaza Bolívar and the Cathedral. Dinner at
a lively restaurant.
Day 3 BLD There is a choice of activities today. Those
who wish can ride on the world’s longest (nearly 8
miles) and highest (15,633ft) cable-car for spectacular
views of the high mountains, passing many changes
of vegetation from lush semi-tropical through to high
páramo at the penultimate station opposite snowcovered Pico Espejo, where you can buy a ticket to the
final station among the permanent snows if conditions
are good. A picnic lunch is included.
Alternatively, you can visit the lush coffee-growing
region to the south of Mérida on a trip to the village
of Jají. Founded in 1558, Jají is laid out according to
colonial regulations with church, public buildings and
the best private residences fronting the plaza, now
restored. Continue onwards to visit a fine old coffee
hacienda and take lunch. Both trips return to Mérida in
the mid-afternoon with some time free for shopping or
sightseeing, before meeting up for dinner in town.
Day 4 BLD Today we tour the traditional villages and
impressive scenery of the páramos region north of
Mérida. We explore streets of traditional houses, and
step into small churches—including a stone chapel
created by sculptor Juan Félix Sánchez. To earn extra
money children sell flowers by the road or hold up fat
Mucuchíes puppies for sale—a local breed of giant-size
mountain dog.
Andes valley below the páramo, JT
Angel Falls
and Canaima
Our journey continues past Hotel Los Frailes, built to
resemble a monastery, where we may stop for a coffee
or hot chocolate, then down to stay at a more comfortable altitude at a good quality lodge in traditional
Andean style buildings where we also have dinner.
Day 10 BLD From Ciudad Bolívar
airport we take a morning sightseeing flight over Angel Falls
(weather permitting), the plane
crosses the top of the tepui mountain and enters
the canyon to pass the falls in both directions: a very
memorable sight if conditions are good. We land at
Canaima in the Gran Sabana and stop for lunch and a
boat ride on the beautiful Canaima lagoon, with time
to relax by the shore with a view of Hacha Falls with a
backdrop of impressive tepui table mountains, before
taking off again for Ciudad Bolívar. Tonight we eat out
together, usually at an open air churrasco restaurant
popular with locals.
Llanos
Day 5 BLD Descending the slopes of the Andes by scenic
road, we enter the flatlands of the Llanos and arrive in
time for lunch at Hato Cedral, a wildlife conservation
ranch that welcomes visitors, providing a good standard of accommodation, air-conditioned rooms, and
even a small swimming pool.
Around the ranch and on safari by vehicle and boat
over the next two days we will experience one of the
most impressive arrays of easily-viewable wildlife in
the South America continent from a species list of
349 birds, 86 mammals, 24 reptiles, and 21 amphibians. We will see countless capybara and caiman, and
a good assortment of freshwater dolphin, giant otter,
capuchin and howler monkeys, iguanas, armadillo, giant anteater, anaconda, river turtles, orinoco crocodile,
and more. The birdlife is superb, with huge numbers
of waterbirds in particular, from the enormous jabiru
stork and the unmissable scarlet ibis, to beautiful but
more reclusive birds such as zigzag and agami herons,
and the ungainly but extraordinary hoatzin. There are
macaws and parrots among a host of others.
It is usually possible to take a night drive to see some
of the nocturnal mammals and birds.
Day 6-7 BLD Wildlife safaris at Hato Cedral.
Ciudad Bolívar
Day 8 BD Depending on changeable flight schedules
we may spending part of the morning at the ranch, or
start early to Barinas airport to fly via Caracas to Puerto
Ordaz, and then on by road for an hour to Ciudad Bolívar, the historic capital of Bolívar state. Here we stay
for 3 nights in a fine posada with a small pool, set in
a restored grand house of the colonial period. Dinner
tonight at the posada.
A short trail (an hour’s stroll on foot or horseback) leads
us to Laguna Negra, a lake whose surface often forms
Day 9 BLD Today we go on a walking tour of the city with
its photogenic colonial streets leading down to the Orinoco waterfront. After lunch you are free to explore the
city some more, visit the Jesus Soto museum, or just
relax by the hotel pool. You are free for dinner tonight:
your guide can suggest a choice of restaurants and the
driver will drop you off and bring you home.
Red Howler Monkey, Llanos, NHB
Angel Falls from the air, JT
GEODYSSEY
|
VENEZUELA
Phoebis argante, AN
such a perfect mirror that it disappears into a reflection
of the mountainside above.
Puerto Ordaz
Day 11 BLD This morning we drive the short distance to
Puerto Ordaz where we pause to walk by the mighty
rapids which forced Sir Walter Ralegh to turn back in
his search for El Dorado. We then cross the Orinoco by
ferry and continue onwards by road to a small landing
stage on the edge of the Orinoco Delta.
Orinoco Delta
We are collected by boat and taken on a river journey
into this extraordinary world. The Warao, the indigenous people of the Delta, can be traced back 6,000
years. They live in stilt villages to cope with changes in
water level, with boardwalks between the houses instead of streets, everyone travels by dug-out boat, and
the musical instrument of choice is the violin. Wildlife
includes parrots and macaws, howler monkey, freshwater dolphin and river turtles. We stay for two nights
in a rustic but comfortable tourist lodge, with private
facilities, well inside the Delta.
Day 12 BLD With the lodge as our base, we go on excursions to explore the Delta. Tonight is our farewell dinner, a chance to relive the events of the holiday in the
most remote of surroundings.
Day 13 B After breakfast we leave the lodge and make
our way back by river, then by road to the town of
Maturín where we say goodbye to our guide and board
our plane for Caracas. We are met at the airport and
you are helped to check-in for your chosen international overnight flight home. (You might choose to
extend your stay with a few days at the beach, for example—see pages 14-17, before returning to Caracas
and home.)
Family outing, Orinoco Delta, JT
21
Touring & wildlife
Discovery itineraries
These itineraries each explore a different part of Venezuela in depth. Spending more of your time in one region means a better understanding of the
area, with more time to experience local life, and fewer flights. They can usually be lengthened or shorten to suit you, and you can combine them with
ideas from the classic itineraries on page 20, beaches on pages 14-17, or active and adventure itineraries on pages 25-28.
Discover the Gran Sabana with an experienced English speaking local guide with off-road vehicle, who is at your service
and can adapt your itinerary within reason to your wishes.
You might like to do some extra walking, pursue a special
interest, or just take each day as it comes. Each night you stay
at the best lodges in the area: simple but clean. All rooms
have private bathrooms (often cold water only).
Gran Sabana
Day 1 LD A morning flight from Caracas to Puerto Ordaz
in eastern Venezuela where you meet your guide.
Driving south from Puerto Ordaz, you pass through
ranchland then into rainforest. There is a gold and
diamond mining region where you can stop to see the
mining and then perhaps walk in untouched rainforest
in contrast.
Day 2 BLD Next morning you stop on the steep escarpment known as La Escalera for dramatic views over
rainforests stretching to the horizon. Ascending to
the Gran Sabana you have your first views of the table
mountains before turning on to a dirt road to visit
Chinak-merú—a very impressive tall waterfall with
great views from the top across the savannah. You
can walk down to the base of the falls. Continue to a
remote lodge in the heart of the northern Gran Sabana
at Kavanayén, your base for 2 nights.
nayén. This Pemón village is in a breathtaking setting
overlooking the rainforest and ringed by tepuis. A
rough track leads to little Karuay Falls, you might drive
part-way then walk on to Hueso Falls for a swim.
Day 4 BLD Driving south next day there are wonderful
views of tepuis from the road. You stop to see Kawi and
Kamá Falls and perhaps take a dip at Suruape cataract,
then pass Mount Roraima (in the distance but still
impressive) and continue to Santa Elena de Uairén—a
bustling small border town, your base for 2 nights.
Day 5 BLD From here you can visit the memorable Jaspé
Falls, Aguas Frías and Puerta del Cielo, where clear
streams run over beds of semi-precious stone in reds
and oranges. There is also
the opportunity to shop in
the Brazilian frontier post
of Villa Pacaraima, border
guards permitting.
The afternoon is free to enjoy Canaima, with its great
view of Hacha Falls across the lagoon, with tepuis
rising behind. Excursions such as boat rides on the
lagoon are available locally at extra cost. Stay at a tourist lodge.
Day 7 B Next morning, weather permitting, you take a
scenic flight to see Angel Falls. There are usually good
views of the tepuis from the plane, and often the pilots
fly over Auyán-tepui itself as well as into the Devil’s
Canyon to pass Angel Falls, usually more than once.
Return to Canaima, then fly to Caracas where you arrive in the late afternoon.
Kavanayén, JT
Canaima and
Angel Falls
Day 6 BLD Say farewell to
your guide and board the
spectacular flight over the
heart of the Gran Sabana
tablelands to Canaima.
Day 3 BLD Take a day to explore the area around Kava-
Caracas
Coro
Day 2 L Morning flight to Coro in western Venezuela,
where you will be met on arrival by your English speaking local guide and transferred to a 3-4* hotel for 3
nights B&B. The hotel is set in gardens, has a swimming
pool, and is in walking distance of the historic quarter.
Your guide takes you on a walking tour of historic Coro,
a UNESCO World Heritage site, including lunch.
Day 3 BL Visit the Botanical Garden with its collection of
xerophytic plants, then the artist community of Tara
Tara and the nearby archaeological museum and excavation site of Taima Taima. You could take a walk with
your guide in this fascinating arid landscape, perhaps
to see some petroglyphs, or to a lighthouse. You could
also visit local artists, potters, stone carvers, and weavers in studios in the village. Return to Coro via the Iglesia de Guadelupe and the historic town of La Vela.
Day 4 BL A completely different day, exploring the Sierra
San Luis mountains. Driving with your guide into the
hills, the air becomes fresher and the vegetation more
lush with ferns, palms, orchids and impatiens. Oranges
and organic coffee are grown here, and you may see
coffee beans drying in the sun by (and sometimes on)
the road. Take a walk along a part of an attractive old
Spanish ‘royal road’ through forest to limestone caves.
You can scramble into a large cavern where there are
impressive stalactites and stalagmites.
22
the landscape is scrubby and dry, aloe vera is one of
the few crops. There is a scattering of small villages,
such as Pueblo Nuevo with its quaint church. Artisans
make rocking chairs from cactus wood, and adobe
mud bricks bake dry in the sun.
In the afternoon you stop at a delightful posada which
is your base for 2 nights. It is run by a group of artists
who have decorated their traditional court-yarded
home richly and exuberantly. The pretty garden has
a deep italianate swimming pool and is home to a
number of peacocks (bring your ear plugs in case they
start calling at an early hour!). Dinner is eaten communally in family style.
Day 6 BLD A free day for relaxation at this beautiful location. Ideal for reading books by the pool.
Caribbean coast
Day 7 BLD Visit the impressive sand dunes on your return
to the mainland, arriving at a small lodge set in a coconut plantation by the Caribbean, your base for the next
2 nights. The afternoon is free to relax by the lodge’s
swimming pool, or at the beach.
and coral islands of the Morrocoy marine national park.
In the afternoon take a boat to the islands where soft
white sands meet calm blue green water. Return to the
posada for some wonderful home cooking.
Choroní
Days 10-13 BD Next morning drive from Morrocoy,
through the beautiful coastal cloud forest of the Henri
Pittier National Park, to Choroní. Here you stay for 4
nights half-board at a posada in a restored colonial
house with patio in a country setting.
From your posada you can walk into the village of
Puerto Colombia and its beach, or take a fishing boat
to one of the nearby beaches that can only be reached
from the sea. Excursions available locally at extra cost
include walks in the forest and a trip by boat and on
foot to a cacao farm.
Caracas
Day 14 B You are collected in the morning for the drive
to Caracas airport in time for your chosen international
flight home.
Coro dunes, JT
Day 8 BLD Free day for relaxation, ideal for walking
along the beach or birdwatching in the garden.
There are opportunities to
see a village co-operative
project to extract coconut
oil.
Paraguaná Peninsula
Morrocoy
Day 5 BLD In another complete contrast, today you take
the road along the isthmus of shifting sand-dunes to
explore the arid Paraguaná Peninsula. There are salt
flats where flamingos and scarlet ibis are seen. Inland
Day 9 BLD Drive along the
coast to a posada with
hilltop views across the
mangrove-fringed lagoons
GEODYSSEY
|
VENEZUELA
Touring & wildlife
Caracas
Ciudad Bolívar
Day 2 LD Fly to Ciudad Bolívar in eastern Venezuela. Met
at the airport and driven into town to a fine posada in
a renovated colonial house in the historic quarter, for
2 nights. The posada has a small swimming pool. After
lunch your guide will take you on a tour of this historic
and atmospheric river port on the Orinoco.
Day 3 BLD Fly to Canaima. Weather permitting, the pilot
will fly past Angel Falls en route hoping for good views
of the mighty Auyán-tepui, the Devil’s Canyon, and
Angel Falls itself, before landing at Canaima with views
of Auyán and several smaller tepuis. Lunch is provided
and you will be taken on a boat ride on the beautiful
Canaima lagoon to see Hacha Falls. There may be time
to explore the village or relax by the lagoon before
your return flight to Ciudad Bolívar in time for dinner.
Orinoco Delta
Day 4-6 BLD Your guide collects you for your trip into the
Orinoco Delta. The first part of the journey is by road
through farmlands, arriving at a landing stage where
you board a boat to your lodge in the unique environ-
ment of the delta, for three nights on a full board basis.
Daily excursions are included, usually by dugout boat,
combining some wildlife viewing and experiencing the
flooded forest habitat, and getting to appreciate the
lives of the Warao people who live here in stilt villages.
You can stay one night at a remote hammock camp if
you wish.
Caripe
Day 7 BLD A last river trip, this time back to the dock
where you will be met and driven north to the pretty
hill town of Caripe. Visit Guácharo Cave in the evening
to watch the exodus of thousands of oil birds that roost
there during the day, emerging in waves that darken
the sky. They are the only birds to fly by echo location,
emitting audible clicks to navigate in the darkness of
the cave.
Day 8 BLD Return to the cave to walk inside its massive
main cavern, then drive to the Paria peninsula to ‘stay
on a chocolate farm in paradise’ at Hacienda Bukare for
4 nights, full board.
Paria
Day 9 BLD This cacao hacienda is one of our favourite
places in the whole of Venezuela, with a nice variety of
things to see and do all around, and wonderful beaches where you can take it easy if you prefer. On your first
day you might like to learn about the process of cacao
cultivation and chocolate production at the hacienda,
and maybe free to relax in the garden after lunch or
walk in the local area
Day 10 BLD Today you visit the Finca Vuelta Larga water
buffalo ranch. The habitat is somewhat similar to the
Llanos and it is a great place for water birds such as anhinga, horned screamer and scarlet ibis. Howler monkeys, caiman and capybara can all be seen here too.
Day 11 BLD In the morning visit Hacienda Aguasana
which has 17 different pools which are heated geothermally to different temperatures. Some pools are
sulphurous water, others thick mud pools. In the afternoon either relax in the garden of the hacienda or at
one of the local beaches.
Day 12 BLD Transfer to one of the lovely local beaches for
the day, with a picnic lunch provided by the hacienda.
Caracas
Day 13 B Transfer to Carúpano airport for a flight to Caracas. Fly Carúpano/Caracas in good time for onwards
international flights home.
Lodges
Red Howler Monkey, NHB
Wildlife Hatos in the Llanos
The wildlife hatos in the Llanos, Venezuela’s seasonally
flooded grassland plains, are large cattle ranches
which have taken to wildlife conservation, some
several decades ago, and which now thrive on support
from visitors who come to see their remarkable results.
A typical day at one of these hatos starts with a
morning safari by boat or vehicle, depending on season, returning for lunch and a siesta. There is another
safari in the relative cool of the mid/late afternoon,
perhaps concluding with a visit to a roosting site for
the spectacle of thousands of water birds flying in for
the night. Then it’s back to the ranch for drinks and
dinner. Safaris are conducted in small groups, and
guests eat together at set meal times. Night safaris are
sometimes provided.
Between San Fernando de Apure and the Andes, the
southern ‘low’ Llanos is characterised by flat land and
vast open skies. The open landscape gives the wildlife
little opportunity to hide. Access is relatively easy—to
Barinas by air from Caracas or by road from Mérida.
Hato El Frío
Hato El Frío is one of the largest ranches in the region.
It hosts a biological station run by scientists from
Spanish universities, who carry out field research and
implement projects such as the reintroduction of
the Orinoco Crocodile. Little English is spoken by the
trackers, though this is not usually a problem. Accommodation is good, but with no frills: rooms have fans
and private bathrooms. 4 hr drive from Barinas.
Hato El Cedral
Hato Cedral is more specifically geared for visitors with
a small swimming pool and comfortable rooms with
a/c and private bathrooms. English-speaking naturalist guides are almost always available and the level of
sightings is consistently high. 3hr drive from Barinas.
To the north, where the low plains meet higher land,
pioneering Hato Piñero banned hunting 40 years ago.
With well-established birding trails, a wide range of
habitats, and bilingual naturalist guides this is the
place for birders in search of a long list. It is 7hr drive
from Caracas, or fly by privately chartered light plane.
Llaneros cowboys, JT
Good accommodation, a strong connection with the
llanero way of life, plus some of the main animals and
birds: this working hato on higher land close to Barinas is an excellent all-round choice, but does not have
the wildlife spectacle of the low llanos.
For prices please see the Booking Information insert.
Warao teenager, JT
Mis Palafitos
Orinoco Delta Lodge is reached by fast boat in a 2
hour journey from either Boca de Uracoa or Tucupita.
The lodge comprises 37 individual thatched cabins
all with private bathroom and has a large riverside
dining area and bar. Guests receive a full programme
of excursions in the Delta including piranha fishing
and caiman spotting at night. For those wishing to
venture deeper into the heart of the Delta they offer
an optional three night itinerary where your first and
last nights are at the main lodge and the middle night
is at their remote permanent hammock camp on the
Simoina river in a more remote part of the flooded
forest. Here hammocks are encased in mosquito nets
and there are shared bathroom facilities. The owners
are directly involved in a community school project for
local Warao children.
Mis Palafitos is on the Caño Manamo 90min by boat
from Tucupita. It has 40 thatched cabins on stilts in traditional palafito style with the convenience of electricity and private bathrooms. Disappointingly, the lodge
sees fit to keep pet macaws, capybara and giant river
otter, though they are free to roam around the camp.
VENEZUELA
Burrowing Owls, PF
Hato Cristero
Orinoco Delta Lodge
|
Giant Anteater, JW
Hato Piñero
Lodges in the Orinoco Delta
GEODYSSEY
Hoatzin, JW
Off to school, JT
Warao village life, JT
23
Touring & wildlife
Chill-outs & Honeymoons
Venezuela is a wonderful choice for a distinctive honeymoon or to chill-out on excellent beaches at any time of year. These itineraries are designed to
offer high standards of comfort, good food and the opportunity to enjoy the simple things that make a beach holiday the best way to relax. There are
many choices, but here we have chosen style rather than luxury, and authentic local character rather than internationally branded hotels.
Caracas
Los Roques
morning (weather permitting). In the afternoon fly on
to Margarita island.
Margarita island
Day 2 BLD Fly to Canaima and transfer to Waku lodge for
2 nights full board. Waku is set on the edge of Canaima
Lagoon with a small sandy beach and a beautiful view
of Hacha Falls and the tepuis behind.
Here you are met and driven to a boutique hotel near
Playa Caribe on the north coast for 7 nights half-board
(breakfast and dinner included). See ‘Beach time at
Margarita’ on page 14.
Day 3 BLD Sightseeing flight over Angel Falls in the
Days 4-10 BD Beach time on Margarita.
Day 15 B Morning flight back to Caracas to connect with
your international flight home overnight.
Caracas
Days 3-8 BD Relax by the hotel pool or at the local beach
(we can arrange day trips to Angel Falls and Canaima)
nearby coral islands. See ‘Beach time at Los Roques’ on
page 15.
Margarita Island
Los Roques
Days 10-12 BLD Beach time at Los Roques.
Day 2 BD Fly to Margarita. Met and driven to a boutique
hotel on the north coast for 7 nights half-board (breakfast and dinner). See ‘Beach time at Margarita’ page 14.
Day 9 BLD Early morning transfer to airport for flight to
Los Roques. Met on arrival and accompanied to posada
for a 4 night stay full board with beach excursions to
Day 13 B Morning flight back to Caracas to connect with
your international flight home overnight.
Caracas
chocolate farm and learn about chocolate making.
Days 3-6 BLD Spend your time at the hacienda, down
at the beach (included) or on a local excursion (extra
charge). See ‘Beach Time at Paria’ on page 16.
to Margarita via Caracas. Met on arrival and driven to a
boutique hotel at Playa Caribe for 7 nights half board
(breakfast and dinner), see page 14.
Paria chocolate farm and beaches
Day 2 BLD Fly from Caracas to Carúpano (1hr), to be met
and driven to the hacienda for a 5 night stay full board.
Rest of the day free to relax by the pool, or explore the
Margarita Island
Day 7 BD Driven back to Carúpano for a morning flight
Day 11 BLD Early morning transfer for Los Roques flight.
Met on arrival and accompanied to posada for a 4
night stay full board with excursions to nearby coral
islands. See ‘Beach time at Los Roques’ on page 15.
Days 12-14 BLD Beach time at Los Roques.
Days 8-13 BD Relax by the hotel pool or at the beach.
Day 14 B Driven to the airport for the flight to Caracas,
for your international flight home overnight.
Diving, windsurfing and bone-fishing
Diving
The best diving in Venezuela is on Los Roques,
and it is world class. The reefs provide exceptionally varied environments with highly localised fluctuations in temperature, rough and
calm waters, light and shade, and nutrient content. There are impressive pinnacles, enormous
caves and coral gardens. Walls of soft coral and
sea whips descend more than 60m. Wreck sites
date back to C16th pirates.
Conditions underwater are very natural: many of the
sites are new to diving and most species have not had
the sort of human contact to change their behaviour.
Experts say this is the kind of diving once found in the
Caribbean 20 years ago, but almost nonexistent today.
Mostly it is gentle, easy drift diving. Water temperatures are typically about 30°C (85°F), but at some sites
thermoclynes can cut this to 25°F (77°F). Visibility goes
from 12 to 30m (40-100ft).
Los Roques best suits intermediate and experienced
divers, though there are facilities for beginners too.
PADI courses can be arranged, including Scuba Diver,
Open Water Diver, Advanced OWD, and Rescue Diver.
Remember not to dive less than 12hr before flying
(24hr if you have been diving for more than 2 days
continuously).
24
Land based diving at Los Roques
7 nights for 6 days diving (2 immersions per day) Divers must hold a PADI
or NAUI dive certificate For prices please see the Booking Information insert.
Day 1 Met at Caracas airport on arrival, stay at Macuto.
Day 2 LD Early flight to Los Roques. Met and taken to
your posada for 6 nights full board, with just time to
settle in and sort out your kit before going out on a
dive boat.
Days 3-7 BLD Five more days of diving at sites around
the archipelago. Usually 2 boat dives each day, plus
occasional night dives—conditions permitting. Total
of 12 immersions.
Day 8 BL At the beach. Afternoon flight to Caracas.
Wind/kitesurfing
Venezuela offers world-class windsurfing, and more
recently kitesurfing, at El Yaque on Margarita Island
and nearby Coche Island, at Los Roques, and at Adicora near the sand dunes of Coro. You surf at your own
risk and must have full insurance.
We provide accommodation at a choice of 3* hotels
in El Yaque dedicated to windsurfing, with lots of high
performance equipment rigged and ready. The wind
blows side shore with shallows for nearly 300 yards
offshore with no undertows: great for learners.
Coche Island is best for intermediate windsurfers
and above. Water starts are usual as the wind blows
GEODYSSEY
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VENEZUELA
directly offshore. The flat windy waters are perfect for
jibes, tricks, and flat-out speed. You stay at a hotel on
Coche or go by day trip from Margarita.
At Los Roques you stay in the posadas. Windsurfing
equipment can be rented locally, kitesurfers must take
own gear. Windsurfers sail flat water to nearby islands,
or choose bump and jump conditions and side shore
waves. Best for intermediate or above. Sail sizes are
typically 4.0 to 7.0. The season is January to June.
Bonefishing
Los Roques also offers excellent bonefishing, widely
considered the most exciting saltwater fly-fishing. We
provide a boat and local fishing guide. Cast from the
boat or on sand flats. You bring your own equipment
(size 8 rods). Maximum two fishermen per boat.
Active & adventure
Active & adventure
V
enezuela offers some great opportunities to get off the beaten track amid spectacular scenery. You can chose simple day walks or short river journeys, longer
treks, or challenging expeditions. Several of the examples given here are supported by, or visit, some very special local communities.
For these sample itineraries we chose a comfortable standard of accommodation where
available. Elsewhere you might be staying in very simple conditions, or camping in tents
or hammocks. We included private guides in each area, all airport transfers and check-in
assistance at airports in case of last minute problems. Call us to discuss different styles and
choices. See the Booking Information insert for prices and how these trips are graded.
Techinén Falls, JT
Andes
A series of guided day walks from country guesthouses. You
decide the pace and distance.
Day 3 BLD A choice of walks on trails from San José.
San José
Day 4 BL A leisurely start before driving down into the
Chama valley. Continue driving to a posada in a traditional court-yarded house in the village of La Mesa de
los Indios for 2 nights. Here on a Saturday night you
might stroll to the Plaza Bolívar to hear an enthusiastic
recital by the local wind orchestra school.
Day 1 LD Morning flight from Caracas to Mérida, where
you are met by your experienced English-speaking
guide who will be looking after you throughout. Drive
in varied countryside before a winding road brings you
to San José, a remote hamlet at 7,500ft, for 3 nights at a
simple but charming chalet-style posada guesthouse.
Day 2 BLD From San José there is a fairly easy trail around
hills into the peaceful Tostos valley. Eucalyptus trees
border fresh mountain rivers as the trail passes meadows with lilies, and fields where farmers plough with
oxen. In scattered hamlets corn is still ground by hand.
This trek in the Sierra La Culata National Park supports a community-based rural project. You walk, with a mule to carry
your pack, between mucuposadas—traditional adobe and
stone houses renovated to offer food and lodging in a simple
and warm manner. They are set up by local families and are
the only lodgings in areas of great natural beauty. Income
from them is linked to the upkeep of the local environment,
so villagers co-operate in the care and upkeep of their surroundings. Job opportunities lessen the exodus to the cities,
and rural families’ incomes rise in a sustainable manner. It is
also great fun, with a warm welcome and opportunities to
taste the simple life in these remote and beautiful places.
Superb trekking in two Andes ranges.
Mérida and the páramos
Day 1 L Fly from Caracas to Mérida, where you are met
by your local English-speaking trekking guide and
taken to your 3* hotel near the centre and on a tour of
the city including lunch.
Day 2 BLD Drive into the high páramos to visit Andean
villages and limber up with a walk to Laguna Negra,
staying overnight at a lodge on the páramos.
Sierra La Culata trek
Days 3-5 BLD A 3 day trek in the dramatic Sierra La Culata.
Baggage is carried by mules so you are free to walk at
your own pace with just a day-sack. Plan to call in at
the biological station where projects include the reintroduction of condors. The trek begins with an ascent
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La Mesa de los Indios
Day 5 BL Set off with a picnic lunch to walk in lovely trails
in the local cloud forest to enjoy the luxuriant vegetation and perhaps bathe in the pool below a waterfall.
Páramos
visiting small Andean villages, for a high altitude walk
amid the frailejónes plants to the glacial lakes of Laguna Negra and Laguna Mucubají at 14,000ft. Stay 2
nights at Los Frailes, an inn high on the moors.
Day 7 A free day on the páramo. There are good walks
around the inn and horse riding and trout fishing are
available locally. Or just relax!
Day 8 L In the morning you follow a scenic back road to
a biological station where condors are being reintroduced to the wild. There is time to stretch your legs in
the frost shattered scree of this high valley for a sense
of the condor’s domain. Return to Mérida.
Day 9 B Morning flight to Caracas.
Day 6 BL Drive up to the high páramos north of Mérida,
Sierra La Culata NP
night in La Toma Alta.
Day 1 LD You are collected from your hotel in Mérida
by your English speaking local trekking guide and
driven up to the high moors to limber up with a walk
to Laguna Negra. Perhaps visit the nearby Astronomic
Observatory before spending the night at your first
mucuposada in the village of Mitibibó at 3,400m
Day 3 BLD A full day’s trek takes you through a glacial
landscape of lakes, huge frailejónes and endemic
plants up to a high point, the Alto de Muruzoque, at
4,264m. You then follow an old royal road to your final
mucuposada at Misintá
Day 2 BLD A half day’s walk through the beautiful landscape of the Sierra La Culata through a changing scenery passing through the region of wheat and potato
cultivation to the Valle de El Banco , then crossing the
tree line and walking on the páramos moor. Spend the
to a high spot for magnificent views: granite crags, the
Piedras Blancas peak at 15,623 ft and scree-covered
slopes—a mixture of whites, pinks and pale yellows, via
a spectacular corrie with rare 150yr old frailejón plants
6ft tall. Camp at the base of Sugar Loaf mountain.
Next day, a trek to its top: straightforward, though at
15,420ft far higher than most European peaks. On fine
days there are magnificent views to Lake Maracaibo,
the Sierra Nevada, and far away to Sierra del Cocuy
in Colombia. Cross an area of red-trunked coloradito
trees—the highest-growing tree in the world. Descending through one of the most beautiful valleys in
the Venezuelan Andes, you return through fields and
villages to your Mérida hotel for 2 more nights.
Mérida
Day 6 B Rest and well-earned relaxation in Mérida.
Day 4 BL A leisurely start to enjoy the tranquillity of the
high mountains and Doña Rosa’s garden. Mid a.m. you
will be collected from Misintá by 4WD and driven to a
paved road, then back to Mérida.
Los Nevados trek
Days 7-9 BLD A trek to a picturesque traditional Andean
village through spectacular scenery among the high
peaks of the Sierra Nevada. With your guide you ride
the cable car to the penultimate station at 11,300ft.
The trail to the village of Los Nevados goes to a high
pass at 14,000ft before descending via rugged páramo
to peaceful valleys of stone-walled fields, where lupins,
gladioli, and orchids grow in unlikely proximity.
Los Nevados is very pretty and there are fine views
around. You stay 2 nights in a very simple guesthouse.
The next day is spent exploring the nearby canyon of
the Río Nuestra Señora. Return, by mule if you wish,
and descend the cable car to Mérida to overnight.
Day 10 B Fly to Caracas, in time for afternoon international flights.
25
Active & adventure
Gran Sabana
An adventurous trip by boat to the foot of Angel Falls, then
beach time on Margarita and Los Roques. The river journey is
possible with good reliability between June and October.
Caracas
By river to the foot of Angel Falls
Days 2-4 BLD A morning flight from Caracas to Canaima
for the start of an exciting 3 day, 2 night, river journey
by motorised dugout boat through tablelands scenery
to Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world. Others
join you for this part of the trip as a minimum of 8 people is required by local boatmen, who run the trip at
basic levels of comfort. You sleep in hammocks, under
permanent shelters.
The secret heart of the Gran Sabana is the unique setting for
this circular journey by river and on foot through a hidden
world of breathtaking scenery.
In what must be one of the most magnificent landscapes on earth you travel through constantly changing surroundings in a barely-known land of majestic
tepuis, beautiful rivers and pristine waterfalls, lush
forests, rolling grasslands and remote Pemón villages.
We work with a local Pemón family who know the area
very well and who have friends and relations in most
settlements. Although few visitors come, many adult
Pemón have travelled out of the area at various times
and are familiar with the modern world.
On the river you travel in curiaras: wide dugout boats
powered by outboard motors—rugged and well-suited
to these conditions. Camping is at wilderness sites
prepared by the local communities; your guide brings
good quality tents and there are hammocks with mosquito netting so you can choose whichever you prefer.
Note: with four or more people you could continue
further south on the Karuay to Wonkén, an even more
remote and beautiful trip which we pioneered in 1998.
Puerto Ordaz
Day 1 LD Fly from Caracas to Puerto Ordaz, where you
meet your guide. There may be time to stretch your
legs by the thundering rapids on the Caroní River that
forced Sir Walter Ralegh to turn back from his quest for
El Dorado, before heading south to overnight at a tourist lodge in the rainforests below the Gran Sabana.
Gran Sabana
26
On the first day you explore Canaima lagoon, stopping
to walk behind a waterfall, then travel up the Carrao
river with great views of Auyán-tepui, spending the
night at a permanent camp in the jungle. Continuing
upstream next day, the boat turns into the Churún
River which leads into Devil’s Canyon. The river becomes even more dramatic, with rapids, giant rocks
and exotic vegetation. Then an hour’s walk to reach a
lookout directly in front of Angel Falls. Stop for a picnic
lunch. Return to camp.
Journey down-river next morning to Canaima. You
have some hours free to relax at Canaima Lagoon and
enjoy the wonderful view before catching the afternoon flight to Porlamar on Margarita Island.
tepuis. Turning off the road, drive to Iboribo village and
walk to the magnificent Chinak-merú waterfall nearby.
There are great views of Sororopán-tepui and Ptaritepui as you drive to a remote point on the Karuay river
below Karuay Falls, where you meet your Pemón boatmen. Overnight at a riverside campsite. As well as Ptaritepui and Sororopán-tepui, now to the east, today and
tomorrow you will start to see the major formations
of tepuis of the Karuay valley to the south, and Auyántepui (where Angel Falls lies) far in the west.
Karuay river journey
Day 3 BLD Our first taste of river travel is a gentle 1hr journey to Salto Hueso. Our second curiara is waiting at the
foot of the cascade to take us further down the narrow
Karuay river. We walk for 30min around rapids, using a
trail through thick forest, where we start to learn about
the trees and plants and their uses, and see butterflies
and hear birds typical of this region. Our Pemón hosts
shoulder the main loads, we carry our personal kit and
anything else we can comfortably manage. Further
down river we make camp in the forest.
Day 4 BLD After an early breakfast we continue south on
the Karuay, reaching a landing below Techinén settlement, beautifully situated on the savannah with stunning views of almost the whole Chimantá formation.
In the afternoon we walk for 1hr to see the dramatic
Techinén waterfall, where we spend much of the afternoon swimming and relaxing, before returning to the
village and rejoining the Karuay for the short boat ride
to its junction with the Mowak, then turn up the Mowak to the riverside village of Apaukén where we camp.
Day 2 BLD Ascending the dramatic escarpment that rises
out of the rainforest, pause for magnificent views back
across the forest, then the road emerges onto the high
plains of the Gran Sabana for your first views of the
Day 5 BLD Birdwatchers can start at first light with a side
trek to a Cock-of-the-Rock lek half and hour from the
village. After breakfast we trek through savannah and
forest (3hr) on a trail that leads behind Wanawaridemtepui to a remarkable set of petroglyphs at Wurpodén.
Trek to the summit of Venezuela’s tallest table mountain—
inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s Lost World.
Days 2-6 BLD As for Days 4-9 of Trek to the Lost World
small group expedition (page 27).
Day 1 LD You will be met at Santa Elena airstrip by your
English-speaking trekking guide and driven north into
the Gran Sabana. Stop beside Jaspé Falls where a clear
stream runs over an orange and red bed of semi-precious jasper. Continue, off-road, to the Pemón village of
Paraitepui. Make camp and meet your Pemón porters.
Day 7 BL After a final morning’s walk you arrive back in
the Pemón village of Paraitepui where a vehicle is waiting to take you back to Santa Elena. Time permitting
you can stop for a little sightseeing en route, such as to
visit Aguas Frías and nearby Puerta del Cielo lookout or
to bathe at Suruape cataract, before heading to a com-
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Margarita
Days 5-7 B 3 full days (4 nights) to relax on Margarita
where you stay at a B&B hotel with swimming pool,
just one block from Playa El Agua beach, see page 14.
Los Roques archipelago
Days 8-10 BLD An early morning flight to Los Roques for 3
full days to explore this beautiful marine national park,
Staying at a posada (small guesthouse), for 2 nights,
you take a boat each day for swimming and sunbathing at idyllic coral atolls with white sandy beaches, with
optional snorkelling. Diving upgrades can be arranged
if you have a PADI etc certificate—see page 24. Return
flight to Caracas late in the afternoon of Day 10.
Rock paintings here have never been studied and their
significance is unknown—we are truly in a Lost World.
We continue for 3 hours to camp at Worimakioro, a
Pemón family farm with a refreshing waterfall.
Day 6 BLD A morning trek to Kavanayén where you are
collected and driven south, stopping at Kamá Falls, an
impressive curtain falls, and Jaspé Falls, where water
tumbles down a cascade and over sheets of red and
orange semiprecious stone, to the small town of Santa
Elena on the border with Brazil, where you stay at a
comfortable small lodge. Mount Roraima rises in the
distance behind the lodge. Overnight at a tourist lodge
by the Kamoirán rapids.
Day 7 Drive north to Puerto Ordaz in time for a late
afternoon flight to Caracas.
Part of Chimantá formation, JT
Extension to Canaima and Angel Falls
On Day 6 drive south to overnight in Santa Elena de
Uairén instead of Kamoirán rapids, then:
Day 7 Fly to Canaima, with possibility of seeing Angel
Falls en route at extra cost. Overnight at a lodge in
Canaima. Excursions available locally, also at extra cost.
Day 8 Option of a sightseeing flight to Angel Falls, locally at extra cost. Fly onwards to Caracas or Margarita.
fortable lodge on the outskirts of the town.
Day 8 B Driven back to Santa Elena where the tour ends.
Roraima summit, JT
Active & adventure
Small group expedition
Trek to the
Lost World
13 days/12 nights Grade: Strenuous. For departure dates and prices please
see the Booking Information insert.
Route to the summit, JT
This small group expedition has two highlights: the
trek to the summit of Mount Roraima—one of the
most impressive mountains in South America, and
the river journey to the foot of Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world.
Mt Roraima’s huge plateau is skirted by sheer
walls that lift it high above the tropical savannah. Its walls are so immense that repeated
Victorian expeditions reported that it was unscalable.
Mount Roraima, DF
Eroded rock, Roraima summit, JT
Darwinists proposed that it might thus retain ‘relic species’ cut off from evolution; perhaps dinosaurs might still exist there. Reports
of Roraima’s ascent inspired Conan Doyle’s classic adventure novel ‘The Lost World’, whose heroes climb a fictional Roraima and discover a prehistoric land where they are swooped on by pterodactyls, chased by tyrannosauruses and captured by apemen. Fantasy
and reality meet on Roraima still. Weird rock formations covering much of the summit can appear as bizarre creatures from another
world, there are valleys carpeted with gleaming crystals, and evolution has produced several species found only here.
To stand at the foot of Angel Falls (page 6), the second highlight of this trip, is an awesome experience, while the river journey by dugout boat and the
scenery through which you travel is equally memorable.
Roraima from base camp, JT
Caracas and Puerto Ordaz
are unique to tepuis or to Roraima alone, including
several orchids. Carnivorous pitcher plants attract their
insect prey to chambers of liquid, each of which is a
miniature ecosystem of mites and larvae adapted to
live off the hapless creatures who fall in, without themselves being digested by the plant before their own
allotted life span has run out.
Day 1 We meet at Caracas airport and catch the evening
flight to Puerto Ordaz. Overnight at a 3* hotel.
Orinoco rainforest
Day 2 BLD We visit Cachamay Park and see the massive
cataracts that forced Sir Walter Ralegh to turn back. We
take the TransAmazonica Highway—the narrow road
south to Brazil—through farmlands then rainforests,
pausing to see gold and diamond mining and to visit a
local family. Overnight at a jungle lodge near the road.
Gran Sabana
Day 3 BLD We ascend the escarpment that leads up to
the Gran Sabana. Before the road the only way up
meant clambering on ladders and jungle vines. We
pause near the top at a look-out over the forest (the
guide can usually find poison-arrow frogs around
here). Continuing south, we stop at Kamá Falls, an
impressive 230ft waterfall. Sighting Roraima from afar,
we take a rough road to a small Pemón village, where
we get ready for the trek. Overnight in tents or at a
simple lodge.
rolling grasslands. Crossing several streams we ford the
Tek river and later the Kukenán river—if there has been
heavy rain this may be high enough that ropes are
needed to cross it, but usually it can be waded quite
easily. We camp with a fantastic view of the stark face
of Roraima ahead and Kukenán-tepui to its left. Kukenán Falls (second tallest in the world) is clearly visible
in the right season. From this point we can also see the
pinnacle of rock next to Roraima like the one by which
Conan Doyle’s heroes reached the top.
Mount Roraima trek
Next day we trek across rising savannah to the base
of the mountain to camp in a meadow alive with
multicoloured birds by day and fireflies at night. The
Roraima wall is extremely impressive here, rising nearly
3,000ft directly in front of the camp, the quartz in the
rock glittering in the late afternoon sun.
We first undertook this remarkable trek ourselves in
1992 and each year since then Geodyssey groups have
completed it successfully and without mishap. Roraima’s remoteness means that few people make the trek
(you are unlikely to see more than one or two groups in
the six days). We adopt high standards to conserve this
special mountain. Our guides have very close contacts
with the local Pemón community (whose mountain it
is) and long experience of trekking here safely. We use
our own tents sourced from the UK which are of trekking quality from leading brands. Porters carry tents
and camp gear, you carry your personal kit. Extra porters each carrying 2 peoples’ kit can usually be hired for
a moderate extra fee.
Days 4-9 BLD Our route starts with easy walking across
Roraima summit—meadow of endemic stegolepis, JT
In the morning we set off up the route that leads diagonally across the face of the Roraima wall. The trail
ascends through montane rainforest and crosses small
streams where hummingbirds, orchids and brightly
coloured flowers are abundant. Higher, the vegetation
changes to tree ferns and the trail leads under a waterfall leaping from the cliff edge hundreds of feet above.
After 3-4 hours (during which we are well shielded
from the downwards cliff by the width of the defile and
by vegetation and rocks) we arrive at the entrance to
the summit and emerge at the top—looking back for
an incredible view. We camp for 2 nights on the top.
Next morning there is time to explore some more
before we descend to the base and continue to one
of several possible camping places. On our sixth day
of trekking we complete the return to the village to
be met by our vehicle. We say goodbye to our porters
and set off to Santa Elena de Uairén where we stay in a
small lodge. On the way we stop at Jaspé Falls, where
a stream tumbles over sheets of semi-precious stone
glowing red and orange under the sparkling water.
Canaima
Day 10 BD We catch a flight to Canaima across the heart
of the Gran Sabana, with great views of many tepuis. If
conditions allow the pilot will detour over Angel Falls
for a sneak preview.
River Journey to Angel Falls
On landing at Canaima we join our boatmen waiting
on the Carrao river for our journey to the foot of Angel
Falls, which also features in our small group adventure
‘Angel Falls, Orinoco Delta and Paria’, and is described
in detail on page 29. (2 overnights in hammocks.)
Day 11 BLD (River journey to Angel Falls)
Day 12 B Returning to Canaima at the end of the river
journey we stop at the lagoon for a little relaxation on
the sandy shore, after which we fly to Ciudad Bolívar
where we stay in a good quality posada.
Day 13 B We explore the historic part of Ciudad Bolívar
leading down to the Orinoco waterfront, then drive
1hr to Puerto Ordaz for our flight to Caracas, where the
tour ends, in time for overnight flights to the UK. You
might choose to stay on for a few days at the beach
before returning to Caracas, see pages 14-17.
Río Carrao towards Angel Falls, RR
Roraima’s summit is so high that it creates its own
weather: swirling cloud can descend with little warning, and there can be sudden electrical storms at any
season.
Next day we explore the summit itself, taking a circular
route to the marker where Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana meet. We walk among impressive rock formations,
suddenly finding surprisingly lush meadows among
the stark outcrops, and places where the ground is
covered with sparkling quartz crystals. There are rock
pools everywhere, and in them you may see the black
toads unique to Roraima. Over half the plant species
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27
Active & adventure
Out and about in the Gran Sabana. This itinerary starts and
ends in Puerto Ordaz, which is readily accessible by air from
Caracas, Margarita or Canaima (Angel Falls), or by road from
Ciudad Bolívar, the Orinoco Delta, or Paria.
Day 1 LD Your English-speaking local guide collects you
from your hotel in Puerto Ordaz or the airport in a 4WD
vehicle. Drive south on the Transamazonica through
rainforest region with gold and diamond mining.
Day 2 BLD Drive up La Escalera, we pause near the top for
the view over the rainforest then enter the vast landscapes of the Gran Sabana itself. Turning off the road
we drive on dirt tracks to Salto Kawi waterfall for the
start of a two day trek. You could cool off with a swim
in the pool below the falls before 4 hours’ easy walking
across open savannah to a small farm where a Pemón
family are our hosts. Camp nearby and sleep under an
infinity of stars.
Day 3 BLD Set out trekking early in the morning to reach
the little community of San Jose de Tuaoken, about 5
hours away, where 15 Pemón families live. Today’s trail
is somewhat harder, over grassland and through forest,
with some ups and downs. Camp at Tuaokén and meet
the locals – our arrival will cause some very good-natured excitement.
Day 4 BLD Today we board a dugout canoe with a Pemón
crew who will paddle us up the Aponguao river for approx 3 hours. There is forest on both banks which from
time to time gives way to views of the savannah. At
one point we have to leave the canoe and walk for 15
min where the Aponguao river flows through a hole!
After some further navigation we leave our dugout and
trek for about 40min to a high point on the river which
we cross by canoe then walk down to see the impressive Chinak-merú waterfall. After relaxing, and swim-
ming below the falls if you wish, a motorized dugout
will ferry us from above the falls to the village of Puerto
Iboribo where a vehicle is waiting to drive us to the
mission village of Kavanayén where we stay overnight
at a simple tourist lodge.
Day 5 BLD A full day exploring the Gran Sabana by road
visiting Kamá-merú, Yurauni Falls, San Francisco de
Yurauni where the local community sells Pemón handicrafts, Jaspé Falls where a clear stream runs over a bed
of semi precious stone, and some other viewpoints on
the way. Stay at a tourist lodge at Kamoirán.
Day 6 BL We return on the Transamazonica Highway to
Puerto Ordaz. You would arrive in time to catch the late
afternoon flight to Caracas or to drive onwards to Ciudad Bolívar, or you could stay overnight in Puerto Ordaz if travelling onwards to the Orinoco Delta or Paria.
Orinoco
Caracas
Orinoco Delta
Day 2 LD Morning flight to Maturín, where you are met
and transferred to a lodge in the Orinoco Delta, your
base for 2 nights. After lunch a guide from the lodge
takes you by boat to explore this flooded habitat.
Day 3 BLD A full day exploring the Delta for a mix of unusual flora and wildlife such as freshwater dolphin, monkeys, turtles, hoatzin and parrots, with insight into the
life of the Warao people. They live in stilt villages, travel
by dugout, and are master weavers of moriche palm.
Ciudad Bolívar
Day 4 BL Drive south to the historic town of Ciudad
Bolívar. In the afternoon take a city tour including the
Jesús Soto contemporary art museum. Overnight at a
renovated house in the old quarter.
Gran Sabana
Day 5 BLD Visit the impressive Llovizna cataracts, where
Sir Walter Ralegh turned back, then drive south by
4WD to the gold and diamond mining region in lowland rainforest to a tourist lodge near El Dorado. Stop
en route to see how the local casabe bread and Guayanese cheese are made and to see gold mining.
Pará Falls is a spectacular horseshoe of 12 powerful falls deep
in the Orinoco rainforest at the limits of accessibility. We
pioneered this wonderful trip in the early 90s and it is now
run locally, with regular group departures.
Río Caura
Day 1 You will be collected from your hotel in Ciudad
Bolívar and driven with others (4hr) to La Trincheras on
the River Caura where you stay at a simple lodge.
Day 2 A full day’s journey by motorised dugout up the
powerful Caura river through dense rainforest protected as a forest reserve since 1964. We reach El Playón—a
wide sandy beach a short distance below Pará Falls.
Opposite the camp the river emerges in a boiling maelstrom from the narrow throat into which it was channelled just below the horseshoe of Pará Falls itself. We
make camp, sleeping in hammocks in an open-sided
28
Day 6 BLD Drive up the La Escalera escarpment stopping
to admire the great view back across lowland tropical
rainforest, with a chance to see poison arrow frogs
here. Drive on to the plateau of the Gran Sabana, turning off-road to visit Chinak-merú waterfall. Here you
can hike down to bathe at the base of the falls. Continue to a remote tourist lodge in the savannah.
Day 7 BLD Visit the Pemón village of Kavanayén in a spectacular setting, visit the mission and perhaps buy some
local handicrafts, then drive via 3 waterfalls (Kawi,
Kamá and Yurauni) to a lodge in the Pemón community of San Francisco de Yuruaní towards Mt Roraima.
Day 8 BLD With an early morning start, travel by dugout
on the Yuruaní river for about 2hr to Tanganmui Falls.
Here there is a beautiful pool where you can swim. Visit
a local Pemón family’s farm, then walk to the top of the
waterfall (2hr) where there is a good view of all 7 tepuis
of the Roraima range. Camp. (If you prefer not to camp
an alternative day can be substituted.)
Day 9 BLD Trek for about 3hr over rolling grassland to
return to San Francisco. Drive to Santa Elena de Uairén
stopping at Jaspé Falls, where a clear stream flows over
a bed of semi-precious stone in reds, oranges and yellows. Stay 2 nights at a comfortable lodge.
of a rural community development project. Here you
can take a clay bath and have a swim in a beautiful
natural pool, visit a local small holding to see shifting
cultivation in action, share a traditional lunch and learn
how the Pemón make their local handicrafts.
Angel Falls and Canaima
Day 11 B Morning flight from Santa Elena to Canaima.
On a clear day there are stunning views of the tepuis
and if conditions are right the pilot can be encouraged
by a moderately generous tip to detour over Angel
Falls. On arrival you will be transferred to Parakaupa
Lodge, slightly outside the village at the crest of a small
slope with views over Canaima Lagoon. The afternoon
is free to relax on the sandy shore of the lagoon with a
wonderful view of Hacha Falls and the tepuis behind.
Excursions are available locally at extra cost.
Day 12 B Morning free in Canaima (perhaps take a regular sightseeing flight over Angel Falls if you were not
lucky yesterday), then in the afternoon fly to Margarita.
You will be met on arrival and transferred to a 3* B&B
hotel close to Playa El Agua for 3 nights (see page 14).
Margarita
Day 13-14 B Two days at the beach or by the hotel pool
Day 10 BLD A short walk to the Pemón village of Sampai
where we spend the day with the local people as part
Day 15 B Transfer to the airport and fly to Caracas to connect with your overnight international flight home.
thatched churuata supported by the local community
of Ye’kwana, a vigorous people who have traded widely with European incomers since C18th, having evicted
the early Spanish presence from this area.
tacular horseshoe of 12 separate falls up to 689ft tall,
reckoned to be the most powerful in Venezuela. There
is plenty of time to explore the immediate area before
returning to camp at El Playón.
Respect and consideration, especially regarding photographs, are essential. The vast area beyond the falls is
reserved for local communities and cannot be visited
without special permission.
Day 4 Full day’s travel by river back to the lodge at Las
Trincheras.
Day 5 Drive to Ciudad Bolívar where the tour ends.
Pará Falls, Río Caura, JT
Pará Falls
Day 3 We trek through
the rainforest on a very
interesting narrow forest trail for about 2hr,
emerging onto a clearing with viewpoints
across Pará Falls’ spec-
GEODYSSEY
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VENEZUELA
Active & adventure
Small group adventure
Angel Falls, Orinoco
Delta and Paria
13 days/12 nights. Starts and ends at Caracas airport. Grade: Moderate. For
departure dates and prices please see the Booking Information insert.
This non-trekking small group adventure travels by
river to the foot of Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall
in the world, and into the delta of the Orinoco, a
unique environment that is home to the Warao
people. The journey ends on the Paria peninsula by
some of the loveliest beaches in the Caribbean.
To see Angel Falls right up close we fly to the
colonial city of Ciudad Bolívar and to Canaima
from where we travel by dug-out boat through
spectacular tepui scenery to reach the very foot
Río Carrao towards Angel Falls, RR
of the falls. We then explore the remote world of the Orinoco Delta, with its flooded forests, wildlife and Warao communities.
Angel Falls, RR
It is then time to chill out by the Caribbean on the beautiful Paria peninsula. We stay at a cacao hacienda dating from 1908, now
restored to organic production and making its own delicious chocolate truffles, in hills above idyllic beaches. We also visit the pretty
town of Caripe and the Humboldt Cave, and see wildlife at a conservation-minded water buffalo ranch.
Caracas
Caripe
Day 1 You are individually met on arrival at Caracas off
your chosen international flight and driven to a 3-4*
hotel in the seaside town of Macuto where we get together for a welcome drink overlooking the Caribbean.
Day 9 BLD This morning we travel by river back to Boca
de Uracoa and drive to the pretty town of Caripe, set in
a valley with green hills all around. In the evening we
go to the mouth of the Humboldt Cave ready for the
night’s exodus of thousands of birds from its cavernous interior. These are the extraordinary oilbirds which
navigate using an echo location system—like bats, but
using audible clicks. It is an eerie and unforgettable
sight. We stay at a small lodge overlooking the town.
Ciudad Bolívar
Day 2 BL We fly to the historic city of Ciudad Bolívar on
the Orinoco, staying at a characterful posada in a renovated house in the old quarter. We visit the bustling
river front, and stroll around the colourful colonial
streets leading to the tree-lined Plaza Bolívar and the
impressive cathedral. In contrast, we’ll then delve into
the world of kinetic art at the Jesús Soto Museum.
Dinner tonight can be at the posada or at a lively restaurant nearby.
Canaima
Day 3 BLD This morning we are driven to the airport
(where Jimmy Angel’s original plane stands by the
entrance), and fly down to the tepuis at Canaima.
Angel Falls river journey
From Canaima, we are driven on a rough track past the
lagoon and up to a landing stage on the Río Carrao
above Hacha Falls for our river journey to the foot of
Angel Falls. We travel in a large dugout boat hewn from
a single tree in the traditional manner, but powered by
a sizable outboard motor. Life-jackets are provided.
As we navigate up the river we pass through some
wonderful scenery, first with open savannah with
views of some of the smaller table mountains, then
we start to skirt the massive bulk of Auyán-tepui, its
walls becoming ever more dominant. We continue by
the side of the mountain, to reach a permanent camp
where we settle down to a drink under the stars, a
simple dinner and our first night in hammocks—surprisingly comforting and dream-inducing, efficiently
shielded in mosquito netting.
Day 4 BLD At first light our boatmen survey the water
levels and make the decision to take the boat on the
Churún river into the Devil’s Canyon. The Churún is a
delightful small river which tumbles down through the
rainforest at the bottom of the canyon, the walls of the
tepui glowing red, orange and mauve where the sunlight hits, but gloomy and threatening in the shade.
Warao settlement, Orinoco Delta, JT
Sloth crossing the Churún river, JT
If the river is getting low, which can happen at any
time, but usually only between November and May,
then at some points the fitter passengers may be asked
to clamber out of the boat in mid-stream to help the
boatmen push through shallow water.
The river eases to a gentle flow as we navigate further
up to a point opposite Angel Falls. Here the canyon
opens out and, with the mountains walls all around us,
we at last face Angel Falls’ elegant plume of water billowing down from the edge of the summit a kilometre
above our heads. We tie up the boat and make a fairly
strenuous jungle walk of 1hr to reach a look-out point
close to the falls. We can then continue a short distance
to a wonderful pool just below the falls, fed by cascades tumbling from the base, for a paddle or a swim.
We rejoin our boat and set off back to our camp.
If the water levels in the Churún are very low the boatmen may decide that it would be too difficult to reach
Angel Falls, and instead the journey will continue along
the main river which also passes through impressive
tepui scenery. This is rare between June and October,
when there is normally enough rain at the summit, rising to a chance of 50% or more from January to March.
If we miss the falls for this reason, then, weather permitting, the guide can arrange for us to see them from
the air on our flight to Ciudad Bolívar tomorrow.
Day 5 B Our boat returns to Canaima where the river
journey ends.
There is a short time to relax by the lagoon and enjoy
the wonderful view across the lake to Hacha Falls before catching our flight back to Ciudad Bolívar. Dinner
is again your choice: at the posada or out in the town.
Day 10 BLD We drive to the Paria peninsula today, but
first we call by the cave to explore its enormous outer
chambers while the birds are sleeping. The road passes
through increasingly lush landscapes arriving at the
painted village of Chacaracual and the chocolate farm
of Hacienda Bukare.
After lunch we are introduced to the mysteries of cacao
cultivation and the process of turning its beans into
fine chocolate. Dinner at the hacienda, which has a
small private bar and great cooking, with chocolate
featuring in many dishes!
Hacienda Bukare
Day 11 BLD Today we explore the countryside around
the hacienda. A special favourite is natural mud baths
where thermal waters bubble up from deep in the
ground. Here you can stand in a meadow beside a
gently plopping mud hole for some all-over body treatment before plunging into a steaming slightly sulphurous pond ... but it’s better than it sounds!
We also visit a water buffalo ranch whose owners are
keen wildlife conservationists. The results are superb,
with opportunities to see many of the animals and
birds that are found in the main part of the Llanos.
Return to the hacienda for drinks and dinner.
Day 12 BLD Today we stop to chill at the beach at Playa
Medina, one of the most perfect beaches in Venezuela.
A bay of clear turquoise-green water, perfect for swimming, meets a broad curve of gold sand, backed by tall
palm trees. We bring hammocks and cool-box, returning to the hacienda in the late afternoon in preparation
for cocktails and a farewell dinner.
Day 13 B In the morning we drive to Carúpano airport for
a flight to Caracas, where each is individually helped to
check-in for overnight international flights home.
Orinoco Delta
Day 6 BLD This morning we drive to the edge of the Orinoco Delta and continue by motorised boat to a jungle
lodge. The wildlife of the Delta’s flooded forest includes
freshwater dolphin, parrots, monkeys, river turtles, and
the strange hoatzin. We will also be among the Warao
people: expert boatmen and weavers who live in stilt
villages throughout the Delta. Overnight at the lodge.
Day 7 BLD Exploring deep into the Delta we spend the
night at a remote camp in the flooded forest.
Day 8 BLD A full day in the Delta returning to sleep in the
comfort of the main lodge.
GEODYSSEY
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VENEZUELA
29
Birdwatching
Agami Heron, JW
Birdwatching
The Birds of Venezuela
V
Sample independent holiday itinerary. 14 days/13 nights. Starts and ends at Caracas airport. For prices please see Booking Information insert.
ENEZUELA OFFERS SOME OF THE BEST
birding experiences in South America, with
a rich avifauna (1,360 species), a great many
unusual endemics and spectaculars, a wide range of
habitats, good accessibility, and an excellent field
guide.
Geodyssey has organised birding trips to Venezuela
for general birders and birding experts since 1993.
Our knowledge of local birding conditions is kept upto-date by the many small group and independent
birding trips we arrange to each year, supplemented
by regular contacts with the top birdwatching
guides. This, and our day-in day-out involvement
with all aspects of travel in Venezuela, makes us an
ideal choice.
Small group birdwatching
We offer a comprehensive collection of small group
birdwatching tours led by Eustace Barnes covering
the major neotropical birding destinations, carefully
graded from introductory to advanced level. Please
see our website or call for our small group birdwatching brochure.
Independent tailor-made birdwatching
Whether you are travelling solo, as a couple, or with
a group of fellow birders we provide all the backup
and logistic support you need. We can provide English-speaking birdwatching guides if desired. These
include very competent local birding guides in most
regions and the top Venezuelan specialist ornithologist guides.
We design itineraries to suit all levels—from newcomers to neotropical birding to seasoned hands out
to boost their life lists with hard-to-find endemics,
and in all styles—from dawn-to-dusk birders to those
who prefer an easier time or like to combine their
birding with sightseeing or general wildlife viewing.
We can also arrange birding days as part of general
tours—an increasingly popular choice.
We cover all the established birding sites and are
always on the lookout for new ones. The list is quite a
long one! Henri Pittier National Park / Rancho Grande
and nearby Colonia Tovar and El Limón. The Llanos
including wildlife ranches Hato El Cedral, Hato El Frío,
and Hato Piñero, and Junglaven lodge in Amazonas.
The Andes in Mérida State, including páramo, cloud
forests and xerophytic regions, the Sierra Nevada National Park, Humboldt Trail, La Carbonera, San Isidro
Trail, and Barragan Bridge. Morrocoy National Park,
including the Cuare Wildlife Refuge. The Imataca Forest in eastern Venezuela and Río Grande. La Escalera,
and the endemics of the Gran Sabana tepuis. Paria
Peninsula, including Cerro Humo, Caño Colorado,
and Guácharo Cave. Recent additions include the
Andes in Táchira State, including Tamá National
Park, the El Paují road in the Gran Sabana, Guatopo
National Park and the Laguna Tacarigua RAMSAR site,
and Palmichal in Carabobo State, which is described
as “Rancho Grande without the traffic”, and Yacambu.
30
Glossy Ibis, JW
This is the classic coverage of Venezuela’s birds, visiting 3 widely differing regions: the Andes, the
seasonal wetland plains of the Llanos, and the coastal cloud forest of Henri Pittier National Park.
The numerous highlights include Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Mérida Sunangel, Bearded Helmetcrest, Torrent Duck, Andean Condor, Scarlet Ibis, Sungrebe, Sunbittern, Hoatzin, Burrowing Owls,
Jabiru, Roseate Spoonbill, Handsome Fruiteater, Rufous-cheeked Tanager, White-tipped Quetzal, Collared Trogon, Wire-tailed Manakin plus many of Venezuela’s 47 species of parrot and 97 hummingbirds. Trip lists typically number 400 species—often many more.
Caracas
Day 1 You are met at the airport and transferred to a
seafront 3-4* hotel in nearby Macuto.
Day 2 BLD Fly to Mérida in the Andes where you meet
your local English-speaking bird guide who will accompany throughout your time in the Andes. Drive to
La Azulita area, picking up the commoner species en
route and perhaps seeing Black-mandibled Toucan,
Crested Oropendolas and the endemic Rose-headed
Parakeet. Walk in secondary forest to a large waterfall
for Emerald Toucanet, Black Phoebe, Blackburnian
Warbler, and Southern Rough-winged Swallow. Stay
at a delightful new lodge at 2,360m on the edge of
a band of cloud-forest below the Páramo del Tambo,
with comfortable cabins in attractive gardens and a
good selection of hummingbirds at the feeders.
Day 3 BL Today we explore varied habitats around La
Azulita and La Carbonera for Long-billed Starthroat,
Violet-fronted Brilliant, Bronzy Inca, Mérida Sunangel,
Crested Quetzal, Scarlet-fronted Parakeet, Blue-headed
and White-capped Parrot, Andean Guan, Barred Forestfalcon, Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Smooth-billed Ani,
Squirrel Cuckoo, White-necked Jacobin, Venezuelan
Wood-quail, Smoky Bush-tyrant, Venezuelan Tyrannulet, Collared Jay, Moustached Wren, Golden-fronted
Greenlet, and Superciliaried and Oleaginous Hemispingus. Return to Mérida for 2 nights.
Day 4 BL Visit the Sierra Nevada NP to bird the lower
section of the Pico Humboldt Trail. Here we expect the
endemic White-fronted Redstart, Slaty Brush-finch,
Golden-headed Quetzal, Golden-olive Woodpecker,
Long-billed Gnatwren, Strong-billed, Montane and
Black-banded Woodcreepers, Rufous-shafted Woodstar, Chestnut-crowned Antpitta, Short-tailed, Whitechinned and White-collared Swift, Broad-winged and
White-rumped Hawk, Collared Inca, Golden-bellied
Starfrontlet, Band-tailed and Ruddy Pigeon, Mountain
Elaenia, Bank Swallow, Mountain Wren, Tropical Gnatcatcher, Capped Conebill, White-sided and Bluish Flower-piercer, Black-headed and Beryl-spangled Tanagers,
Black-throated Mango, and Cinnamon Becard.
Day 5 BLD We bird the Transandean Highway onto the
high páramos, a treeless habitat of frost-shattered
rocks, grasses, lichens, gorse and frailejónes: home to
the near-endemic Bearded Helmetcrest, the endemic
Páramo Wren, and Andean Siskin, Páramo Pipit, Andean Tit-Spinetail, Ochre-Browed Thistletail and StreakBacked Canastero. Stop at the Andean Condor sanctuary at Pico El Aguila and at Laguna Mucubají (3,500m).
GEODYSSEY
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VENEZUELA
Look for Speckled and Blue-winged Teal, Torrent Duck,
Andean Condor, Black-chested Buzzard Eagle, Anhinga,
Speckled, Violet-chested and Steely-vented Hummingbirds, Eared and White-tipped Doves, Tropical Peewee,
White-throated Tyrannulet, Brown-bellied Swallow, and
Bar-winged Cinclodes. Stay 2 nights at Hotel Moruco;
its gardens attract Blue-backed Conebill.
Day 6 BLD Today’s highlight is a lek of the Andean Cockof-the-Rock. It is a scramble down a ravine to overlook
the lekking area but the sight is unforgettable. Our current record is 50 males displaying at once! On the trail
you may find Golden-winged Manakin and Immaculate
Antbird and at least hear the Ocellated Tapaculo.
Day 7 BL Bird at descending altitudes stopping at La
Soledad and Río Barragan Bridge en route to Barinas
and the lowland plains. Look for Plain-breasted Hawk,
Black-crowned Night-heron, Lazuline Sabrewing,
Golden-tailed Sapphire, Orange-throated Sunangel,
Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Lyre-tailed Night-jar, Torrent Tyrannulet, White-capped Dipper, Yellow-bellied
Elaenia, Cerulean Warbler, American Redstart, Masked
Flower-piercer, Purple Honeycreeper, Lachrymose
Mountain-Tanager, Silver-beaked and Bay-headed
Tanagers, Streaked Flycatcher, Orange-fronted Yellow-Finch, Lineated Woodpecker, Orange-chinned and
Yellow-headed Parrots, Stripe-backed Wren and Whitevented Plumeleteer. Say goodbye to your Andes bird
guide this afternoon. Overnight in Barinas.
Llanos
Day 8 BLD A morning’s transfer into the Llanos—one
of South America’s great wildlife areas. Here you are
guaranteed water birds in profusion plus Capybara,
piranha and Spectacled Caiman, with good chances
of Orinoco Crocodile, Anaconda, Freshwater Dolphin,
Giant Anteater, armadillo, Giant River Otter and Red
Howler Monkey. You arrive at Hato Cedral for lunch and
the afternoon wildlife excursion (by boat or vehicle) led
by the ranch’s English speaking naturalist guide. Stay 3
nights. (Excursions are shared; private excursions can
be arranged in advance at extra cost.)
Days 9 &10 BLD Two busy days of general wildlife viewing
on excursions around ranch with excellent chances of
Scarlet, Bare-faced and Green Ibises, Roseate Spoonbill, Wattled Jacana, Orinoco Goose, Brazilian Duck,
Maguari Stork, Jabiru, Whiteling and Boat-billed Heron,
Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs,
American Stilt, Large-billed Tern, Cattle and Great
White Egret, Paraguayan Snipe, Double-striped Thickknee, Amazon Kingfisher. Highlights include Hoatzin,
endemic Yellow-knobbed Curassow, Sunbittern, Sun-
Birdwatching
Birding in
Eastern Venezuela
Sample independent holiday itinerary. 15 days/14 nights. Starts & ends in
Caracas. For prices please see the Booking Information insert.
This itinerary is ideal for Venezuela veterans, to
supplement visits to the better-known birding
sites in the centre and west of the country. Highlights include Harpy Eagle, Guianan Cock-of-theRock, Capuchinbird, an exceptionally wide range
Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, JT
of forest and tepui species plus no less than 15
species of cotinga. It combines La Escalera at the edge of the Gran Sabana for tepui endemics, the
Imataca lowland rainforest reserve for Harpy Eagle, Caño Colorado (várzea forest), Guácharo Cave (oil
birds), and Paria’s Cerro Humo for its endemics.
You can choose to have a local English-speaking ornithologist guide to escort you throughout, or
an English speaking driver who knows the key birding sites—you find your own birds.
Sunbittern, JW
grebe and Horned Screamer. Plus Vermilion Flycatcher,
King Vulture, White-tailed, Double-toothed and Snail
Kite, Scarlet and Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Whitetailed Hawk, Common and Ruddy Ground-doves,
Scaled Dove, Great Potoo, Oriole Blackbird, Dickcissel,
Crimson-crested Woodpecker, Trinidad Euphonia, Paleheaded Jacamar, Great Horned Owl, Burrowing Owl,
Nacunda Nighthawks, Band-tailed Nightjar and the
national bird, the Venezuelan Troupial.
Henri Pittier NP
Day 11 BD Fly to Caracas and transfer to Maracay at
the edge of Henri Pittier NP, arriving in time for late
afternoon birding with a local English-speaking birdwatching guide and vehicle. 578 species of birds have
been recorded here in habitats from deciduous and
transition forest through cloud forest to desert scrub.
Stay 3 nights at a 3* lodge with garden on the outskirts
of Maracay. (Or you might drive yourself in a hire car
collected at Caracas airport, finding your own birds, or
bird with a local driver and vehicle—ask for details.)
Days 12 & 13 BLD Dawn birding from the Rancho Grande
building with views over and into the cloud forest
canopy. You have a good chance of seeing flocks of
the endemic Blood-eared Parakeet, White-tipped and
Vaux’s Swift, Russet-backed Oropendola, Plain Antvireo, Buff-fronted, Guttulated and Montane Foliagegleaners, Venezuelan and Yellow-bellied Bristle-tyrants
and Red-billed Parrot. You may also see the endemic
Rufous-cheeked Tanager and Handsome Fruiteater. At
Portachuelo Pass you can see White-Tipped Quetzal
and hear Venezuelan Wood-quail and Northern Helmeted Curassow. The pass is used by northern migrants
and local species, such as Golden-tailed Sapphire,
Ruby-topaz Hummingbird and Lilac-tailed Parrotlet,
and many butterflies. The far side of the range may
produce Black-backed Antshrikes, Lance-tailed Manakins, Glittering-throated Emerald, Red-eyed Vireo, Tropical Peewee, Blue-black Grosbeak, Rufous-and-white
Wren, Wire-tailed Manakin, Red-rumped Woodpecker,
Ferruginous Pygmy-owl and Great Antshrike.
Day 14 BL A final dawn’s birding at Rancho Grande before the drive back to Caracas for flights home.
Caracas
Caño Colorado
Day 1 You are met at the airport and transferred to a
seafront 3-4* hotel in nearby Macuto.
Day 10 BL Early start to reach Caño Colorado for dawn.
Spend the whole day birding this area on the edge of
the Delta, for species characteristic of várzea forest,
humid forest and woodland edge: Blue-and-yellow
Macaw, Black Hawk-eagle, Green Oropendola, Blackdotted Piculet, Yellow-crowned Elaenia, Little Cuckoo,
Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet, Swallow-wing, Velvetfronted Grackle, Jet Antbird, Greater Yellow-headed
Vulture, Groove-billed Ani, Chestnut Woodpecker, Redbilled, Black-Mandibled and Channel-billed Toucans,
White-chested and Blue-tailed Emerald, Steely-vented
and Copper-rumped Hummingbird and Blue-chinned
Saphire.
La Escalera
Day 2 BLD Fly to Puerto Ordaz and drive south to the La
Escalera region below the Gran Sabana for 4 nights at
Barquilla de Fresas, a birding lodge. There are Red-billed
and Channel-billed Toucan in the garden.
Days 3-5 BLD Three full days for birdwatching at La
Escalera for Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, Sapphirerumped Parrotlet, Sharpbill, Spangled Cotinga, Ruddy
Tody-flycatcher, Fiery-shouldered Parakeet, Whitechinned Saphire, Peacock Coquette, Velvet-browed
Brilliant, White-tailed Goldenthroat, Red-banded
Fruiteater, Scarlet-horned Manakin, Roraiman Antwren,
Black Nunbird, Greater Flower-piercer, Guianan Red
Cotinga, Dusky Purpletuft, Spotted Antpitta, Red-andblack Grosbeak, Orinocan Saltator, Crimson Topaz,
Capuchinbird and Great Elaenia, and hear the ringing
calls of White and Bearded Bellbirds. 23 of the 34 endemic pan-tepui birds can be found here. (Ask us about
special birding trips to the tepuis themselves.)
Imataca Forest Reserve / Río Grande
Day 6 BLD A final early morning at the very productive
La Escalera before heading north to the Imataca Forest
Reserve (Río Grande), a wet tropical lowland rainforest
at the edge of the Orinoco Delta. Stay 3 nights at a simple guesthouse, in El Palmar with private bathrooms.
Days 7 & 8 BLD Two full days for birding in the reserve,
home to several spectaculars including Harpy Eagle,
our main focus. You can also find Crested Eagle, Agami
and Zigzag Herons, Red-fan Parrot, Grey-winged Trumpeter, Long-tailed Potoo, Golden-winged and Painted
Parakeets, Paradise Jacamar, Waved Wood-pecker,
Short-tailed Pygmy-tyrant, Rose-breasted Chat, Rufouswinged Antwren, White-bellied Antbird, Cinnamon
Attila, Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper, Musician Wren,
and Rufous-tailed Foliage-gleaner.
Day 9 BL A final morning’s birding in the forest before
driving north to Maturín. Stay 2 nights at a 3* motel.
The road to Caño Colorado is impassable in the wet
season (May–Oct), alternative sites are available.
Day 11 BLD A second morning’s birding Caño Colorado
before driving to a lodge at Caripe, near Humboldt’s
Guácharo Cave to see the Oilbird exodus at dusk.
Oilbirds and Caripe
Day 12 BLD Explore inside the cave to see most Oilbirds
fast asleep on their ledges, while others shriek noisily. Bird the lush coffee and citrus plantations around
Caripe for a wide range of possibles. Transfer to Claus
Muller’s Finca Vuelta Larga for 3 nights.
Finca Vuelta Larga
Days 13-14 BLD Finca Vuelta Larga is a super birding base
with Orange-winged Parrots, Ruby-topaz Hummingbirds, Black-throated Mango, White-tailed Goldenthroat, Cream-coloured Woodpecker, Cinnamon Attila
and Crimson-hooded Manakin with wading birds such
as Anhinga, Horned Screamer, Black-crowned Nightheron and night excursions for Potoos.
From here you will also bird Cerro Humo on the Paria
Peninsula which boasts four rare endemics: Scissortailed Hummingbird, White-throated Barbtail, Yellowfaced Redstart, Venezuelan Flower-piercer and the near
endemic White-tailed Sabrewing.
Day 15 B Fly from Carúpano to Caracas for flights home.
Lodge-based birding
Birding at Junglaven,
Amazonas
Sample independent holiday itinerary. 8 days/7 nights. Starts and ends in
Caracas. For prices please see the Booking Information insert.
World-class birding for tall-forest species, with access
to a range of habitats. An accompanying ornithologist
guide is indispensable. The lodge has 10 cabins with
double beds and private bathrooms, bar and games
area, but struggles to maintain acceptable standards.
Primarily a fishing lodge, it is only open in the dry
season because of seasonal flooding. You stay on a full
board basis with daily birding excursions.
Day 1 D Early flight from Caracas to Puerto Ayacucho
with your birding guide, then by private charter flight
to the grass landing strip. Met and driven the 12km
dirt road through terra firme forest to Junglaven.
Days 2-7 BLD Daily excursions with your birding guide.
GEODYSSEY
|
VENEZUELA
Birding in the Llanos
The llanos hatos described on page 23 offer very good
birding opportunities. The general rule is that those
in the low llanos (Hato El Cedral and Hato El Frío) have
the greatest abundance of birdlife, but those on higher land (Hato Piñero particularly) can produce a longer
list because of their greater variety of habitat.
Roseate Spoonbill, JW
The ranches’ own naturalist guides, who usually have
reasonable English (except at El Frío and Cristero), are
generally more than adequate for most birders, but
at extra cost we can provide specialist birdwatching
guides with good English to accompany you.
The bird list of 380 species includes Cuvier’s Toucan,
Amazonian Umbrellabird, Rufous-winged Groundcuckoo, Black Curassow, Grey-winged Trumpeter,
White-plumed Antbird and Lined Forest-falcon.
Day 8 B Early air-taxi flight to Puerto Ayacucho, for the
onwards scheduled flight to Caracas.
31
This travel brochure is part of a series prepared by
Geodyssey on selected countries in Latin America
and the Caribbean.
The series so far includes
Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Ecuador & Galápagos
Trinidad & Tobago
For travel and holiday ideas in other countries in
the region please visit
www.geodyssey.co.uk
THE AITO QUALITY CHARTER
AITO is the Association for independent and specialist
holiday companies. Our member companies, usually
owner-managed, strive to create overseas holidays with
high levels of professionalism and a shared concern for
quality and personal service. The Association encourages
the highest standards in all aspects of tour operating.
Exclusive membership
AITO sets criteria regarding ownership, finance and
quality which must be satisfied before new companies
are admitted to membership. All members are required
to adhere to a Code of Business Practice which encourages high operational standards and conduct.
Financial security
An AITO member is required to protect money paid by
customers to the member for any holiday sold under
the AITO logo. This protection applies to customers
who are in the UK at the time of booking or to overseas
customers who have booked directly with the member.
Members have to comply with the UK Government
Regulations in this respect. Members submit details
of their bonding or guarantee arrangements to the
Association on a regular basis.
Accurate brochures and websites
All members do their utmost to ensure that all their
brochures and other publications, print or electronic,
clearly and accurately describe the holidays and services
offered.
ees. Members continually seek to review and improve
their holidays. They listen to their customers and always
welcome suggestions for improving standards.
Monitoring standards
AITO endeavours to monitor quality standards
regularly. All customers should receive a post-holiday
questionnaire the results of which are scrutinised by
the Association.
Responsible tourism
All members acknowledge the importance of AITO’s
Responsible Tourism guidelines, which recognise the
social, economic and environmental responsibilities
of tour operating. Those demonstrating their achievements beyond the pure acceptance of this principle are
recognised by the award of 2 or 3 star status.
Customer relations
All members endeavour to deal swiftly and fairly with
any issues their customers may raise. In the unlikely
event that a dispute between an AITO member and a
customer cannot be settled amicably, AITO’s low-cost
Independent Dispute Settlement Service may be called
upon by either side to bring the matter to a speedy and
acceptable conclusion.
Geodyssey is a member of the Association of Independent Tour Operators. To contact the Association, visit
www.aito.co.uk or call 020 8744 9280.
Professional service and continual
improvements
All members are committed to high standards of service
and believe in regular and thorough training of employThe copyright of all written material, maps and layouts in this brochure is held by Geodyssey Ltd. The copyright
in photographs is either held by Geodyssey Ltd or retained by the photographer. No part of this brochure may be
reproduced, stored, introduced to a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.
Photographs: Phil Farrer, David Forman, Nigel Harcourt-Brown, Gillian Howe, Janet Ludlow, Sarah Meisner, Andrew
Neild, John Raines, Roman Rangel, Kasia Rynkiewicz, John Thirtle, Jason Waine; Andes Tropicales.
GEODYSSEY
L AT I N A M E R I C A A N D T H E C A R I B B E A N
Tel: 020 7281 7788
Fax: 020 7281 7878
www.geodyssey.co.uk
[email protected]
116 Tollington Park, London N4 3RB

Venezuela - Geodyssey

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