VENEZUELA JUNGLE ADVENTURE: 17+1 Days

Caracas - Rio Caura - Trekking to the Tepuy Roraima (2810 m) - Delta Del Orinoco - San Juan de las Galdonas

DESCRIPTION

This trip is a physically more demanding version of the program Venezuela SE. The main highlight is a six days trekking on Tepuy Roraima, the tallest Tepuy of all Guianas, located at the triple point - boundry , where three nations Venezuela, Guyana and Brasi, meetl. After your arrival to Venezuela, the adventure will start right away by getting us to the wildest part of the tropical forest where we will start discovering the beauty and diversity of the nature as well as culture and customs of the indigenous people that live in this region.

This is a good way to discover the southern part of the country the Caura River, the mystical Gran Sabana, Delta del Orinoco, Indian tribes, river canals and swamps, and at the end of this adventure a bit of the great Caribbean Coast!!

VENEZUELA JUNGLE ADVENTURE
Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: Upon arrival in Caracas airport, we will start our travelling to the southern part of the country. All night drive to the small village of Cabruta, which is located close to the Orinoco River. From Cabruta we will continue our drive to our camp in 'Las Trincheras'.

Day 2: Morning arrival to Cabruta to catch the ferryboat to cross the River Orinoco. We will then go on to the village of Maripa and take the detour to Las Trincheras the place where the camp is located. Then we will continue our boat trip to the island Dufrumi, where we will spend our first night in the jungle.

Day 3: After breakfast we will continue our boat trip on the River Caura surrounded by a tropical forest and mystical nature to reach mountains "Las Montanas Cangrejo", from where we will start a short hike to explore the surrounding. Following the River Caura trip to reach the village "Boca de Nichare" for overnight with Indian tribes.

Day 4: In "Boca de Nichare" we will meet Indian tribe Ye'kuana and get familiar with their customs and rituals. We will visit different plantations and see their methods of cultivations. In the afternoon we will travel by boat again to the region "El Playon", where we will spent the day in the beach to swim, fish and hike to explore the nature around (unique fauna and flora, waterfalls,..). Overnight in the huts in the village.

Day 5: Day to explore the rain forest, do a short hike to reach the waterfall "Salto Para" and to spend the day in the wild, swim in the river, fish and enjoy the in the nature and surrounding beaches.

Day 6: Day to return to the village of Maripa, from where we will follow the road in jeep to go back to Ciudad Bolivar. Arrival in the city and lodgement in a nice posada with pool and mini zoo.

Day 7: In the morning we will drive to the south of the country to the village San Francisco de Yuruani. It is a nice Pemon village located in the heart of Gran Sabana, where we will meet our Indian guide and other members of the group and get prepared for the trekking. Overnight in the village.

Day 8 - 13: Begins our trek to Roraima! In the morning we will go by car to the Indian village "Paraitepuy de Roraima ", which is our starting point for our 4-5 hours trek. We will pass valley of forest, different streams, mainly through grassy savannah for the first two days. We will see tepuy Kukenan and its waterfall, unique fauna, flora and other waterfalls. Daily we will hike 4-6 hours to reach our base camps for overnight. We will have opportunity to refresh in the river, rest in the beautiful nature and next morning follow on. The third day we will pass through the cloud forest and left behind the savannah. This day we will start to climb to reach the top of the table mountain (occasionally we will need to climb and to scramble down and up.). In the afternoon we will arrive in our camp. Before the night, we will still have some time to explore the Tepuy summit that is really mystical, foggy with unique fauna and flora. Forth day we will have a full day to explore the top of the Roraima (window of Kukenan and cliffs, Matawi Tepuy, Valley of Crystals, great stone sculptures, natural labyrinths, reach the triple point where Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil meet, an unique landscapes and see endemic plants and wild life). Fifth day we will return back down through the cloud forest and savannah to reach our base camp, where we will spend our last night in the jungle. And leave early in the morning to continue the trek back to the village Paraitepuy. From there, back to the Pemon village San Francisco de Yuruani for overnight.

Day 14: Drive back to Ciudad Bolivar doing several stops at 'Piedra de la Virgen', Las Claritas and El Dorado. (If the group agrees we can the continue to the Orinoco Delta and visit the village of Piacoa)

Days 15 - 16: After breakfast morning drive to reach Caribbean village San Juan de las Galdonas, where we will spend our last few days to enjoy on a nice sandy beach. You can also explore the fisherman village and do a hike in the nearby hills or just rest.

Day 17: Possibility to prolong your stay or early morning drive to Caracas airport and afternoon flight back home.

Day 18: (+ 1) Morning arrival to Europe.

USEFULL INFORMATION

Tourist Visas: Most visitors coming from EU countries or North America do not require a visa to enter Venezuela for up to 90 days.

Vaccinations: There are not obligatory vaccines required to enter Venezuela, but we normally reccomend the vaccination against yellow fever, tetanus and hepatitis A

Gear: A list with the reccomended gear will be sent to you upon reservation and registration on the trip.

Level of fitness : By now we are sure you noticed that our Venezuela Jungle Adventure tour is not the tipical resort vacation. The only "laying on the beach" days are the last couple, all of the rest is jungle and wild. We will be in contact with many indian cultures which for some could represent some of the old "cultural shock" but that's the point of coming all the way here, isn't it? The Roraima Trek is medium difficult. We will some times also be facing long drives, but, since we do them on our own cars, the whole thing is more flexible so there will be plenty of good memories from the road.

Lodgement: In this expedition we will be most of the time sleeping in camps, in the wild or in indian comunities, which means that at the least, a 50% of the sleeping will be in hammocks. During the Roraima trek we'll sleep in tents and sleeping bags. In cities, in some places of La Gran Sabana and in San Juan de las galdonas we will sleep in posadas. "Posada" is a local expression that reffers to a guesthouse, which is normally constructed in the ruins of an old colonial house, so they have a particular charm and are the local solution to rural lodgement.

Food: Most of the food is included in this trip. Exceptions are: Dinner on the first day, breakfast and lunch in the second day, the meals on the day in Ciudad Bolivar and then while in the coast on the last few days. Venezuelan food is very diverse and always something can be found for almost every taste, vegetarians might have some problems in restaurants but don't worry we have that one fiugured out. Coffee is great and so it is the diversity of fruits and vegetables available. There is also a huge range of fresh and salt water fish, so is for sure that you won't be hungry. Venezuelans are great fans of fresh fruit juice and of very sweet desserts. The main local dish is the pabellon criollo, made out of rice, black beans fried bananas, minced beef and white fresh cheese, and is for sure the best example of venezuelan gastronomical diversity.

Transport: Our main transport is going to be a 4x4 vehicle, which gives us the possibility of reaching very remote areas of this region. Another advantage is that we won't be only enjoying the destinations but also the road, since we have better visibilitiy and can stop basicly wherevere we feel like. Is also important to say that is safer to travel this way.

Safety: You probably haven't heart good things about Venezuela concerning this subject, but we have to tell you that many of the stereotypes are not right. Based on our own experience and the experience of our travelers, we can actually say that Venezuela is a safe travel destination. Most of the people that have been with us in our trips have said that they felt safer than they expected, and that the didn't fell threatened at all. Of course we can't asure that nothing will happen to you, but that of course is a level of certancy you don't get anywhere, not even at home.

DEPARTURES

JulY -AUgust 2006:
29.7.2006 - 14.8.2006 (two places left available!)

PRICE

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BOOK THIS TRIP

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