VENEZUELA Around!: 21+1 Days

Caracas - Maracay - Choroni - Chuao - Coro - Adicora - Merida - Los Nevados - Sierra Nevada National Park - Barinas - Los Llanos - Ciudad Bolivar - Canaima - Santa Fe - Mochima National Park - Caracas.

DESCRIPTION

An adventure to discover the diversity of Venezuelan nature, wildlife, culture, customs and people. This tour covers a great part of the country, where we will feel the Caribbean atmosphere and villages, visit sand dunes, go trekking in the Andes, get familiar with the city life and culture, safari in the Llanos flats, seeing all the beauty that nature can offer in just one country, and much more.

Highlights included: Chuao Tour, Paraguana Tour, Medanos de Coro - sand dunes, Trekking in the Andes, Los Llanos Safari, Canaima Tour

A good way to discover Venezuela and see most of its beauty in such a short period of time. Discover Venezuela's Caribbean life, City life, Nature and geographical contrasts, Wild life, Trekking in Andes and Angel Falls.plenty diversity in just one country!

Venezuela Around Travel Itinerary Day to Day

Day 1: Upon arrival at Caracas Airport we will be driven to our first destination in the Caribbean coast - the village of Choroni. Evening arrival in the village, where we will be settle in our posada.

Day 2: We will start our tour by enjoying the tropical beauty of long palm fringed sandy beaches and the beat of African soul of this fishing village. All day to enjoy on the Caribbean Coast - on >Playa Grande<, one of the most beautiful sandy beaches in Venezuela and to discover surrounding villages.

Day 3: In the morning we will enjoy an included excursion to the small village of Chuao, which has been a well-known centre of cacao plantations since the 17th century. We will do this by boat since is the only possible access. A short trek to the village, to visit the cocoa and bananas plantations and the old colonial village. In the afternoon we will be discovering the beautiful sea fauna by snorkelling.

Day 4: Is time to leave Choroni in the morning going after the Northwest part of the country. Today we'll have a really adventurous ride through the Henri Pittier National Park and then heading towards the colonial city of Coro. If we are lucky we might see monkeys, birds and other. Coro was one of the earliest towns on the South American continent and was declared as heritage of the humanity by UNESCO. We will arrive in the evening and be accommodated in a nice colonial posada.

Day 5: Start the day by waiting the sunrise in the dunes 'Medanos de Coro'. After the breakfast we will embark on a full day excursion to explore the "Peninsula de Paraguana", the largest Venezuelan peninsula. We will be heading to the most Northern point in Venezuela. This Peninsula offers a variety of attractions and we will be seeing the lowland vegetation and sandy beaches. If agreed we could do a short trek to the "Cerro de Santa Ana", the highest point with the view of the whole peninsula. Continue to Adicora, a small town to enjoy in the beach and get rested. In the afternoon we will visit the salt mines, field of cactus trees and with a little bit of luck we could see Flamingos as well.

Day 6: Day off to explore the colonial city on your own. Coro is a beautiful colonial town with rich culture and nice atmosphere. In the evening we will take an overnight drive to Merida.

Day 7: Morning arrival in Merida. Merida has unhurried, friendly atmosphere and it is located in the heart of the Venezuelan Andes. You will have all day to explore the heart of the city, seeing the old part and enjoying shopping in the colourful local market. Stalls selling tropical fruits, vegetables, spices, iced drinks, juices and of course black coffee, a great selection of local craft and different souvenirs - we are sure you will find this place irresistible! Another popular activity in town is paragliding and those with a little bit of an adventurous spirit can choose to go on a tandem flight (additional payment) there is a lot more of extreme activities available in this city such as climbing, canynonig, bungee jumping, downhill mountain biking, etc.

Day 8: Start an adventurous and spectacular ride to the village of Los Nevados, located at an altitude of about 2700 m. Lodgement in a posada, where we will stay overnight.

Day 9: In the morning we will start a trek and enjoy the very best of the mountain area and beautiful nature. We will walk approx. 5 hours to reach the altitude of 4113 m then, we will take a cable car to reach the city again (the Merida's cable car is known as the longest in the World!). In the evening, we will do the Rumba tour and enjoy the nightlife that Merida offers.

Day 10: Day off in Merida which can be use to carry out any of the available activities in the city, explore the city further, shopping or just to relax.

Day 11: Leaving Merida in morning hours for an exciting wild life safari in Los Llanos. An interesting drive will start with views of Northern part of a National park Sierra Nevada, following the road through the Andes at an altitude of about 3.500 m. We will arrive to the camp in late evening. Accommodation in a hut with hammocks and mosquito nets.

Day 12: After the breakfast we will start the day with a boat safari. We will be heading deeper into the wilderness of this area. We will start the adventure with a canoe boat and with a little bit of luck we will be seeing birds, Turtles, Alligators, Capybaras, sweet water-Dolphins, and more... We will return to our base camp to have lunch and to rest. Later we'll go on a jeep safari. We will be on the lookout for animals and with a little bit of luck we will be seeing lots of wildlife, birds (more then 350 bird species have been recorded to leave in this region), Anacondas, Turtles, sweet water Dolphins, Piranhas, Caymans, Anteater, Red Howler Moneys, Capybaras.

Day 13: We will try to see the Llanos low-lying savannas from Llaneros' perspective so we will go on a horseback-riding trip though the beautiful scenery. We will of course be on the lookout for animals. In the afternoon we will do another safari to search for the animals we couldn't see before. In the evening we will stay in the camp.

Day 14: We say goodbye to the Llanos and head to Ciudad Bolivar to see the famous Angel Falls or, depending on the weather conditions. A full day drive through the spectacular Llanos region and wonderful Plains. We will cross the famous Orinoco River, the longest in Venezuela and will arrive to Ciudad Bolivar in the late afternoon, where you will be placed in a nice posada.

Day 15: You will take a morning flight to Canaima, where you will meet your guide and board a boat to reach the inner part of the national park. You will be based in the camp in the middle of the rain forest in the Ahonda canyon. You will spend the evening in the camp surrounded by beautiful nature.

Day 16: After the breakfast you will take a ride by boat on the Carrao River, and afterwards you will do a short trek in the middle of the rain forest (approx. 1 hour) to see the great Angel Falls. Lunch will be provided in the middle of the trip and afterwards you will be returning to the base where you will spend the night.

Day 17: Start the day with the breakfast; hit the road by boat again, take the last wild swim in the middle of the rainforest in the so-called >happiness pool< and then head back to fly back to Ciudad Bolivar.

Day 18 - 20: Leaving C. Bolivar in the morning to reach Mochima national park. Midday arrival in Santa Fe and get accommodated in nice posada. A couple of days to relax and to enjoy the Caribbean beat. Optional excursion by fisherman boat to visit islands in the Mochima national park, snorkelling and fishing.

Day 21: Early morning drive to Caracas airport, return flight back home.

Day 22: (+1) Arrival to Europe in the morning hours.

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 Around tour is not the tipical resort vacation. There is a 50-50 combination of leisure at nice Caribbean towns, and treks in the andes and remote areas of Los Los Llanos and in the Angel Fall areas. So we can say that this trip is for everyone wishing an organized adventure with the right amount of everything what a backpacking trip requires.

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. In cities Such as Coro, Choroni, Merida, Ciudad Bolivar and Santa Fe 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 represen

Food: 50% of the food is included in the trip. 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 fan 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: 50% of the trasnportationt is going to be a 4x4 vehicle, which gives us the possibility of reaching very remote areas. 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. The other half, for the longer distances we'll used confortable "buscamas"

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

16.4.2006 - 7.5.2006 (Full)
15.09. 2006 - 05.10.2006 (Still Available)
14.10.2006 - 03.11.2006 (two places available)
17.12.2006 - 06.01.2007 (Still available) (Booking at the least two months becasue of the season)

PRICE

info@araguato.org

For all bookings made before june 30th we offer a 5% discount!

BOOK THIS TRIP

info@araguato.org

++ www.araguato.org | info@araguato.org