VENEZUELA WEST: 17+1 Days

Caracas - Maracay - Choroni - Chuao - Coro - Paraguana - Adicora - Merida - Los Nevados - 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 the most important sites in the western 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

VENEZUELA WEST, TRAVEL ITINERARY

Days 1 - 7: Welcome to Venezuela! Are you ready for Caribbean adventure? From Choroni to Coro we will be accompanied by beautiful sandy beaches, cocoa, bananas and coffee plantations, deserts, cactus fields and much more...!

Day 1: Transfer from the airport to our first destination in the Caribbean coast - the village of Choroni. Evening arrival in the village, where accommodation in a 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 excursion to the small village of Chuao, which has been a well-known center of cacao production 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 snorkeling.

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.

Day 5: Start the day by waiting the sunrise in the dunes 'Medanos de Coro'. After the breakfast we will explore the "Peninsula de Paraguana", the largest Venezuelan peninsula. 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, 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 - 9: Los Nevados Trekking: up by jeeps to the village at 2700 and then trekking to the cable car station at 4.075 m, in the heart of The Andes!

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 - 11: Days available in Merida, since the city offers so many opportunities for sports and extreme activities, from easy hikes to the most demanding treks to Venezuela's highest mountains, canyoning, paragliding, rafting and kayaking a two days trip to the southern region of the Maracaibo lake to see the Catatumbo lightning. If you are not up to any of these, don't worry since the coziness of the city won't allow you fell bored. None of this activities are included in the total price of this trip, but they can be arranged on the place for an average price of 50$ per person per day. Of course accommodation and breakfast are included.

Day 12 - 15: Los Llanos wild life safari: Anacondas, capybaras, more than 300 different varieties of species and the beautiful Plains. An exciting tour that offers a variety of Venezuelan wild sights!

Day 12: 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 13: After breakfast we will start the day with 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. We will return to our base to have lunch and to rest. In the afternoon we will continue with the jeep safari, where we will try to search for the animals we didn't get to see earlier.

Day 14: 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. In the afternoon we will continue with the safari - a jeep safari, where we will try to search for the animals we didn't get to see earlier.

Day 15: We will try to see the Llanos low-lying savannas from Llaneros' perspective so we will go on a horseback-riding trip through the beautiful scenery. We will of course be on the lookout for animals. We will return to the camp to have lunch and siesta. In the afternoon we will go piranha fishing, bird watching and seeing beautiful fauna. We will also try to do another safari to search for the animals we couldn't see before. In the evening we will stay in the camp.

Day 16: Possibility to prolong your stay or we'll continue to Barinas were we are going to catch a night bus and then go to Caracas. From there, transfer to the airport.

Day 17: Arrival at Caracas airport for your flight back home.

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

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, 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


PRICE

info@araguato.org

BOOK THIS TRIP

info@araguato.org