A Sample of
the Venezuelan Andes, Canaima, Angel Falls & Los Roques
Archepelago
13 days /12 nights
From $3,944 per person double
occupancy in 2008
Includes domestic airfare
in Venezuela, accommodations, guided excursions, transportation
and meals as specified.
Day 1: Caracas
Welcome to Venezuela! Airport reception and transfer to
your hotel. Overnight accommodations at the Hotel
Olé Caribe. The hotel is located some 25 minutes
from the airport in the oceanside town of Macuto. It is
equivalent to a U.S. four-star property; all rooms are
simply decorated with ocean views. The hotel has a pool,
restaurant and workout facilities.
Day 2: Caracas
– Canaima
Hotel pickup and transfer to the airport for your flight
to Canaima. Upon arrival, pay National Park fee, before
proceeding to Ucaima
Camp, a small lodge located on the banks of the Carrao
River, above Hacha Falls with views of three tepuis and
the Auyantepui in the distance. Your transfer to the lodge
involves a five-minute jeep ride, followed by a five-minute
dugout canoe ride to the lodge. Ucaima Camp offers tranquility
and personalized service. Accommodations are in comfortable
cabanas with private bathrooms.
The grassy area in front of the lodge is
a perfect place to sit back and enjoy the unique backdrop
of Canaima National Park, and Canaima lagoon's cool, dark
but clear water offers refreshing respite from the Gran
Sabana's mid-day heat.
In the afternoon, set off on an excursion
to Sapo Falls. Setting off in a motorized dugout canoe
up the Carrao River to the Sabana (plain) de Mayupa, you
will enjoy a short hike to Sapo and Sapito Falls. Depending
on water levels, the rocky trail actually follows behind
the powerful falls.
Return to the Lodge for dinner. (L,D)
Day 3: Angel Falls
After coffee and a light snack, board a motorized dugout
canoe (curiara) and set off up the Carrao River, which
is lined by luxuriant vegetation.
After another short jeep trip around Mayupa
rapids, continue up river, stopping to view the spectacular
scenery of the "Lost World." Giant tepuis loom
over the savannah and jungle below and countless waterfalls
gracefully descend the face of Auyan-tepui.
The journey continues passing by Arautaima
rapids, Pozo de la Felicidad and Orchid Island. Upon arrival
at Orchid Island, breakfast will be served. Afterward,
continue upriver, leaving the Carrao River behind, and
proceeding up the Churun River. After about one hour,
you will reach Ratoncito Island, from where you can observe
Angel Falls.
From Ratoncito Island, a one hour hike
leads to El Mirador, a lookout point offering superb views
and photographic opportunities (weather permitting) to
capture the massive rocky face of Auyan-tepui and "Salto
Angel" in the warm morning sun. The rest of your
day will be spent exploring this "Lost World"
on your own. Your overnight accommodations are in a rustic
shelter close to Ratoncito Island. (B,L,D)
Day 4: Angel Falls
- Ucaima Camp
After another full morning enjoying Angel Falls, return
downriver to Ucaima Camp in time for dinner. (B,L,D)
Day 5: Canaima
- Caracas - Merida
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Caracas. Connect
with a flight to the Andean capital of Merida, a historic
colonial town. Visit Plaza Bolivar, the cathedral, museums
and a 150–year-old coffee plantation. Finish the
day at an overlook of the Chama River valley where paragliders
soar 1,000 meters above the canyon. Overnight at the comfortable
accommodations at Papa
don Miguel Andean guesthouse. All meals included.
(B,L,D)
Day 6: Andes
Explore the region with an optional ride on the world's
longest and highest aerial cable car. From the top, you’ll
see snowcapped mountains, glaciers, and fields of sugar
cane and coffee. Visit Eagle Pass, the highest paved road
in Venezuela at 4,047 meters and a biological research
station to see the Andean Condor, one of the world's largest
birds with a wingspan of more than three meters. Overnight
at Hacienda
del Carmen. (B,L,D)
In the morning set off on a flight to Canaima,
flying over the massive tepuis into the remote south of
Venezuela. After a short dugout canoe ride up the Carroa
River, you’ll find Ucaima
Camp, ideally situated on the banks of the river,
above Hacha Falls with views of three tepuis and the giant
Auyantepui in the distance. Here you’ll find abundant
wildlife including jaguars, monkeys, toucans, fisher eagles
and royal herons. Accommodations are in comfortable cabanas
with private bathrooms. All meals included. (B,L,D)
Day 7: Andes
Make an early morning start to discover the tiny town
of Mucuchies, which was founded in 1596 by the Spanish
on the site of the pre-Hispanic Chama Indian tribe. Browse
colorful Andean arts & crafts at the roadside stall.
There is opportunity for light trekking and horseback
riding to glacier lakes. Overnight at Los
Balcones de la Musui, a world-class mountain lodge
with a spectacular view of the Sierra Nevada mountain
range and nearby hot springs. (B,L,D)
Day 8: Andes
Today you’ll visit Laguna Mucubají, one of
the largest of over 200 glacier lakes in the state of
Mérida. Trek or horseback ride to Laguna Negra
and observing the incredible variety of mountain flowers.
Keep an eye out for the world’s only high altitude
hummingbird, the bearded helmetcrest and for the Andean
Condor, one of the world’s largest birds with a
wingspan of more than 3 meters. Overnight at Estancia
La Mucunuy, a restored colonial hacienda that has
recently won an international architectural award. (B,L,D)
Day 9: Merida -
Caracas – Los Roques
Transfer to the Merida Airport for your flight to Caracas.
Connect with a flight to Los Roques, an archipelago of
over 365 islands 60 miles off the north coast of Venezuela.
The warm, azure waters are home to healthy coral reefs
teeming with sting rays, grouper, angelfish, whitespotted
filefish, barracuda, and moray eels that are as of yet
undiscovered by most divers and fisherman.
We can arrange diving and instruction at
the local dive shop for a variety of skill levels. Designated
a National Park, all sites in the archipelago are limited
to 10 divers, so you get the intimate feeling of diving
in untamed, untouched waters. Most often, you will be
the only divers in any given area. Visibility varies,
but can reach 100 feet. At the coral-laden wall at Cayo
Sal, you can take a break inside a cavern at 100 feet
and watch as tens of thousands of fish swim by castles
of hard coral and tall, swaying bushes of soft corals.
Snorkelers will find an underwater paradise
as well. The clarity of the water allows you to see schools
of fish and coral reefs while staying near the water’s
surface. Or you may opt for the complimentary boattrip
to a nearby deserted key with nothing more that a cooler,
lunch, and umbrella.
Fisherman will find Los Roques to be a
heaven for flats fishing. Bonefish are abundant yearround,
and tarpon and permit also easily caught in these waters.
There is a first class windsurf club located on adjacent
Francisky key. They rent a variety of equipment for excursions
ranging from one hour to a full day of windsurfing. Private
instruction for beginners is also available. From the
resort you may spend the day exploring the surrounding
islands via windsurfer.
Accommodations are at a simple guesthouse
(Posada
Mediterraneo, or similar) in comfortable rooms
with private bathrooms and ceiling fans. All meals are
included in your stay, and optional excursions can be
easily arranged through the guesthouse. (B,L,D)
Days 10, 11: Los
Roques
From the guesthouse you may also arrange a full-day boat
tour to visit Dos Mosquices Biological Station, located
on one of the farther keys from Gran Roque. At Dos Mosquices
visit to the biological station escorted by a guide, who
will provide you with a tour of the marine turtle hatchery.
For those who want to stay on dry land, Gran Roque's lighthouse,
the oldest on the Venezuelan coast, is recommended for
a late afternoon visit as a great spot to enjoy the sunset.
(B,L,D)
Day 12: Los Roques – Caracas
Return to Caracas and connect for your departing flight.
(B)
Contact
us for a customized itinerary
of travel to Venezuela.
