The Orinoco Delta, located in the northeast
of the country, is a treasure not only for Venezuela but
for the world. The countless water ways are peppered with
colorful birds,
wonderful mammals, reptiles, fish and plants
of great beauty. This rich ecosystem is where the largest
river in Venezuela, the Orinoco
(The Father of Our Land in the Warao language), meets
the Atlantic Ocean in a 231 miles coastline.
The Orinoco Delta boasts species of great
scientific
and biological importance and here lives the ancestral
culture
of the Warao. Warao means "people of the water"
and represents the second most populous indian group in
Venezuela. Still living off of fishing, hunting, gathering
of wild fruits and the farming
of some products, the Warao are masters of weaving, using
their artistic abilities to transform plants like the
Bora, Mamure, Tirite and Moriche in renownl baskets, bowls,
hammocks, hats and other artisan products part of their
cultural richness.
Wildlife
like the rare Manatee, the River Otter, the River Dolphin
and the Crab-eating Fox; birds like parrots, toucans,
the Scarlet and Blue-and-Yellow Macaws, the Rufous Crab-Hawk
and the Muscovy Duck, reptiles like the Caiman and the
Delta Lizard, and fish like the delicious Lau-Lau, the
Cat Fish and the Coporo form the most characteristic fauna
of the Orinoco Delta. Swamp jungles,
mires, Moriche palms oasis, flooding savannahs and mangroves
are the main kinds of vegetation.
The Delta Amacuro State covers 16,294 square
miles and its capital city is Tucupita. Although mainly
located in the Delta Amacuro State, it also claims small
portions of Monagas, Sucre
and Bolivar states. The Orinoco waters divide in two main
courses. To the north, The Caño Manamo, which ends
in the Gulf of Paria, and to the east, The Rio Grande,
which ends in the Atlantic Ocean. There are not scheduled
flights to this city but we easily access this region
from Maturin in Monagas state or Puerto Ordaz in Bolivar
State.
Our preferred lodges here include the Orinoco
Delta Lodge combined with its wilder, little brother
Simoina
Camp and the Tobe Lodge. All are reached by boat and
offer comfortable accommodations and activities like canoeing,
visits to the indian communities, piranha
fishing and jungle walks
in order to fully experience this region.
Contact
us to include the Orinoco
in a customized itinerary of travel to Venezuela.
