Tailor made holiday in Venezuela
| country: | Venezuela |
| departures: | This trip can be tailor-made and departures can be arranged all year. The sample itinerary below can be modified to your personal wishes including departure date, duration, accommodation used & how long you spend in each destination. |
| price: | From £2750 (14 days) including flights from the UK, private transfers, accommodation and services of an experienced driver/guide. This trip can also be booked without flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Venezuela is a country of incredible natural beauty and contrasts from beach to jungle, mountain to flat plain, Indian culture to wildlife culture all relatively wild and untouched. It is an absolute jewel in South America for nature lovers and those looking for something a little bit different. This itinerary combines the highlights of the wilderness of Venezuela satisfying your thirst for adventure whilst giving you time to relax in idyllic surroundings.
This suggested itinerary avoids Caracas which can be daunting for many a visitor based on reputation. However for those willing to explore, it is a relatively safe city and has some good museums, galleries and a lovely cable car ride into the Avila National Park. Avoiding Caracas you can stay near the airport as your onward flight the next day will be early. First stop is the vast wetlands of Los Llanos. This area of wide skies, slow rivers and plains stretching to every horizon. This is Venezuela's Wild West - a land of hardy llanero cowboys - cattle literally outnumber people here and English is rarely spoken. The llaneros were originally the product of the racial mix of Spanish frontiersmen and local Indians, as well as escaped black slaves. Wildlife here is absolutely prolific and it is completely unique in Latin America.
Next stop is the east of the country which is reached by flying via Caracas and Ciudad Bolivar, birth place of the Latin America Liberator, Simon Bolivar. The small colonial centre is charming for a short stroll and seems a million miles away from some of the other cities of the country. Ciudad Bolivar is the springboard for the Canaima National Park, home to stunning waterfalls, beautiful table-top mountains (Tepuis) and the worlds highest single drop waterfall, the Angel Falls. In Canaima you will be guided by a local Purmon Indian who will take you to the base of the Angel Falls where you will spend a night sleeping in a hammock in one of the remotest parts of the planet.
This suggested itinerary avoids Caracas which can be daunting for many a visitor based on reputation. However for those willing to explore, it is a relatively safe city and has some good museums, galleries and a lovely cable car ride into the Avila National Park. Avoiding Caracas you can stay near the airport as your onward flight the next day will be early. First stop is the vast wetlands of Los Llanos. This area of wide skies, slow rivers and plains stretching to every horizon. This is Venezuela's Wild West - a land of hardy llanero cowboys - cattle literally outnumber people here and English is rarely spoken. The llaneros were originally the product of the racial mix of Spanish frontiersmen and local Indians, as well as escaped black slaves. Wildlife here is absolutely prolific and it is completely unique in Latin America.
Next stop is the east of the country which is reached by flying via Caracas and Ciudad Bolivar, birth place of the Latin America Liberator, Simon Bolivar. The small colonial centre is charming for a short stroll and seems a million miles away from some of the other cities of the country. Ciudad Bolivar is the springboard for the Canaima National Park, home to stunning waterfalls, beautiful table-top mountains (Tepuis) and the worlds highest single drop waterfall, the Angel Falls. In Canaima you will be guided by a local Purmon Indian who will take you to the base of the Angel Falls where you will spend a night sleeping in a hammock in one of the remotest parts of the planet.
best time to travel
An all year round destination although the wet season is the best time to visit (May to November) as the waterfalls of Canaima and Angel are at their most spectacular. The wet season also brings the most prolific wildlife to Los Llanos and the Caribbean coast rarely suffers from rainfall no matter what time of the year it is.day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly from UK to Caracas. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. |
| Day 2: | Los Llanos. Fly to Barinas where you will be met by a member of your Hato who will take you to your accommodation. |
| Day 3-4: | Los Llanos. Wildlife excursions from Hato El Cedral. |
| Day 5: | Ciudad Bolivar via Caracas. Transfer back to Barinas where you will fly to Caracas and then take an onward flight to Puerto Ordaz. Here you will be met and driven to the nearby city of Ciudad Bolivar. |
| Day 6: | Ciudad Bolivar. Free day to explore Ciudad Bolivar. |
| Day 7: | To Canaima. Fly from Ciudad Bolivar to Canaima and transferred to your lodge. In the afternoon you will take a boat ride across the stunning Canaima Lagoon and take a walk behind one of the raging waterfalls crashing into the lagoon. |
| Day 8: | To Angel Falls. This morning you will leave Canaima by motorised canoe to the base of the Angel Falls. You will trek to a Mirador near the base and then return to basecamp for the evening, sleeping in hammocks. |
| Day 9: | To Canaima. Today you will re-trace your steps in the motorised canoe back to Canaima for an overnight stay. |
| Day 10: | Los Roques. Fly from Canaima to Puerto Ordaz and then onto Caracas and Los Roques. |
| Day 11-12: | Relax, sunbathe, snorkel, dive or fish in these beautiful Caribbean Islands. |
| Day 13: | Fly back to Caracas in time for your onward flight home. |
| Day 14: | Arrive in the UK. |
tailor made holidays
This trip can be tailor made to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more individual trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments, with the flexibility to plan a trip at your own pace. Quality and value are the hallmark of these trips, with most services being provided on a private basis.how this holiday makes a difference
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Most animals have been hunted around this area for years. But now, gradually, the local Hatos (cattle ranches) are beginning to protect the animals on their land. One of the pioneers in this has been Hato Cedral, a beautiful working cattle ranch covering over 50,000 hectares of land, 3 hours by road from Barinas. It has been protecting its wildlife for over 25 years and is teeming with huge numbers of animals and birds. So much so, do not be surprised to find iguanas outside your bedroom door, red howler monkeys in the trees above, caimans and crocodiles minding their own business, capybaras munching grass at the poolside as well as the illusive Anaconda!
Excursions are taken with experienced guides by motor boat or safari style truck and wildlife you are likely to see includes capybara, caiman, howler monkeys, anacondas, river dolphins, anteaters, the orinoco crocodile, armadillos, deer, burrowing owls, foxes, iguanas, big cats, turtles, piranha fish and over 300 species of birds. The excellent natural conditions of hydrological systems create a large water reserve that helps to sustain the abundant animal life and vegetation year round. The ranch has become a landmark for international researchers and studiers of the natural sciences and is endorsed by The National Geographic Society. Excursions to the Angel Falls are operated by a local company who employ Purmon Indians as their guides. Many of the Indians have self-taught English and know the area intimately, re-telling ancestral stories of the Angel Falls long before Jimmy Angel crashed his plane and reported them to the rest of the world. |
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