Venezuela horse riding & trekking holiday
| country: | Venezuela |
| trip type: | Strenuous walking holidays |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary |
| price: | From US $550 (on foot) - US $700 (with horse/mule) (11 days) excluding flights. Price includes accommodation, 3 meals a day and local guide |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Explore the imposing world of the tropical environment of Venezuela.
See the magnificent scenery of majestic mountain jungles, forest coffee plantations, extensive páramos, or high plateaus.
An 11-day ecological excursion through the main tropical mountain environments and natural and cultural ecosystems in Venezuela, which are interwoven with beautiful and uniquely diverse scenery: from the bright open páramos, to the cloud forests and on to the intervened forests of the piedmont.
You will also learn about the main uses of the land, potato-growing in the páramos and coffee plantations in the cloud forests.
Leaving from Santa María de Canaguá in the piedmont at the south of the Andes, you will ascend through rainy tropical montane cloud forests, coffee plantations and areas intervened by agriculture until you reach the summits of the high Andean belt (about 14,400 ft elevation) in the midst of beautiful glacial landscapes and giant frailejón plants.
Highlights include:Tour of the Andes hiking or on horseback 2 National Parks visited 5 tropical ecosystems explored 9 farming villages benefited by the visit
This excursion requires good physical abilities. Because of the characteristics of the trip (on horseback, climate changes, altitude, etc.), excellent physical condition is recommended. The saddles used for the horses and mules are very reliable and comfortable. Assistance from the local guides guarantees greater safety and comfort. No previous horseback riding experience is required, and the trip is suitable for persons age 12 and over.
See the magnificent scenery of majestic mountain jungles, forest coffee plantations, extensive páramos, or high plateaus.
An 11-day ecological excursion through the main tropical mountain environments and natural and cultural ecosystems in Venezuela, which are interwoven with beautiful and uniquely diverse scenery: from the bright open páramos, to the cloud forests and on to the intervened forests of the piedmont.
You will also learn about the main uses of the land, potato-growing in the páramos and coffee plantations in the cloud forests.
Leaving from Santa María de Canaguá in the piedmont at the south of the Andes, you will ascend through rainy tropical montane cloud forests, coffee plantations and areas intervened by agriculture until you reach the summits of the high Andean belt (about 14,400 ft elevation) in the midst of beautiful glacial landscapes and giant frailejón plants.
Highlights include:
This excursion requires good physical abilities. Because of the characteristics of the trip (on horseback, climate changes, altitude, etc.), excellent physical condition is recommended. The saddles used for the horses and mules are very reliable and comfortable. Assistance from the local guides guarantees greater safety and comfort. No previous horseback riding experience is required, and the trip is suitable for persons age 12 and over.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Santa María de Canagua. Arrival to Santa María de Canaguá. Dinner and lodging at Mucuposada Los Samanes. |
| Day 2: | Santa María de Canaguá - San José. Go up through the forest coffee plantations (2,000 to 4,600 ft). Breakfast. Hike or climb by horse or mule from Santa María de Canaguá to the foot of the Mérida Cordillera (Sierra Nevada) through croplands, pasturelands and jungle to San José (4,600 ft), passing through traditional shaded coffee plantations in the midst of Andean cloud forests. Arrival in San José. Dinner and lodging at a Mucuposada. |
| Day 3: | San José - El Carrizal. Hike through pristine jungles (4,600 to 5,000 ft). Breakfast and then continue on horseback through beautiful mountain jungles. Arrival at El Carrizal hamlet. Lunch and enjoy the natural swimming pools for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner and lodging at a Mucuposada. |
| Day 4: | El Carrizal - Los Morritos. From pristine jungles to the bright páramos (5,000 to 10,800 ft). Breakfast. Continue the ascent through Sierra Nevada National Park from exuberant mountain jungles (arborescent ferns, bamboo). Cross over hanging bridges and reach Los Colorados páramo. Camp and dine at Los Morritos. |
| Day 5: | Los Morritos - Gavidia. Tour through the páramos (10,800 to 11,000 ft). Breakfast. Tour through Gavidia páramos in the midst of shrubs and frailejón plants (unique plants adapted to high altitudes) with beautifully coloured flowers that bloom during the rainy season. Before reaching Gavidia is the highest point on this tour – Micarache Heights (11,940 ft) and the beautiful scenery of Llano del Trigo (Wheat Plain). Lunch, dinner and lodging at Mucuposada Michicabá. |
| Day 6: | Gavidia - La Toma. Breakfast at Mucuposada Michicabá. Transfer in 4X4 vehicle to Mucuchíes. Visit of the small Andean town. Transfer in 4X4 vehicle to La Toma Alta. Dinner and lodging at Agüita Azul Mucuposada. Cold páramo climate. |
| Day 7: | La Toma - Barro Negro. In the páramo landscapes (11,500 to 14,410 ft). Breakfast. Ascent from the páramo farming area, surrounded by frailejón plants and shrublands, to the highest part of the páramo, where we will find mysterious lakes and spectacular giant frailejón plants more than 6 feet high. Dinner and camp at Barro Negro. Very cold high Andean páramo climate, very cold nights. |
| Day 8: | Barro Negro - El Oso. Páramo-Cloud Forest Ecotone (14,410 to 10,450 ft). Breakfast. Continue our trek or horseback ride until reaching the highest point of the trip (14,708 ft) at Tucaní Heights. Way down into the Tucaní River basin. The waters of this basin descend directly to Lake Maracaibo. Lunch. You will then enter the transition area between the cloud forests and the páramo. Dinner while camping at the place known as El Oso (The Bear). Cool mountain climate. |
| Day 9: | El Oso - Los Curos. In the midst of the cloud forest (10,450 to 5,360 ft). Breakfast. On this part of the trip, you will descend some 5,000 ft through the cloud forest following the course of the Tucaní River. You will go through exuberant tropical montane forests which have hardly been intervened by man. Lunch. This will be the longest part of the trip. Night arrival at Los Curos. Dinner and lodging in a Mucuposada. Temperate climate, cool nights, rainy during the rainy season. |
| Day 10: | Los Curos - El Mesón. Intervened forests and plantations (5,360 to 4,400 ft). Breakfast. Then go through parts of the cloud forest intervened by man. Here, the shaded coffee agro-ecosystems have partially replaced the forests. Lunch on the way. Dinner and lodging at the Mucuposada en El Mesón. Temperate climate, cool nights. |
| Day 11: | El Mesón - Mesa Julia. Piedmont under use (4,400 to 2,230 ft). This is the most intervened area in the Mérida Cordillera, where deforestation and burning have created space for farming and pastureland. Descent through beautiful shaded coffee plantations, plantain groves, crops and pasturelands interspersed with small patches of forests, especially along the creeks. Lunch. Dinner and lodging at Mesa Julia Mucuposada. Warm, rainy climate during the rainy season (May October). |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
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Our community-based tourism program aims at conservation, which is the final objective of the project. The families involved in the program used to earn their income exclusively from agriculture and livestock. As an alternative income for these people, the tourism business has reduced the pressure on the agriculture frontier. On the other hand, community people now see the preserved areas with new eyes and understand the importance to protect them to assure the continuity of the tourism activities. The tourism activities are designed exclusively for small groups up to 8 people and have only a reduced environmental impact.
The project provides additional income to local families and as such is a development lever, not only for themselves, but also for their social environment. We could also observe a dynamization of the communities involved, as well as a better representation and participation of the communities in the civic and political institutions.  A big part (80 to 100%) of the economic contribution of the tourists fall directly into the community. The inns are small enterprises managed by local families who own the house and the land. All the guides are from the local community and the guides own their animals. We have designed a training plan which is directed at the guides, innkeepers, members of the cooperative, etc., which consists of various workshops or courses. The local guides receive special training in first aid, nature interpretation, tourism and nature tourism, responsibilities, etc. Through the direct contact with the innkeepers and the guides, the tourists become conscious of the main problems of the community and the conservation issues, and can eventually help.  This holiday is part of the responsibletravel.com and Conservation International Community Based Tourism Programme to support and promote community based tourism ventures that offer significant conservation and development benefits to local communities. To see other community based tourism holidays and find out more about the programme click here. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |