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Venezuela's national parks encompass the waterways
of the Orinoco, the plateau of the Gran Sabana, the white beaches
of the Caribbean,
the snow-capped Andes and the jungles of the Amazon basin. A lush
destination with unlimited scope for adventure.
 In
the wake of Christopher Columbus and Walter Ralegh on his search
for El Dorado, we took a boat up the Orinoco river. At sunset, the
wide dark waters are tinged with pink and parrots wing their way
home above a wall of green jungle. Home to the Warao Indians, the
river is their highway and the canoe their only mode of transport.
At our jungle camp there was plenty of wildlife
activity. A magnificent puma, brought in as baby by the Indians,
paced the length of its enclosure. In the rafters of the dining
room an ocelot and a racoon played together, while a family of otters
honked noisily for scraps at our table. We also saw electric-blue
morph butterflies, with wings as large as your hand, noisy families
of red howler monkeys and the part-reptile guacharacca bird, a hang-over
from pre-historic times.
The country's major tourist attraction, Angel Falls,
lies in the region of the Gran Sabana, in Canaima National Park
- managed by the indigenous Pemón Indians. The spectacular landscape
includes thick jungle, open grassland, great rivers and breathtaking
waterfalls. Here stand the Tepuis, the flat-topped mountains of
Conan Doyle's, Lost World. Hailed as the oldest rock formations
in the world they are some two billion years old and pre-historic
species still exist on their summits. Sacred to the Indians, the
mountains are 'guardians of the savannah', dwelling-place of spirits
and it has been suggested that they form a solar observatory, like
Stonehenge.
 At
nearby Canaima, which means poltergeist, there are seven waterfalls.
People used not to go near them for fear the spirits would get them.
We went very near - walking behind the width of the great El Sapo
waterfall. As tons of water smashed past, we edged along the rocky
path gasping through the flying, choking spray. On the other side,
filled with an overwhelming sense of exhilaration, I plunged into
a still pool. Not only had our guide extolled the iron-rich waters
as a useful antidote to wrinkles, she had also kept repeating 'I
get my power from the waterfall'. As we climbed to the summit and
contemplated the sacred mountain beyond. I felt on top of the world.
Was this El Dorado from Children from the Stars, The Observer 5
November 2000 click here for full article
Positives
Few tourists, spectacular scenery
Negatives
Poor infrastructure, poor telephone communications. Be prepared
for long 4x4 drives unless flying everywhere. Caracas is reputed
to be dangerous for tourists. Avoid the barrios and driving at night.
The island of Margarita is very touristic.
Activities
Adventure Travel, Trekking, Sailing
Best time to travel
All year round. Temperature varies with altitude from 0-34 degrees
Clothing
Light, informal, non-synthetic. Rainwear with hood. Sweater for
higher altitudes. Light boots for walking. Jungle Camps provide
wellington boots for jungle walks.
Take Mosquito repellents. Extra potent jungle recipe: 1/2 baby oil,
1/2 repellent, 1 cap B12 liquid, shake and apply.
Food
Drink mineral water, local coffee, rum and beer, every kind of fruit
juice, green coconut. Eat fish, lobster, prawns, fruits and vegetables,
local cheeses. National Dish is shredded beef with black beans,
fried plantain and rice, topped with grated cheese.
Shopping
Indian hammocks, baskets. Coffee, rum, gold & semi-precious jewellery,
latin music.
Children of the Stars by Angela Clarence The
Observer 5 November 2000
Walking the soft white beaches of Los Roques it is rare to see another
human being. There are empty conch shells, coral sculptures, scuttling
hermit crabs, shiny lizards and long-legged sandpipers. One day
a watching heron. Another a fluffy white chick sitting in its nest
amidst the green sea-purslane. When I took to the warm turquoise
waters, jumping jacks flopped in the shallows; frigate birds with
sharply angled wings floated above; curious terns looked me in the
eye; and pelicans dive-bombed for breakfast. Below the surface,
designer fish played hide and seek in the corals: angelfish, butterflyfish,
parrotfish, blueheads, snappers, baby damsels and a fleeing turtle,
to mention but a few.
Los Roques is a coral archipelago 150 km off
the coast of Venezuela consisting of 42 small islands surrounding
a huge lagoon. Here, in this paradisical playground, hurricanes
hardly happen. The days are hot and the nights are cool. The trade
winds permanently blow in a North Easterly - South Westerly direction
and the rainy season only produces the odd squall. Venezuelans visit
at weekends to snorkel, scuba dive and watch the sunset, returning
to Gran Roque, the only inhabited island, for dinner and a comfortable
night in one of the many delightful posadas. The area is a strictly
regulated national park with half the lagoon off limits to conserve
the coral and sea grass beds. Visiting yachts are granted a fifteen
day stay, time enough to savour the islands, soak up the sun and
prepare for the rigours of the mainland.
Following in the wake of Christopher Columbus and
Walter Ralegh on his search for El Dorado, we took a boat up the
Orinoco river. Our guides encouraged us to take a dip in the river
at sunset. It looked inviting -- the wide dark waters tinged with
pink, parrots winging their way home above a wall of green jungle.
A young Belgian couple took the plunge. But are there crocodiles?
And piranha fish? Yes. Although we never saw any. We did, however,
see electric-blue morph butterflies, with wings as large as your
hand, noisy families of red howler monkeys and the part-reptile
guacharacca bird, a hang-over from pre-historic times.
There was also plenty of wildlife activity at the
jungle camp. A magnificent puma, brought in as baby by the Indians,
paced the length of its enclosure. In the rafters of the dining
room an ocelot and a racoon played together while a family of otters
honked noisily for scraps at our table. A huge tarantula sitting
on an adjacent banana plant caused a stir. The young Belgian took
it on the back of his hand, unfortunately his mosquito repellent
irritated the spider which slowly 'hunched up', ready to deliver
its poison. It was gently coaxed back to its leaf. On retiring,
keeping images of the tarantula at bay, I concentrated on counting
the flashing fireflies outside my room. I kept my shoes and socks
on, just in case and the night passed peacefully. In the morning
a black object whizzed past my ear and stuck on the shower room
wall. It was a flying frog (usually found in the toilet bowl).
I skipped my shower....
The Orinoco delta is home to the Warao Indians.
The river is their highway and the canoe their only mode of transport.
Made from a single tree, the hollowed out trunk is heated over fire
which causes it to unfurl like a flower and seals the wood at the
same time. A father crafts a canoe for his child before it can walk
and when a member of the family dies he or she is placed in a canoe
covered with flowers and carried far into the jungle. The family
then moves to another part of the river and builds a new house to
avoid the spirit of death. The Warao believe they came from the
stars and that God has brought them to the Orinoco Delta, to paradise,
where the Mareche, the 'tree of life', grow in abundance. The Mareche
produces an orange fruit which, when softened for several days,
makes a palatable juice -- or wine, if fermented. The young tree
yields a string from which make hammocks and baskets are made. When
the tree rots, it is home to a large, yellow grub, an excellent
source of protein - eaten live. I was offered a chance to try this
wriggling delicacy -- I just wasn't hungry... For the most part
the Warao still live in the old way, at one with the jungle in their
riverside houses on stilts -- the dwellings that caused Columbus
to christen the country Little Venice --Venezuela.
 The
country's major tourist attraction, Angel Falls, lies in the region
of the Gran Sabana, in Canaima National Park -- managed by the indigenous
Pemón Indians. The spectacular landscape includes thick jungle,
open grassland, great rivers and breathtaking waterfalls. Here stand
the Tepuis, the flat-topped mountains of Conan Doyle's, Lost World.
Hailed as the oldest rock formations in the world they are some
two billion years old and pre-historic species still exist on their
summits. Sacred to the Indians, the mountains are 'guardians of
the savannah', dwelling-place of spirits and it has been suggested
that they form a solar observatory, like Stonehenge. Unsurprisingly,
there are more sightings of UFO's in this area than anywhere else
on the globe.
As we flew up the Devil's Canyon toward Angel Falls
I pointed at a pair of Tepuis known as the Sun and Moon. This gesture
was a mistake - apparently it angers the Gods, who can bring bad
weather. But they seemingly forgave my ignorance, for the clouds
parted and the sun came out illuminating the highest falls in the
world.
At nearby Canaima, which means poltergeist, there
are seven waterfalls. People used not to go near them for fear the
spirits would get them. We went very near -- walking behind the
width of the great El Sapo waterfall. As tons of water smashed past,
we edged along the rocky path gasping through the flying, choking
spray. On the other side, filled with an overwhelming sense of exhilaration,
I plunged into a still pool. Not only had our guide extolled the
iron-rich waters as a useful antidote to wrinkles, she had also
kept repeating 'I get my power from the waterfall'. As we climbed
to the summit and contemplated the sacred Tepui beyond, I felt the
power of the waterfall. I felt on top of the world. Was this my
El Dorado?
Venezuela's national parks encompass the snow-capped
Andes, the white beaches of the Caribbean, the waterways of the
Orinoco, the plateau of the Gran Sabana and the jungles of the Amazon
basin. A lush destination with unlimited scope for adventure. A
veritable El Dorado.
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