Cultural Discovery Tour In Venezuela

Arrive Caracas and check-in at hotel.

Overnight Hotel (Standard)

From Caracas we fly to Puerto Ordaz and from there take a small charter flight to Kavac. Our flight takes us over the vast bulk of Auyantepui (the Devil’s Mountain) and, weather permitting, there is the option to take an overflight of Angel Falls. In the afternoon we’ll visit Kavak canyon. This is our first foray into the breathtaking wilderness that this country offers and after a short walk for through the jungle it’s possible to swim through the canyon which is just 1.5m wide but over 30m high and 100m long. The canyon ends at a wonderful waterfall and there is another to see on the walk back.

Overnight Jungle Hut (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

For the next four days we make our way round the imposing flat-topped bulk of Auyan- Tepui by river – a journey relatively few people have experienced. Our skilled Indian boatmen guide their 10m craft through the rapids and whirlpools of the river, whilst all around is virgin forest where brightly plumed birds break the eerie silence with their strident calls. During our river journey we stay in spartan accommodation, sleeping in hammocks with mosquito nets, so be prepared to rough it a bit – the experience is well worth it.

Overnight Jungle Shelter (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today, we continue down the Akanan River to the confluence with the Carrao River and to our camp at Arenal which is not far from the junction with the Churun River and the Angel Falls themselves. Depending on how long today’s journey takes – subject to water levels of the river – there are plenty of opportunities to either swim or go for walks in the jungle around the camp.

Overnight Jungle Shelter (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our tour operates in the wet season, which means there is usually enough water to make it possible to reach a point from which we can hike to the base of the Angel Falls (2 hours, optional). Discovered only in 1933 by the pilot-adventurer Jimmy Angel who was searching for gold, the falls are a spectacle of extraordinary beauty as they leap some 975m off the top of the mesa and plunge to the foot of the gorge. The plummeting water vapourises in mid-air forming a glistening white spray that collects in a pool below. This breath-taking cataract is one of the most amazing sights on the American continent.

Overnight Jungle Shelter (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

On our final day on the river, we continue to Canaima. Canaima is located on a wide stretch of the Carrao river known as Canaima Lagoon. Facing us is the beautiful sweep of the Hacha Falls which continuously pour amber-tinted water (from the tannin leached from the rainforest) into the lagoon. With the backdrop of distant and mysterious tepuis and a foreground of a sandy beach and palm trees, this will certainly be a highlight of our river adventure. On arrival there is a chance to visit Salto el Sapo nearby. At this waterfall it may be possible to walk behind the curtain of falling water as it tumbles into the lagoon.

Overnight Camping (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today we fly to the riverside mining supply town of La Paragua and begin our expedition to visit the Shirian Indians and explore the upper reaches of the Paragua river as far as the little-known Ichun Falls. On arrival in La Paragua we’ll board our motorised canoes and continue our journey travelling upstream to the Island of Uraima. Depending on the time we may stop in the mining settlement of Casabe to see an extraordinary set of rock carvings and see how the miners work under water at 40m depth. In Uraima we shall overnight in hammocks in huts built for Payara fishermen. Here we can visit thunderous rapids with its 40m diameter whirlpool.

Overnight Camping (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Surrounded on all sides by tropical jungle a journey on the Paragua river is a sensory explosion and today is marked by numerous rapids and at times we will have to get out of our canoes and walk around while our Indian guides portage the cargo and boats over the rocks. The journey is expected to take between 8-9 hours so be prepared for a long, physical day. Leaving the last traces of modern civilisation behind us, we head deeper into the forest and into a region that very few outsiders have ever seen. Making camp tonight on the edge of the river, we enjoy a good dinner and settle down around the camp fire, our thoughts turning to tomorrow and our arrival in the Shirian tribal lands.

Overnight Camping (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After one or two days' boat journey (depending on the river level) we arrive at Kavaimaken, one of the Shirian Indian'principal villages. Here we overnight in hammocks in the school house and will be introduced to the Shirian way of life. Their society is based on a community system which our guides will explain. We shall distribute gifts of clothing, industrialised goods (machetes, pots, axes, fish hooks and line and the traditional beads and mirrors) and foodstuffs among the villagers before visiting a small farm. With luck we’ll be invited to eat some delicious grass hopper, Moriche grub and drink their local beer, a great way to break the ice with our no doubt curious hosts.s

Overnight Jungle Shelter (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We’ll ask the villagers to help guide us upstream to the incredible Ichun Falls, an amazing spectacle. We take a tributary of the Paragua river and suddenly the water becomes covered in a layer of foam. This is not pollution but a reaction to the aeration of the tannin laden waters as they pour over the 250m falls. Spurted through a narrow gorge, the cascade races downwards before forming a white carpet over a beautiful lake. We shall camp in the jungle at the falls' base before beginning our 3 day return to civilisation.

Overnight Jungle Shelter (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Returning to the village today back down the Ichun River, we arrive late in the afternoon. Our time in the village is spent with the Shirian community, learning about their way of life. These Indians have very little dependence on industrialised goods and their knowledge of their environment is truly astounding. We may have the opportunity to see the Indians making their bows and arrows, baskets, fish traps and depending on our luck, we may be invited on a fishing or hunting expedition or even to try a little monkey tail or caiman stew (optional!).

Overnight Jungle Shelter (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our time in the village is spent with the Shirian community, learning about their way of life. These Indians have very little dependence on industrialised goods and their knowledge of their environment is truly astounding. Today we hope to take the opportunity to explore the area around the village by going on walks with these fascinating people, possibly visiting one of their jungle plantations. Here we shall see their millenary way of subsistence slash and burn agriculture and the crops these hunter - gatherers depend on for their daily diet. We hope to gain a glimpse of how their “supermarket” is their knowledge of how to find nutrition in the jungles and rivers that (still stand on the planet) surround them. This evening we will enjoy a final dinner with our hosts and say our goodbyes in anticipation of our early start back to modern civilisation the following morning.

Overnight Jungle Shelter (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Leaving Kavaimaken village and the Shirian Indians this morning, we travel down the Paragua River enjoying a different perspective on the jungle and the river after our insights of the last few days. We make camp tonight on the banks of the river, our final night before the chance of a bed and shower tomorrow.

Overnight Jungle Shelter (Basic) Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Arriving in La Paragua around lunchtime we’ll take a bus to Cuidad Bolivar. During the journey we’ll pass the iron ore mines of Cerro Bolivar and experience the different vegetation and the flatlands of the Bolivar State - an interesting contrast to the landscapes of the past 10 days. If time allows, we’ll have a walk around the town on arrival.

Overnight Hotel (Standard) Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we drive to Puerto Ordaz from where we fly back to the Caracas Airport where our tour ends.

Included meals: Breakfast