Itinerary

DAY 1: Caracas-Mérida
Upon arrival at the international airport in Caracas, you will be met by a Natoura representative, given your tickets, and escorted to the national airport. You will take an exciting flight through the Venezuelan Andes to Mérida. You will have airport assistance and transfer to Posada Casa Sol. The posada is a charming new guest house in the heart of Mérida, boasting 17 private rooms with bath, balconies and terraces, and breakfast included. You will have the day off to independently explore the city and visit our popular artisan market. We suggest finishing the day by visiting the Helados Coromoto, the ice cream store with the most flavors in the world (500), according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

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DAY 2: Teleférico
Your guide will pick you up at the posada for an early start to catch the highest and longest cable car in the world, the Teleférico. You will pass through a variety of ecosystems from cloud forest up to windswept moors and mountain peaks. You will take a short hike to Alto de la Cruz Pass at 4,000 m. There are incredible views of lakes and snow covered mountains (1,600-4,700 m). You will return to the city late in the afternoon.

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DAY 3: San Jose Tour
Once we’ve packed up the jeep, we will embark upon a tour boasting exposure to a large variety of ecosystems, beginning at lush green cloud forest vegetation (Selva Nublada), where we will hike up to a waterfall for 1 hour. Next, we will visit the picturesque Andean Village of Jají, and descend to a desert-type region, visiting a small sugar cane mill, observing the production of ¨mo¨ for chewing tobacco, and traveling to a salt lake, the only one of its kind in Latin America.

Andes-pje-pueblo-nuevo_2.jpg We will then go to the verdant coffee country, visiting the coffee museum and present day coffee farms. Afterwards, we will take a winding switchback road with a breathtaking view ascending from 1,500 feet to 7,500 feet. Finally, we will arrive at a remote Andean village that’s been “lost in time,” that is called San Jose, “where no one else goes.” We will spend the night at an idyllic Andean chalet with trout ponds. This lodge, run by the notoriously talented cook and conversationalist Martin, is of superb quality in food and accommodation.

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DAY 4: San Jose Tour-Mérida
We will eat a hearty and traditional Andean breakfast and then descend into the beautiful valley of Tostos, either on horseback or by foot, enjoying the surroundings of eucalyptus trees and beautiful rivers.

There we will have direct contact with the natives. Around us, farmers will plow with oxen while villagers will grind their corn by hand in order to make the typical ¨arepa¨ over wood fires. Our excursion will bring us back to San Jose for lunch and a brief rest. If you do not find horseback riding exciting enough, we will do some nice downhill mountain biking in order to arrive where we can take an optional paragliding flight. The view of the valley simply does not get any better than this. A full day will once again bring us back to Mérida and to your Posada Casa Sol.

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Andes_paramo_laguna1.jpgDAY 5: Páramo Tour
The Páramo ranges from 3,200 m up to 4,300 m (above this, the almost barren scree is called desert páramo). Like moors, they are open, windswept and mostly treeless. The hard life of summer-by-day and winter-by-night requires special adaptation. There, we find the velvety frailejon (like rabbit ears to children), found everywhere on the páramo. Of this relative to the daisy, there are 65 endemic species in Venezuela and for this reason botanists think the area was the dispersal center for all frailejones.

This is our most requested tour; a scenic route through the spectacular Venezuelan Andes with a chance to see typical Andean villages. We will first visit the Andean Condor Re-introduction station and go up from there to Pico Aguila. Pico Aguila is the highest point in Venezuela that can be reached by car (4,125 m). From there we will visit the Laguna Mucubaji (3,800 m) where we will hike to the Laguna Negra (around 4 km). Laguna Negra is a beautiful sight on a clear, calm day. The black water forms such a perfect mirror that it essentially disappears and is replaced by the reflection of the trees on the mountainside above the lagoon. We will stay overnight at Posada Casa Solar, in the high mountain village of Apartaderos.

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DAY 6: Wildlife Safari
We will transfer you from the Posada Casa Solar to the Hato Cedral (7 hours drive- through cloud forest and the immense savannas of Los Llanos). Along the way we will have excellent opportunity for wildlife sighting. We will arrive at Hato Cedral in time for lunch and have an afternoon excursion. We will stay overnight at Hato Cedral.

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DAY 7: Wildlife Safari
We will have a full day at Hato Cedral with two excursions and three meals.

Over 400 species of birds speckle the grasslands with white, crimson, yellow, blue, orange, and black. You will see scarlet ibis, chestnut-fronted macaws, jabiru strokes, black-collared hawks, and the prehistoric-looking hoatzin.

Orin_pje_atardecer2.jpgThe Llanos habitats also shelter a wide array of other animals such as giant anteaters, wild horses, armadillos, iguanas, tortoises, red howler monkeys and cappuccino monkeys, capybaras (the largest rodent in the world), and tens of thousands of caiman. The rivers teem with fresh water dolphins, piranhas, anacondas, and turtles.

The Venezuelan Llanos are a strange blend of the American “wild west” and Africa’s “savanna safaris,” where people still hunt and harvest in accordance with age-old customs, and dusty cowboys try to tame a land, as wild and uncontrollable as the creatures that roam across its seemingly endless face.

One of the most phenomenal aspects of Los Llanos is the existence of the “Hatos.” They are large, specialized ranches that serve as the best, most innovative, and spectacular wildlife sanctuaries in the country. The hatos are huge and some protect as much as 80,000 hectares of wildland. Hato Cedral is one such ranch offering exceptional services to those who wish to experience the beauty of the Llanos.

Accommodations are in comfortable air-conditioned cabanas with large private baths with hot water. The staff is friendly and you are sure to be treated to a traditional Llaneros concert with harp, “cuarto,” and maracas.

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DAY 8: Barinas-Caracas-End of Services.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Barinas airport to catch your flight to Caracas. End of Services.

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