Itinerary

DAY 1: Caracas-Mérida
At the international airport in Caracas, you will be met by a Natoura representative who will give you your tickets and help you transfer to the national airport for your national flight. You will be met at the Mérida airport by a Natoura representative who will then take you to the Posada Casa Sol, a brand new and very friendly posada in the heart of Mérida. The Posada boats 17 private rooms with bath, patios and open air terraces. You will have the afternoon and evening free to get comfortable in Mérida.

(–,–,–)

DAY 2: Páramo-Apartaderos
This is one of our most requested tours. After picking you up at the posada early in the morning, we will travel a scenic route by exciting mountain roads from Mérida towards the Andean Páramo. Along the way we will visit tranquil colonial Andean villages and enjoy the drinks and delicacies they have to offer.

Andes-pje-paramo_1.jpgOnce in the Páramo, we’ll find the velvety frailejon (that feel like rabbit ears to children). Of this relative to the daisy, there are 65 endemic species found in Venezuela. Botanists hypothesize that the area was the dispersal center for all frailejones.

One of our first stops in the páramo is the Andean Condor re-introduction station. The staff at this station is making a bold attempt to build-up the population of the world’s largest bird. A large Condor can have a wing span up to 3.5 meters. To capture this majestic creature’s flight by camera will surely be a rewarding memory of the Venezuelan Andes.

Next, we will travel up the Pico Aguila (4,125-m), the highest point in Venezuela that is reachable by car. There we will be able to take in the panoramic views of the Andean peaks and sit-down to a warm Andean lunch. From there, we will visit the Laguna Mucubaji Park (3,800-m) of the Sierra Nevada National Park system. Upon hiking or riding to Laguna Negra, about 4 km, we will enter a microclimate that due to its special setting receives more rain and humidity than the surrounding Paramo area. This extra humidity gives life to an interesting diversity of plant species, adding color and greenery to the wind-swept Páramo region. Laguna Negra is a beautiful site 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.

After enjoying the tranquil scenery of the Laguna, you will spend the night at the highest posada in the Venezuelan Andes in the charming Casa Solar (located in the highest village in the Andes-Apartaderos). You will stay in the company of the nighttime stars, just ten minutes away from the second highest observatory in the world.

(4 hours by jeep, 2 hours hiking)
Meals: (–, L, D)

DAY 3: Musui Hot Springs-Mérida
After a hearty breakfast, we will drive back up to Pico Aguila and continue on to the village of Mucuchies. Just beyond the village we will find the path that leads us to the remote hot springs of La Musui. This is an amazing walk, with the majestic Andean Peaks soaring up to the clouds off in the distance. We will spend the morning at the Hot Springs and eat a picnic lunch. We will return Mérida in the afternoon and you will be dropped back off at the Posada Casa Solar

(4 hours by jeep, 2 hours hiking)
Meals: (B, L,–)

DAY 4: San Jose Tour
After we’ve packed up the jeep, we will embark on a tour boasting exposure to a large variety of ecosystems, ranging from lush green cloud forest vegetation, where we’ll visit a rushing waterfall. to windswept páramo. We will visit the picturesque Andean Village of Jaji and descend by mountain bike into a Xerophitic ecosystem-visiting a small sugar cane mill, observing the production of “panela,” and traveling to a salt lake, the only one of its kind in Venezuela.

Andes_gente_01.jpg Next, we will see 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 460 m to 2,290 m to finally arrive at the remote Andean village that’s been “lost in time,” called San Jose- “where no one else goes.” We will spend the night at an idyllic Andean chalet with trout ponds. The Posada Mochaba hosts the notoriously talented cook and conversationalist Martin, is of superb quality in food and accommodation.

(1.5 mountain biking, 4 by Jeep)
Meals: (B, L, D)

DAY 5: San Jose Tour
We will eat a tasty breakfast with Martin and then descend into the beautiful valley of Tostos either on horse or by foot with mule support (notably one of the most enjoyable ways to walk in the Andes), enjoying the surroundings of eucalyptus trees and beautiful rivers. There we will have direct contact with the villagers. Around us, we will see farmers plowing with oxen while villagers are grinding their corn by hand in order to make the typical “arepa” over a wood-fed fire.

Our excursion will bring us back to San Jose for lunch and a brief rest. If you don’t find horseback riding exciting enough, we will do some exhilarating downhill mountain biking, arriving at the launch site for your optional paragliding flight. The view of the valley simply doesn’t get any better than this.

Andes-volando-11_1.jpgOptional: Paragliding. Your experienced pilot will secure your harness, lay out the parachute behind you, and as you run towards the edge of the cliff your adrenaline will begin to pump rapidly through your veins. Suddenly, a wind will come and lift the chute-and your feet-off the ground. Suspended in the air over the canyon far below, you’ll spend an hour airborne. Peacefully floating, steering and twisting over the canyon walls and crevices, you’ll see the Rio Chama lying in the valley below, patch work sugarcane fields to one side, and feel the rays of the setting sun warming your body. Gently, your pilot will bring you down to the ground, where you will have a story of a lifetime—that you flew the Condors’ flight in the Venezuelan Andes.

Overnight stay is at Posada Casa Sol.

(4 hours by horse back/5 hours by foot, 1.5 biking (95% down hill), 30-45 min paragliding, 2 hours by Jeep)
Meals: (B, L,–)

DAY 6: Mérida-Canaima-Angel Falls River Tour
We will transfer you to the airport in time to check in for your 7:45am flight to Canaima, via Caracas. At the Canaima airport you will be met by our representative and then transferred to Canaima Camp, situated on the banks of the Canaima Lagoon with spectacular views.

Gsab_pje_tpui2.jpgThen the excursion will begin! We will shove off from the sandy pink beaches of the Canaima Lagoon to tour this enchanting area, passing so close to the raging falls that we can feel its refreshing mist. From there, we will depart the canoe and witness the natural beauty of Salto Sapo (Sapito Falls). It will allow you to live the experience of walking behind a powerful curtain of water, just a few inches away from us. You can take a refreshing swim under the waterfalls.

Next, we will take a leisurely 20-minute walk to Puerto Ucaima, where we will again shove-off in the dug-out canoes. While traveling up the Carrao River to the Sabana (plain) de Mayupa, we will experience the exciting rapids of Mayupa and witness the natural beauty of this idyllic land.

At Ahonda Island we will arrive at our main camp and to a welcome feast, soon after retiring to a relaxing rest in hammocks in order to contemplate the grandness of the Southern Hemisphere’s nighttime sky.

Meals (–, L, D)

DAY 7: Angel Falls River Tour
After an early breakfast we will travel two hours by boat on the Rio Carrao to our Angel Falls base at Isla Raton. From this camp we will head to the base of Angel falls. On this one hour and fifteen minute trek the lush primary tropical forest will entrance you with its greenery and diversity of plant life and the call of its diverse animal and bird species. Arriving at the base of Angel Falls, you will have time to relax on the large rocks warmed by the sun, shoot some pictures of the raging waterfall, and take a dip in the pool created at its base.

Gsab_cima_tpui1.jpgUpon trekking back down to our day camp, you will be greeted with a traditional Indian barbecue prepared by our Pemon hosts. An exciting return down the rapids will follow, leaving us to arrive around 5 p.m. to relax, eat, and enjoy our second night in hammocks!

(B, L, D)

DAY 8: Angel Falls River Tour-Canaima-Caracas
An early departure by boat will take us back to Canaima Camp, along the journey we will visit the Pozo de La Felicidad (if time permits), and if desired, take a refreshing dip in its invigorating waters.

We will arrive in Canaima about 10:00 a.m., and after picking up your luggage at the camp and transferring it to the airport, you will have time to stroll the dirt streets and visit the local shops that sell handicrafts before your flight to Caracas (departs at 12:05 p.m., arriving at 1:45p.m.)

(B,–,–)

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