Grand Escapades
Travel Photography & Travel Experiences of Africa, South America, the Middle-East & Asia
Biggest Tepui: Auyantepui (surface of more than 760 square km), Canaima, Venezuela
We spent 3 weeks in Venezuela in August 2007 and concentrated on the National Parks in the east of the country: the Orinoco Delta, Cainama & Angel Falls and Roraima. Continue Reading →
Canaima Lagoon, Canaima National Park, Venezuela, South America
We spent 3 weeks in Venezuela in August 2007 and concentrated on the National Parks in the east of the country: the Orinoco Delta, Cainama & Angel Falls and Roraima. Of course like most tourists we were concerned about security but must say we never had any negative experience and never met anybody who had. Continue Reading →
Heidi crossing the border from Venezuela to Brazil
A 20 hours travel took us from Santa Elena de Uairen, Venezuela, to Manaus, Brazil: first a collective taxi or “Por Puesto” to the border, where we got our exit stamp, then we walked a few hundred meters to the Brazilian side to fill out immigration documents. At this point we needed a treat and checked out the famous “Churrascaria de la Frontera”, a Brazilian All-You-Can-Eat restaurant. It is so popular and so good value that travelers who stay in Santa Helena take a taxi across the border to fill up for 4 Euros. Continue Reading →
Boat Tour in the Orinoco Delta, Venzuela – When you do not have any bathroom, you just improvise ! Taking a shower meant getting a bucket full of water and pouring it down on you …
Venezuela is a very cheap country to travel, especially if you use the black currency market that is widespread. The inflation is high and therefore has lead to a de facto strong devaluation of the Bolivares, the national currency. Since Hugo Chavez decided a fix parity to the US Dollar (1 USD = 2.120 Bolivares), a black market has developed for trading the USD, the Euro or the Brazilian Real. This black market is everywhere, and even the police at the airport offers the tourists to change money, even though they do not propose a good rate (3.000 Bolivares for 1 USD). Continue Reading →
In Santa Elena de Uairen, we indulged ourselves with 3 days in a good hotel, the Hotel Lucretia, which even had a pool! And did NOTHING!!!
A twelve hours bus night ride from Ciudad Bolivar brought us to the small settlement of Santa Elena de Uairen on the Brazilian border. The “Buscama”, the busses linking major cities in Venezuela, are highly comfortable, but, as we might have already mentioned, the temperature inside is 14 degrees, now having this artic breeze hitting your body for 12 hours can be challenging. Even though we wore all the warm clothes we had, we were freezing! Continue Reading →
Our home in Santa Elena de Uairen
On Thursday, August 09th, when arriving in Santa Elena de Uairen after a whole night in a freezing cold bus, we will have spent the last 14 nights in 13 different places! The only time when we spent 2 nights in the same place was in the Orinoco Delta, in a Warao village. This is a little bit too much! Continue Reading →
Angel Falls or Salto Angel, the highest waterfall in the world, Canaima National Park, Venezuela, South America
Everybody seems to know Angel Falls, the highest waterfalls in the world with 979 meters, named after the daredevil pilot who first saw the falls when flying his plane into “Canon de Diabolo”, but the smaller waterfalls in the Canaima Lagoon are equally sensational in a different way. Continue Reading →
Canaima Lagoon, Canaima National Park, Venezuela, South America
After the three days in the Orinoco Delta and the long travel back to Ciudad Bolivar via Ciudad Guyana, we longed for a little rest and comfort … Unfortunately the comfortable and most pleasant Posadas such as Don Carlos or the more expensive Angostura were all booked out. So we had to take what was available, which was Posada Dona Carol. Considering we would not find any pleasant rest, we decided to book a tour into Canaima the next day. We followed the recommendation of other fellow travellers and went to Total Adventura. Continue Reading →
Boat Tour in the Orinoco Delta – Warao People on a boat, Orinoco Delta, East Venezuela
We truly enjoyed watching the activities in the Warao village from sunrise to sunset and sleeping in hammocks overlooking the river, even though this is not the most comfortable way to spend the night. The dwellings of the Waraos are perfectly adjusted to the climate, a wooden platform with four pillars that carry a thatched roof, so there is always a nice breeze and almost no mosquitoes. This is due to the fact that the many rivers that feed the Delta are so called “Rios Negros”, which carry an acid that is obviously not a habitat that mosquitoes prefer. Continue Reading →
Boat Tour in the Orinoco Delta – Warao Village, Orinoco Delta, East Venezuela
From Ciudad Bolivar we took a bus to Ciudad Guayana and then a “Por Puesto”, a collective taxi to Tucupíta, the only major settlement in the Orinoco Delta. At our hotel, the Amacuro Hotel, we arranged a trip into the Delta with a local “Pirata”. These are independent guides not working for an official agency, which were almost all closed due the city celebrating its 159 anniversary the day we arrived. Another reason was the major price difference between the two: we negotiated 500.000 Bolivares per person for a classical 3 days / 2 nights tour, while an official agency offered us 900.000 Bolivares. Continue Reading →