GEODYSSEY VENEZUELA Travel guide Planning your trip Where to stay Private guided touring Wildlife experiences Beach holidays Small group holidays Walking, trekking and adventure trips Specialist birdwatching VENEZUELA 04 Venezuela Guide 29 The World of the Delta 38 Small group adventure: Trek to the There's a lot to see in Venezuela. This A side trip into the secluded world of the Lost World guide will help you choose. Orinoco Delta. Our amazing small group trek to Mt Western Venezuela 30 The Natural Life Roraima's surreal summit, plus Angel Falls by river or air. 04 The Andes Discover our favourite. Relaxed, beautiful Wonderful scenery, varied landscapes, and quietly natural. 39 Mt Roraima simple farming villages and superb walks. 31 West Coast Discovery Private Roraima trek and beach time. 08 Coro Intrigued by Coro and beguiled by beaches. 40 Beaches Venezuela's colonial past, desert dunes, 32 Small group holiday: Venezuelan Venezuela has more beaches than all the cloud-forests, and curiosities. Odyssey Caribbean islands put together. 09 Lake Maracaibo The classic small group tour of Venezuela, 42 Beach time Heat, humidity and lightning storms. lots to see, plenty to do, great fun and a Short beach stays to round off any trip. 10 The Llanos real experience. Beach time on Los Roques Wide plains with some of the very best of 34 Active Venezuela South America's wildlife. Beach time on Margarita 35 From the Mountains to the Plains Beach time at Choroní Eastern Venezuela Follow an ancient pathway from the high 43 Chill-outs and honeymoons 12 Canaima & Angel Falls sierras to the Llanos lowlands. The world's tallest waterfall set among Fabulous beaches, stylish accommodation, spectacular table mountains. 36 Country walks in the Andes good food and great weather. Time in the Andes: country day walks, a 43 Pure beach 14 The Gran Sabana little touring, and a hike in the sierras. The 'lost world' of table mountains Two weeks on Los Roques and Margarita. scattered across a high plateau. 36 Catatumbo lightning 43 Pure beach with a dash of adventure A side-trip to see the planet's most A beach holiday with a trip to see Canaima 17 Ciudad Bolivar & Puerto Ordaz impressive and consistent lightning display Colonial and modern Venezuela side-by-side. and Angel Falls. 37 Gran Sabana mini-adventure 18 Orinoco Delta Off-the-beaten track among the stunning 44 Birdwatching A secluded natural world. landscapes and waterfalls of the 'Lost Private guided trips to suit your dates. 20 Paria Peninsula World' with an experienced guide. 46 The Birds of Venezuela A favourite. 37 Rainforest river journey to Pará Falls The classic coverage of Venezuela's birds. Caracas Deep into the Orinoco rainforest. 47 The Birds of Eastern Venezuela 22 Caracas Forest and tepui species, notable Lively, dramatic and buzzing with events. spectaculars and 15 cotingas. Planning your trip to Venezuela 23 Choosing your holiday Designs to bring out the best of Venezuela for you. Tailor-made or ready-made. 24 Practicalities When to visit, food, flights... 24 We know Venezuela Geodyssey's legendary in-depth knowledge and brilliant service, at your command. 25 Where to stay Some examples of what's available. 26 Private Guided Touring The best way to experience Venezuela is with the help of local guides. 26 Natural Venezuela Our 'grand tour' of classic highlights and little-known gems, with a focus on wildlife and magnificent landscapes. 28 Two adventures and a beach An exciting combination of Canaima and Angel Falls, with the world of the Orinoco Delta, ending at a Caribbean beach. 29 Gran Sabana Discovery Explore the dramatic 'Lost World' followed by a visit to Canaima to see Angel Falls. The copyright of all written material maps designs and layouts in this brochure is held by Geodyssey Ltd. The copyright in photographs is either held by Geodyssey Ltd or retained by the by or retained Ltd Geodyssey is either held by in photographs copyright The Geodyssey Ltd. is held by in this brochure and layouts maps designs material of all written copyright The holder. of the copyright permission written without the prior form in any or transmitted system, a retrieval to introduced stored, be reproduced, may part No of this brochure photographer. with our thanks. Waine, and Simon Ludlow Janet Nigel Harcourt-Brown, Phil Farrer, and clients Thirtle, Gillian Howe) (John Geodyssey photography: Principal 2 GEODYSSEY LTD REGISTERED OFFICE: 116 TOLLINGTON PARK LONDON N4 3RB REGISTERED IN ENGLAND: NO 2782574 Welcome enezuela is amazing. No where else will you find its combination of Caribbean beaches, impressive Andean peaks, swathes of open plains with abundant wildlife, and even larger areas of deep rainforest. Add to that a few things that are completely unique,V such as the ‘Lost World’ of the Gran Sabana, Angel Falls, and the Orinoco Delta– another world again, and you have something truly exceptional. With large reserves of oil, Venezuela doesn’t need to hype its attractions, so you won’t find ads on the TV or in the newspaper urging you to go. And while Venezuela isn’t expensive, it isn’t cheap either, so you won’t find it much on the backpacker routes. Venezuela has some great places to stay, but nothing that ranks in the top 10 for style-hungry journalists, so you won’t read much about it in the glossy magazines. But it’s there, and it’s truly magnificent. The extraordinary Hugo Chávez had a massive impact on Venezuela’s political stage. Venezuelans are immensely proud of their democracy (the longest running in Latin America by many measures), noisy though the debate has been under his presidency. Ordinary life went on, of course, and as the body politic settles into a post-Chávez era, it goes on still. We are the UK’s leading specialists for travel in Venezuela, and this brochure aims to offer you a wide choice of travel and holiday ideas that brings out the best in this astounding country. We highlight the distinctive places to visit, the best opportunities to see wildlife, ways to gain insight into local cultures and communities, characterful hotels and beautiful beaches. Working with our colleagues throughout Venezuela, we bring all this together in a well- organised trip that makes the best use of your precious time and the budget you decide on. When you are deciding where to go for your next holiday you’ll want to turn to someone 06 who really knows the area you’d like to visit. For Venezuela now, as for the last twenty years, we hope you’ll choose us. Gillian Howe Managing Director Making a booking Contact us he Booking Information away you have a network of helpful, provides as "Excellent". Geodyssey Ltd supplement that comes with knowledgeable and resourceful people We protect ALL our customers 116 Tollington Park this brochure covers dates, locally and back in the UK to support T The air holiday packages in this London N4 3RB England prices, and how to book. you. We're a phone call away when you brochure are ATOL protected by the It's good to know that when you book are planning your trip, preparing to www.geodyssey.co.uk Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL your holiday with Geodyssey you not leave, or out in your destination. T: 020 7281 7788 number is 5292. ATOL protection only get the benefit of our in-depth When you get back we will send you F: 020 7281 7878 extends primarily to holiday knowledge of our destinations from a short questionnaire to make sure E: [email protected] arrangements that include air travel for over twenty years of making travel everything went well and to gather customers who book and pay in the UK. arrangements to Latin America, and your comments on the places you Geodyssey also provides equivalent our up-to-date knowledge of the best visited. We will also ask what you financial protection for customers places, old and new. You also get think of us. More than 95% of our who do not buy flights from us and our experience in designing holidays customers describe their overall level for customers who book and pay from for different tastes and budgets, the of satisfaction with their holiday as outside the UK. confidence that your money is fully "Excellent" or "Good", with over 90% For more information please see the protected, and the reassurance that rating it as "Excellent". A staggering Booking Information supplement that if anything goes wrong while you are 99% rate the service that our office comes with this brochure. 3 Venezuela ê GUIDE - WESTERN VENEZUELA 4 GEODYSSEY | VENEZUELA T: 020 7281 7788 www.geodyssey.co.uk/venezuela Venezuela ê GUIDE - WESTERN VENEZUELA The Andes In Venezuela, the northernmost part of the great Andes chain takes on a more human dimension, with high farmlands and villages nestling beneath its dramatic peaks. The mountains descend rapidly to the Llanos plains in the east, and the extraordinary Lake Maracaibo in the west. he university town of Mérida is the terracotta tiled roofs, colourful window boxes and centre of this region. It lies between two dark blue doors, are often very photogenic. In the mountain sierras: the Sierra Nevada, villages’ main squares be-hatted elderly citizens Twhich provides a spectacular backdrop of five meet to discuss the issues of the day, their mules snowcapped mountains behind the town, and the or donkeys tethered to a tree. The way of life in Sierra La Culata. Mérida is a friendly place, with these villages has changed little for la gente–the plenty to see and do.