VENEZUELA (South America)

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Angel Falls

Venezuela is bounded to the north by the Caribbean, to the east by Guyana and the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by Brazil, and to the west and south west by Colombia. The country consists of four distinctive regions: the Venezuelan Highlands in the west; the Maracaibo Lowlands in the north; the vast central plain of the Llanos around the Orinoco; and the Guiana Highlands which take up about half of the country.

Venezuela means 'Little Venice' in Spanish, the name given to this northerly country in South America by the early explorers when they found the natives living on the Sinamaica lagoon, in houses built on stilts, close to the present day oil rich city of Maracaibo.

Lately there has been considerable political tension in the country with an attempted coup in April 2003; political demonstrations remain frequent and can often become violent. Despite this, Venezuela is full of friendly, smiling people, which is hardly surprising because the country has an abundance of natural resources, including one of the biggest oil reserves in the world.

Nature has also blessed this country with diverse landscapes, from miles of beautiful Caribbean beaches to open plains, towering mountains, tracts of Amazon rain forest and even a small desert. In the southeast in Bolivar State the Gran Sabana National Park contains the spectacular Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall.

Venezuela's cities are similarly scenic, particularly the capital, Caracas, which sprawls in a long, thin valley flanked by the majestic Avila Mountain. Caracas is lively, green and clean, with a rich cultural life, vibrant nightlife, great restaurants and marvellous modern shopping malls.

Venezuela has a little bit of everything that Latin America has to offer, with the addition of thousands of miles of Caribbean coastline, and the constantly pleasant temperature that makes it good year-round destination.

Jakera offers adventure-travel excursions to all Venezuela's main destinations whatever your budget. We'll give you an insight here and you'll find much more detail, photography, travel itineraries and costs under 'Adventure travel'.

Orinoco Delta
The Orinoco Delta is a vast unspoilt ecosystem of some 25,00kms. Home to some 20,000 nomadic Warao Indians, these peoples live simply by the water, travelling by dugout canoes and have had very little contact with the outside world for over 20,000 years. The wildlife and scenery is simply spectacular and encounters with wildlife including River Dolphins, Jaguars, Pumas, Perro de Agua, Anacondas, Pythons, Howler and Cappuccino Monkeys, and prolific birdlife including, Macaws, Tucans, Parrots, Storks, Kingfishers and Woodpeckers are virtually normal. The best way to interact with the Orinoco's people and wildlife is by water either kayaking or by river boat.

Gran Sabana - The Lost World
The area known as La Gran Sabana is located in the South-eastern corner of Venezuela at the border with Brazil and Guyana. These mystical highlands reveal an abundance of waterfalls, natural springs and "Pemon" Indian settlements. Highlights include the chance to scale the highest tepuy peak of Roraima where one encounters the eerie moonscape plateau of Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World."