Trekking Expedition to Canaima

"Venezuela"

One cannot visit Venezuela without travelling into the fabled " Lost World" of Canaima National Park, long solely accessible by air. Our expedition reaches Canaima in an unconventional way: for 6 days we walk through savannah and jungle and for another 3 days we navigate the river by dugout canoe, passing below Angel Falls, the world's highest waterfall, 16 times higher than Niagara Falls.
Beware ! This is a real expedition for fit and adventure minded people who do not care about comfort and are fully aware of the risks involved. We spend most of our time completely out of any beaten trails and apart meeting some native families, we should not see tracks of western civilisation.
If the itinerary below sounds exciting to you, contact us.

The Itinerary

The following itinerary is only for basic informative purposes. In theory we leave for 12 days, but you understand we may experience delays for difficulties related to weather conditions, river crossings, etc...

DAY 1:
From Puerto Ordaz, we drive to Kavanayen, an Indian community situated in Canaima National Park, 90 km (55 miles) off the main El Dorado-Sta-Elena road. We spend our last night in a bed in the local mission. Good night, tomorrow begins a week of survival.

DAY 2
After breakfast, filled up with energy, we meet our guides and Indian porters to start our walk, first crossing the Kavanayen airstrip direction West-North-West. All day, we follow an old jeep trail destroyed by nature. We are gratified by stupendous sights of the virgin forest downwards, the majestic P-tari Tepuy, and the triangular form of Wey Tepui in the background.

After 5h30 walking, we reach a conuco (small indigenous farm), 5 minutes from the waterfall Salto Karuay where we enjoy a well deserved rest. Currently, among the couple of tourists arriving here - few knows that only ten years ago one could come here by jeep! We now board into a motorised dugout canoe and in about an hour we reach the rapids Salto el Hueso where we are welcomed by a Pemon family . We have a refreshing swim at the foot of the falls, and spend first night in hammock (under roof).

DAY 3
Things are getting serious! We start with a climb of about half an hour in the savannah before plunging into the virgin forest. We will not emerge from the jungle till our arrival at Kuana. Very quickly, we encounter the first difficulties: rivers to cross on unstable tree trunks, rotten treacherous roots - all elements that we very quickly assimilate as part of our new reality.
After walking 7 hours, we improvise a campsite in the jungle near the river Churue. This is the occasion to observe our guides at work, preparing a makeshift campsite with the cutlass using all the resources of the forest: trees are used for the walls and roof, branches make a small impromptu kitchen and the lianas hold the whole! You can also prepare a fire and settle down to enjoy a meal which undoubtedly have a very special flavour. From now on, rain or not, your clothes are wet and will not dry any more.


DAY 4
Today is a new long day. Departure at dawn after a hearty breakfast rich in proteins for a hiking day through the forest. We probably make ourselves a few scratches and suffer from small skin allergies caused by unidentified plants (but were they ever already inventoried?). We may see footprints of tapir or jaguar and feel the attacks of horseflies and ticks. Nothing serious, you are already a bushman! At the end of the day we reach an extraordinary place in the Gran Sabana: Teunepatei, the separation point between the Karuay River Basin and the Akanan River; the water flows either towards the east in direction of Kavanayen or to the west towards Kamarata. Atop a hill, we should enjoy an exceptional sight: a forest of "broccoli", yellowish clouds on a sunset with a rainbow in the background. We sleep under roof in hammocks, in "the House of the thousand cockroaches".

DAY 5
A healthy and gentle hike to recover from the previous days - only 4 hours ! We may even have the chance to taste an Indian speciality: succulent spicy termites. In the middle of the afternoon we reach a well-maintained conuco (if it is still there, which is very hazardous!). It is even equipped with a table: luxury! With a little chance, we have fresh pineapples, lemons and sugarcane as a dessert. Just besides the camp flows a river rich in bagrecitos and mincabas. What could be better than a small fishing party tonight?

DAY 6
After the morning hike throughout the forest we have lunch on a great natural site: "the Swiss rock". In the middle of a delightfully refreshing river, a stone accommodates us for a repairing buffet. The stone bears the name of the first Swiss explorers (hum!) who survived (hum!!!!) the expedition and ate a tapir killed by their indigenous guide.
In the afternoon, we meet with the dreaded "laid down trees", cut down by a terrible storm. It is a long climb (90 minutes approximately) where we have to by-pass or climb half rotten tree trunks laid down in the jungle.
At night, after 7 hours walking we improvise a campsite on an unstable ground, praying that an enormous tree will not fall on us during the night... ("that almost happened to us, it did not fall far... it appears that it made a terrible noise when it was uprooted ... but I was sleeping so deep that I didn't hear anything!!" - Patrick M.)

DAY 7
After walking all morning, we enjoy another delicious spot to lunch on the bank of a small river. A great occasion to make a bit of laundry! In the afternoon, we hike down towards Kuana along a beautiful trail.
After 6 hours hiking, we spend the night under a plastic cover in the jungle. Sit around the fire, we listen our guides tell us Pemons jokes and legends.

DAY 8
After only 2 hours walking we arrive at the Indian village of Kuana, inhabited by a couple of families, all confused to see us arriving from nowhere. They lend us the "communal hut", we have the traditional welcoming "kachiri" drink (a traditional drink, based on the fermentation of manioc) followed by a never-ending bath in the river Kuana, under the eyes of the children observing you washing with delight all your clothing, by then at the limit of rot and mould.
Free afternoon in the village. Later, arrives our new Indian river guides with our dugout canoe and fresh food (at last a change of menu !!). Survivors celebrate the crossing of the jungle with a memorable barbecue.

DAY 9
We now continue our trip by river. We sail the Kuna river down to the Akanan River and to the confluence with the Carrao River. We still camp in our hammocks on the edge of the river at a place called Arenal.



DAY 10
(only if there is enough water in the Churun River) Early morning, we navigate the Churun River in the Devils Canyon and travel up to Ratoncito Island. From here, we hike through dense rainforest to the Angel Falls viewpoint. Another 20 minutes brings us to the base of the falls where we enjoy a refreshing swim, before returning to Arenal Camp for the night. DAY 11
We travel downstream the Carrao River again to the El Sapo Falls, where we can walk behind the curtain of water We travel downstream to the pool of joy and walk behind the Sapo Falls (150 ft fall with a cave behind the water curtain) and finally arrive at Canaima (B L). and then Canaima, our final destination. We spend the last night in Canaima in a comfortable rustic lodge, a bed!!. We travel downstream the Carrao River again and reach the pool of joy and walk behind curtain of water of the Sapo Falls (150 ft fall with a cave behind the water curtain). We finally arrives in Canaima, our final destination. We spend the last night in Canaima in a comfortable rustic lodge, a bed!!.

DAY 12
Transfer to the airport for your flight back. During the flights, we enjoy magnificent aerial views over the tepuis.

General Information

Rated: Strenuous.

Tour Tariff - Private Departures
N° of Participants	6+
USD	$ 1395
EUR	€ 1158
GBP	£ 781

(*) Price last updated on 07 September 2004. Current price may vary due to elements out of our control, so please always check by sending us a quotation request .
(**) Discount for larger groups.
(***) If your are 2 or 3 people, contact us

Included: Lodging as specified, all meals while in the wilderness, bilingual local guides, porters for food and camping equipment, all meals, ground and river transportation, hammocks and mosquito net

Not included: Meals while in town (lunch and dinner the first day, dinner and breakfast in Canaima), airport taxes, flight, extra expenses in case our arrival in Canaima is delayed.