Tuesday 10th October – Caracas, Venezuela

• Arrive at your own leisure into Caracas. The capital city of Venezuela is well connected with many South/Central American Countries, Europe and Istanbul. Self-transfer to our centrally located hotel. Pre-tour accommodation and airport pickup can be arranged for a fee.
• For those of you arriving early we can help give you recommendations on what to see or do in Caracas depending on your interests or you can simply relax at the hotel.
• Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of our hotel at 6:00pm to discuss tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travellers and western guide.
• We’ll head out for dinner followed by drinks to enjoy the vibrant nightlife of Caracas.
• Overnight stay in Caracas.

Wednesday 11th October – Caracas

Morning

• Leisurely morning breakfast before we start our day.
• You’ll start your journey at 12:00pm in Caracas – the largest and capital city of Venezuela. Here we’ll take you into the heart of the old town with beautiful colonial era architecture with its own unique Latin America vibe. Once filled with tourist from all over the worlds, how times have changed and you’ll only find locals here now.

Afternoon

• We’ll have lunch at a local spot, here you can get to know your fellow group members and ask questions to your guides.
• No journey is complete in Caracas without paying a visit to Simón Bolívar – here you’ll see his birth and resting place. A key influential figure that fought for the independence of today’s Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Bolivia against the Spanish Empire, Bolívar is affectionately referred as El Libertador – Liberator of America.
• Our walking tour will take us to Plaza Bolivar – the main square of the city which is an excellent spot to watch the friendly locals go about their daily business. Proudly located in the square you can find a bronze statue of Bolívar dressed in military attire.
• You journey continues to Caracas Cathedral here you’ll learn about the notable and historical figures that influenced South America. Also located within the area is the City Hall and the National Assembly.
• Dinner in Caracas at our favourite local restaurant followed by some refreshing drinks taking in the Latin America atmosphere.
• Overnight stay in Caracas.

Thursday 12th October – Caracas – Canaima National Park

Morning

• Early morning breakfast before we head to the airport for our flight to Canaima National Park this is located in the southeast of the country.
• At 8:30am we’ll take a flight to Canaima National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The internal flight’s a great way to appreciate the views of Venezuela from the sky.
• On our arrival we’ll meet our local guide who will take us around Canaima National Park – our local partners have great insight to the park.
• We’ll take a short drive to our motorised canoe to take us to Angel Falls – the world’s tallest uninterrupted waterfall flowing from the top of Mount Auyán-Tepuy, the impressive height of the fall is approximately 1km.

Afternoon

• Our journey will take us sailing through the Carrao and the Churún River with the breath-taking scenery. The journey takes around 4 – 5 hours, so we’ll have a break mid-way to have lunch and take in our surroundings before we reach Angel Falls.
• Our journey continues to pink beach, here we’ll set up for the night and make camp right next to Angel Falls.
• Dinner will be prepared at camp, our personal cooks will prepare an amazing meal for us, and here we can enjoy the remoteness and the fall.
• Overnight in Canaima National Park sleeping in a hammock – tranquillity at its finest.

Friday 13th October – Canaima National Park

Morning

• Breakfast at the camp.
• Once we’re ready we’ll cross the river and start the hike through the jungle which takes around 1.5 hours to Angel Falls.
• Our first stop is the Mirador Salto Angel, from where you’ll have a picture-perfect view of the falls.
• Next is another 1hour trek to the Japanese viewpoint – the was named after keen Japanese tourists who often came here for quick photos. This is the best location to experience the falls from the side.
• We made it this far, so time for a swim! We’ll descend to the Angel Falls pool, where you can swim in the water coming directly from the top.

Afternoon

• After a nice swim, we’ll head back to our camp where we can enjoy a freshly prepared lunch.
• Once we’re ready we’ll take our motorized canoe once again and return to the start of Canaima National Park making a stop at Mayupa Village – here the local community still continues to practice a traditional life style.
• Dinner will be prepared at the Mayupa Village
• Once more we’ll spend a night in our comfortable hammock with falling asleep to the sound of our natural surroundings.

Saturday 14th October – Canaima National Park

Morning

• We’ll have breakfast in the village, after which we’ll say goodbye before we depart, slowly heading back to the main village of Canaima.
• After a short boat ride and hike we arrive at Sapo Falls. First we’ll see it from the top and afterwards we descent down and take a walk behind the falls. An incredible experience as the waterfall is extremely powerful and intimidating. You will return completely soaked, but also full with adrenaline!

Afternoon

• We’ll take a short hike towards the beach at Canaima Lagoon. Take a dip in the water before we head to the Hacha Falls. Due to the enormous power of the water we can only watch it from our boat, but it’s still an incredible experience.
• Lunch along the journey while we make our way to Canaima village.
• When we arrive in Canaima village we’ll head to the Posada here’s the perfect opportunity to explore the village of Canaima or to relax at the beach and take a dip.
• We’ll head for dinner at the local school, where they prepared a special local dinner for us.
• Overnight stay in Canaima village – not a hammock this time, but a real bed!

Sunday 15th October – Canaima National Park – Caracas

Morning

• We’ll have breakfast before we head of to the tiny airport to catch our 9.30am flight back to Caracas.
• On our arrival we’ll go and explore the immense city of Caracas – the population has up to 4 million people coexisting, what makes the city interesting is the huge class difference. While a lot of socialist street art has been removed in the past few years, you’ll still be able to find pictures of Chavez on a wall.
• We’ll visit the Eternal Commander Hugo Chavez Mausoleum in Cuartel de la Montaña. His mausoleum is located in one of the socialist districts of the city; 23 Onero.
• We take a short walk through the 23 Onero neighbourhoods. This socialist neighbourhood was a former stronghold of socialism during the Chavez era. Our guide explains exactly what this meant for the local population.

Afternoon

• Lunch at a local spot in Caracas.
• We’ll take the car and head for Próceres. The street is heavily controlled by military, as this is the main street where all the military parades take place.
• Next to it is the Monumento a los Próceres, two giant walls with images of the most important figures of the Venezuelan history.
• Dinner followed by drinks Caracas.
• Overnight stay in Caracas.

Monday 16th October –Caracas – El Vigia – Lake Maracaibo

Morning

• Breakfast before our 9:00am flight to El Vigia, which is situated close to Lake Maracaibo.
• On our arrival we’ll take a road trip to Puerto Concha – a harbour village on Lake Maracaibo – the largest lake in South America.
• Transfer to a boat in Puerto Concha. We stock up on food and drinks as there won’t be anything available for the next 24h.
• Maracaibo Lake is the largest lake in South America, with a bit of luck we’ll spot pink dolphins during our boat trip.

Afternoon

• We’ll have lunch on an abandoned platform (which was once the entrance to the Juan Manuel National Park) before we continue to Ologo – the water village, the boat trip will take around 4hours.
• Upon arrival at the village we’ll explore the unique culture of the water houses, please remember, the local community are not used to tourism here at all, so you might see a few curious faces.
• Our base for the night will be a floating house on the water, where we will have a barbecue for dinner and set up our hammocks.
• We will try to experience the Catatumbo Lightning. This special phenomenon takes place 140-160 days a year. It can take place up to 10 hours a day and up to 280 times an hour.
• Overnight stay in a hammock in Ologa Camp.

Tuesday 17th October – Lake Maracaibo – Merida

Morning

• After a short night (due to the incredible lightning) we’ll pack our bags and have breakfast.
• We’ll head for the (almost) abandoned Congo Mirador village. Due to the high level of pollution the local residents have moved to other areas. Some took their whole house and floated it to a different spot, others just left it there – nonetheless it’s a surreal place.
• We continue by boat to Puerto Concha, with a bit of luck we see several animals, including the aracari, otter, tiger cat, capuchin monkey, tamanduas, caiman and many more.

Afternoon

• After arrival in Puerto Concha we’ll have lunch and continue towards Merida, which should take around 3 – 4 hours.
• Along the journey we’ll be making stops to visit a sugar cane factory, coffee and cacao plantation. Here you can sample the local produce.
• Our journey continues to Merida which is situated in the Andes Mountains with its perfect climate, it’s also well-known as the extreme sports capital of Venezuela.
• NOTE: if the first night the Catacumbo Lightning was unsuccessful, we will alter the programme so that we can try to catch it on the second night.

Wednesday 18th October – Merida – San Raffael  

Morning

• Enjoy breakfast; there are plenty of options to choose from.
• In the morning we will take a walking tour through Merida – the city is famous for its revolts against the government. Merida has some of the best socialist street art that can be in South America.
• Our city walking tour will take us to see the Plaza Heroinas – the centrepiece is dedicated to the five women who who fearlessly took part in Bolivar’s campaign.
• We’ll also see Paza de Milla and the Mérida Bolivarian Library – important landmarks in Merida.
• Once we’ve finished our city tour we’ll head for the mountains of the Andes – the landscaper and scenery is spectacular.

Afternoon

• Along the picturesque journey, we’ll have opportunities to visit local settlements – here in Tabay and Mucuchies we can interact with the locals and have lunch.
• We’ll make time to include El Vergel, from where we’ll take a 1h hike towards a hot spring – don’t forget to pack your swimwear.
• There’s an option for two different baths to try. These natural hot springs are located over the valley where you can enjoy the spectacular views.
• Once we’re all relaxed and ready from the hot springs we’ll continue to San Raffael – the highest town in Venezuela at 3300 meters.
• On our arrival we’ll check in and head straight out for dinner.
• Overnight stay in our hotel.

Thursday 19th October – San Raffael – Merida

Morning

• Enjoy breakfast before we head for the Sierra Nevada National Park. Venezuela has made an active effort to preserve the ecosystem of the park. We’ll make stops along the way and for you to pick up supplies for the hike.
• We’ll start the morning with an amazing 2 hour hike between two glacier lakes, from Laguna de Mucabaji to Lago Victoria – the hike we’ve chosen is not only for its accessibility but mostly for the stunning natural scenery.

Afternoon

• We’ll have lunch along the journey.
• In the afternoon we’ll drive towards Mirador al Domo de Mifafí – the peaks are around 4000 m high, with incredible landscapes views – we’ll have time to take some photos and appreciate our surroundings.
• We’ll head down again towards Merida enjoining the scenery and making stops along the way.
• Upon arrival at Merida we head back to our posada again where we relax and freshen up.
• Dinner in Merida followed by relaxing drinks.
• Overnight stay in Merida.

Friday 20th October – Merida – Caracas

Morning

• Enjoy breakfast at your own convenience as there’s options for today’s morning.
• Merida is known as one of the best spots in the world for paragliding, for those keen to experience this amazing activity we can arrange a trip for you (70 USD).
• For those who would like to explore Merida, purchase last minute gifts or simply relax after your welcome to do so.

Afternoon

• Lunch in Merida.
• We’ll prepare for our departure to El Vieja for our afternoon flight back to Caracas.
• On our arrival, we’ll check in to our hotel we’ll stay close to the airport this time.
• On our last night, we’ll have our farewell dinner and drinks from here you can walk to the beach or you can enjoy the pool of the hotel and relax.
• Overnight stay in Merida.

Saturday 21st October – Caracas

• End of the tour depart at your own convenience. YPT can arrange additional nights in Caracas and airport drop off for a fee; we are very happy to provide advice for ongoing flights.

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