From hikes and kayaking excursions in and around the famous Angel Falls, breathtaking detours through the Andes region, and Scuba diving and snorkeling expeditions in the Los Roques region, this adventure is sure to invigorate your active, thrill-seeking side, and treat you to the relaxation you deserve.
Lost World Adventures itineraries can be tailor-made according to your plans and preferences: budget, hotel selections, travel dates, optional excursions, length of trip, etc.
Arrive in Caracas and transfer to your hotel.
The Costa Real Suites is conveniently located in Caracas' Central Coast, in the Tanaguarena/Caraballeda area, just 20 min drive from the airport. There are only 15 colorful suites, with a comfortable bedroom with big windows, private bathroom (shower with hot water), a spacious living room with couches and a double hammock, a/c, fan, cable TV, hairdryer, safe, and minibar/fridge. There is a swimming pool and a restaurant/bar. Includes breakfast.
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Canaima, via Puerto Ordaz. Upon arrival in Canaima, pay National Park fee (about $35), before being transferred to Ucaima Camp "Jungle Rudy's", a small lodge located on the banks of the Carrao River, above Hacha Falls with views of three tepuis and the Auyantepui in the distance.
Your transfer to the lodge involves a five-minute jeep ride, followed by a five-minute dugout canoe ride to the lodge. Ucaima Camp offers tranquility and personalized service.
Accommodations are in comfortable cabanas with private bathrooms.The grassy area in front of the lodge is a perfect place to sit back and enjoy the unique backdrop of Canaima National Park, and Canaima lagoon's cool, dark but clear water offers refreshing respite from the Gran Sabana's mid-day heat.
Your time in Ucaima Camp is free to explore on your own or to sign up for additional excursions. All meals are included. Excursions available at an additional expense include:
Full day Excursion to Angel Falls - Rainy season only (June-November)
After early morning coffee and light snack, board a motorized dugout canoe (curiara) and set off up the Carrao River, which is lined by luxuriant vegetation.
After another short jeep trip around Mayupa rapids, continue up river, stopping to view the spectacular scenery of the "Lost World." Giant tepuis loom over the savannah and jungle below and countless waterfalls gracefully descend the face of Auyan-tepui.
The journey continues passing by Arautaima rapids, Pozo de la Felicidad and Orchid Island. Upon arrival at Orchid Island, breakfast will be served. Afterward, continue upriver, leaving the Carrao River behind, and proceeding up the Churun River. After about one hour, you will reach Ratoncito Island, from where you can observe Angel Falls.
From Ratoncito Island, a one hour hike leads to El Mirador, a lookout point offering superb views and photographic opportunities (weather permitting) to capture the massive rocky face of Auyan-tepui and "Salto Angel" in the warm morning sun. The rest of your morning will be spent exploring this "Lost World" on your own, and after a barbeque lunch return to Ucaima Camp in time for dinner.
Angel Falls Over Flight
Depart in a charter flight for a thrilling 45-minute over flight of Angel Falls and the Devil's canyon. En route you will enjoy views of the Gran Sabana and Auyan Tepui.
Half-day trip to Mayupa and Sapo Falls
Shove-off in motorized dugout canoes up the Carrao River to the Sabana (plain) de Mayupa. You'll explore Sapo and Sapito Falls and take a refreshing swim under the waterfalls before continuing up the Caño Moroco stream to see El Venado (the deer) and El Zamuro (the vulture) mesas.
Half-day excursion to Yuri Falls
Depart Ucaima by vehicle for a 20-minute drive across the savanna to Puerto Verde where you board a motorized dugout canoe and head down the Carrao River. Arriving at Puerto Yuri, a 15-minute walk through the jungle leads to the falls and beaches of Yuri where you will have plenty of time for swimming and exploring.
Full-day trip to Kavak
After breakfast, board a single or twin-engine plane for a 20-minute flight to the Pemon Indian outpost of Kavak located at the base of Auyan-Tepui.
En route, you'll catch a spectacular birds-eye view of Angel Falls and Devils Canyon in the heart of Canaima National Park. Arriving in Kavak, you will be led by a native Pemon Indian on a hike across savanna and through lush rainforest to a series of spectacular waterfalls and the Kavak gorge.
There is plenty of time for exploring this remarkable area, including a swim up the narrow canyon into an ancient waterfall "bowl" carved into the jungle and rock by thousands of years of relentless stream flow. Returning to Kavak, enjoy a grilled lunch and refreshments before boarding our return charter flight to Ucaima. Includes all meals.
Angel Falls Overnight
*Subject to weather conditions year-round
After breakfast, board a motorized dugout canoe (curiara) and set off up the Carrao River, which is lined by luxuriant vegetation.
After another short jeep trip around Mayupa rapids, continue up river, stopping to view the spectacular scenery of the "Lost World." Giant tepuis loom over the savannah and jungle below and countless waterfalls gracefully descend the face of Auyan-tepui.
The journey continues passing by Arautaima rapids, Pozo de la Felicidad and Orchid Island. Upon arrival at Orchid Island, breakfast will be served. Afterward, continue upriver, leaving the Carrao River behind, and proceeding up the Churun River. After about one hour, you will reach Ratoncito Island, from where you can observe Angel Falls.
From Ratoncito Island, a one hour hike leads to El Mirador, a lookout point offering superb views and photographic opportunities (weather permitting) to capture the massive rocky face of Auyan-tepui and "Salto Angel" in the warm morning sun.
The rest of your day will be spent exploring this "Lost World" on your own. Your overnight accommodations are in a rustic shelter close to Ratoncito Island.
After another full morning enjoying Angel Falls, return downriver to Ucaima Camp in time for dinner.
Transfer to airport for flight to Merida, via Puerto Ordaz and Caracas.
Andes Scenic Adventure
The Andean region is a picturesque land of fertile soil, rich in traditional culture. This exciting adventure lets you truly experience the tranquility and beauty of this wonderful area and its inhabitants.
In addition to light trekking and horseback riding in the highland, there will be ample time for you to mix with the locals and barter for handicrafts in provincial markets.
You'll be met at the airport by your guide and if time permits a short city tour including a visit to Plaza Bolivar and the historic cathedral. Overnight at the Belensate Hotel, considered the best in Merida. Includes all meals.
After breakfast off to Jaji, a reconstructed colonial village, visit Hacienda El Carmen, a 150-year-old coffee plantation where you will learn about the history and processing of coffee and to Lagunillas village where you will witness a mysterious salt lagoon, massive eroded canyons and sugar plantations.
Afternoon hike in the Los Conejos tropical cloud forest part of the Sierra Culata National Park. Overnight at the Belensate Hotel.
Start you day with an optional ride on the world's longest and highest aerial cable car ($25 per person - not included in package price.
From bottom to top, the ride takes about one hour, and is especially remarkable for the changes in scenery and vegetation along the way. From Mérida, the cable car sweeps across the valley, planted with sugarcane and coffee and soon you are rising above the steep forested hills and cascading rivers.
From the summit, you see a wonderful panorama of snowcapped mountains, as well as glaciers and lakes full of Andean trout. Opportunity for light trekking.
In the afternoon, visit Mérida's principal market where everything from colorful hammocks to tropical fruits can be found. Dinner and night in Los Frailes, a beautiful lodge located at nearly 5,000 feet. This lodge was a monastery in the 18th century and maintains its colonial architecture and décor.
Early morning start to explore small Andean villages and the high mountain plateaus or parámos. Discover the tiny town of Mucuchies which was founded in 1596 by the Spanish on the site of the pre-Hispanic Chama Indian tribe.
Today you'll visit Laguna Mucubají, one of the largest of over 200 glacier lakes in the state of Mérida.
Your adventure continues with the opportunity to trek or horseback ride to Laguna Negra observing the incredible variety of mountain flowers and possibly seeing the world's only high altitude hummingbird, the bearded helmetcrest.
Here you will be introduced to the diversity and adaptive features of the Andean vegetation and the singularities of this tropical high-mountain climate.
An outstanding feature of the paramo is a group of plant species called Espeletiinae, the South American flannel flowers or locally known as frailejones. Visit Eagle Pass, the highest paved road in Venezuela at 4.047 meters and a biological research station to see the Andean Condor, one of the world's largest birds with a wingspan of more than 3 meters.
Return to Merida and overnight at the Belensate Hotel.
Flight to Los Roques.
Posada Albacora
Upon arrival on Gran Roque, pay entrance tax (some $36) and proceed to your Mediterranean-style, comfortable guesthouse named Posada Albacora. The guesthouse has only 3 rooms, 2 doubles and a suite for up to 4 people divided in 2 spaces, a mezzanine and a lower level.
Rooms are very completely equipped with king size bed, private bathrooms (hot water), air conditioning, small refrigerator with non-alcoholic drinks included, satellite TV, hair dryer, safe, roof fan and ample windows.
Albacora counts also with a beautiful and ample terrace, free internet service, and an optional private mobile phone per room at disposition (prepaid line). All meals are included in your stay, and optional excursions can be easily arranged through the guesthouse.
If you are interested in scuba diving, Lost World Adventures can arrange diving and instruction at the local dive shop for a variety of skill levels. From the "Discovery Scuba" course, where you can dive safely with a dive master (no certification obtained) to the highly advanced "Rescue Diver" course (for professional diving), and even the "Jr. Open Water Diver" course in which divers aged 12 to 15 may obtain an internationally recognized certificate, you can find what you need.
Diving at different keys will give you the opportunity to see marine life such as stingrays, grouper, angelfish, barracuda, moray eels, and coral, among others.
For those who would prefer to snorkel, Los Roques is still an underwater wonderland. Healthy reef systems are packed with life and contain thick forests of soft coral, long stretches of virgin hard coral, black coral bushes, brain corals, mounds of star coral and great clusters of gray and brown gorgonia.
These warm, unspoiled, azure and aquamarine waters contain as many fish as were found in Belize, Cozumel or the north wall of Cayman, 30 years ago.
Although of the same reef system as Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, this is no underwater petting zoo. Designated a National Park, all sites in the archipelago are limited to 10 divers, so you get the intimate feeling of diving in untamed, untouched waters. Most often, you will be the only divers in any given area. Visibility varies, but can reach 100 feet.
No matter where you dive, you will swim among and marvel at immense swirling schools of fish: armies of glassy sweepers, southern sennet, spotted drum, jacks, Spanish mackerel, barracuda, grouper, red, gray and yellowtail snapper, hogfish, tarpon, Queen angels, thousands of silvery blue bogia, trumpet fish, white spotted filefish, smooth trunk fish, colorful tropicals, parrotfish, porcupine puffers, stingrays, moray eels and more.
Among the many spectacular dive sites are the Rock of the Jewfish, which provides an excellent introduction to the following days of diving. Although there are no longer any Jewfish, there is still plenty to see during a 30-minute circumnavigation of this seamount.
Nurse sharks are occasionally spotted at Los Noronkys. At the coral-laden wall at Cayo Sal, you can take a break inside a cavern at 100 feet and watch as tens of thousands of fish swim by castles of hard coral and tall, swaying bushes of soft corals.
The wall at Punta Salina starts at 30 feet and drops straight to 180 feet. You can also include a visit to the Turtle Sanctuary, located in Dos Mosquices Key, a 2 to 2 ½-hour boat trip from Gran Roque. Here you will find an incredible reefs-cape of pristine hard and soft corals.
Fisherman will find Los Roques to be a heaven for flats fishing. Bonefish are abundant year 'round, and tarpon and permit also easily caught in these waters. In this National Marine Park, all fishing is strictly catch and release, and a very limited number of fishermen are permitted to fish daily.
For those who enjoy windsurfing, there is a first class windsurf club located on adjacent Francisky key. They rent a variety of equipment for excursions ranging abundant year 'round, and tarpon an
Transfer to the airstrip for your flight to Caracas. You will be met at the airport and assisted to the international terminal.
| Price from | $5,230.00 per person, based on double occupancy |
|---|---|
| Days | 12 |
| Nights | 11 |
