South & Central America
Highlights - Essential Info - Itineraries
- Caracas
- The Mainland Coastline
- The Orinoco Delta
- The Llanos
- Gran Sabana & Canaima National Park
- The Andes
- The Amazon
- Los Roques National Park & Margarita Island
The Amazon
The southernmost state of Amazonas is one of the largest but least inhabited regions, one that is, however, teeming with wildlife and exotic plants. This largely impenetrable terrain is sparsely populated by indigenous Indians such as the Yanomami (amongst others), estimated at a total of 40,000. It is a region inaccessible by road, a world dominated by water and forests, where the 'curiara', a local boat excavated from a tree trunk, is the only means of transport.
Puerto Ayacucho, a seaport on the banks of the Orinoco, is the only town of any size, and the state capital, the last outpost of 'civilization'. Cerro Autana, the sacred mountain of the Indians, and according to a local legend the Giant Life Tree, is 80 km south of Puerto Ayacucho and can be reached in an unforgettable two-day boat trip through the jungle.
Furthermore, the Amazonas houses five national parks, which are among the wildest and least accessible in the country, where more than 8,000 plant species can be admired.
Our preferred lodge is:
Orinoquia Lodge
