EXPLORING VENEZUELA

Venezuela's Great Outdoors
by Dominic Hamilton

VENEZUELA FORUM

VENEZUELA -- Although many clued-up travelers flock to Venezuela specifically to enjoy its natural wonders, the scale and diversity of its natural bounty comes as a surprise to many people.

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Even more surprising is how few foreign tourists visit the country. While Costa Rica receives millions of foreigners every year, eager to enjoy its ecotourism opportunities, barely a million reach Venezuelan shores. Incredible when you consider most of Costa Rica could fit inside Parque Nacional Canaima, Venezuela's largest park -- the size of Belgium in Europe or Maryland in the United States. And all the more striking when you discover the variety of ecosystems this northern South American country harbors.

Few other countries in the world pack such a varied and diverse ecological punch.

ince establishing its first national park in 1937, Venezuela has gone on to protect over 140,000 sq km (54,600 sq miles) -- an area equivalent of Illinois in the United States and larger than England -- some 15% of its national territory. The national parks are administered by the Instituto Nacional de Parques (called Inparques) , with limited, and often mismanaged funds. Some parks such as those close to Caracas (El avila, Guatopo and Henri Pittier) or Canaima and Sierra Nevada, boast good infrastructure, including cleared trails, cabins for sleeping, organized campsites and knowledgeable guardaparques (park wardens). Others, like Peninsula de Paria, Sierra de San Luis or Sierra de La Culata are pretty much left to their own devices. Sadly, with little means of enforcing regulations or controls, in some cases they are little more than "paper parks".

Miro Popic's Ecotourism Guide to Venezuela details the country's parks' main attractions, as well as access and accommodation. It also includes a useful ecological calendar produced by the Audubon, see Guia Ecoturistica.

BIRDWATCHING

Birders have long discovered Venezuela. The Venezuela Audubon Society, La Cuadra, Centro Comercial Paseo Las Mercedes, Las Mercedes, Caracas, established as early as 1970, works tirelessly to promote and protect not only the country's stunning birdlife, but all of its wildlife and environments. One of its most active members, Mary Lou Godwin, published the birdwatching bible to the country, Birding in Venezuela, with excellent practical information about the best spots but also details of lodging and eating possibilities. A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela by Rodolphe Meer de Schauensee and William H. Phelps, provides the definitive list of its species.

Probably the king of the birding parks is Parque Nacional Henri Pittier west of Caracas, where the Portachuelo Pass, a dip in the Cordillera de la Costa mountain range, affords a migratory highway for hundreds of species. The Audubon organize regular tagging sessions where volunteers are welcome, but can also put you in touch with the best guides or tour operators.

While the forests of the Cordillera, whose spine arcs right the way round Venezuela from the Andes to the Paria Peninsula, make for wonderful opportunities, Venezuela's numerous coastal lagoons, such as Tacarigua, La Restinga (Margarita), and Cuare present ideal means to float along waterways, binoculars at the ready.

The Llanos plains also host a plethora of good birding spots, with over 300 species recorded. The dry season months make for the best multicolored displays of ibis, heron and roseate spoonbills. Hato El Frio (also known as Estacion Biologica El Frio) , and the one-time ranch of the Rockefeller family, Hato El Cedral are among the popular birder haunts.

Providing access to the bird-rich forests of Imataca and the Sierra de Lema in Bolivar State, birders make a b-line for Henry Cleve's posada, Barquilla y Fresa (book through the Audubon, above), on the road to the Gran Sabana.

When the wildflowers of the moorlands (called paramos) of the Andes blossom in October, these otherwise bleak landscapes hum with busying birds, including high-altitude hummingbirds. Perhaps the greatest treat however, a visit to the Mifafi Condor Center close to Apartaderos to learn about the program to reintroduce the graceful condor to Venezuela, is a must.

A great birding guide is the knowledgeable Englishman, Chris Sharpe. Check out his website Bird Venezuela

Hiking goes hand in hand with birdwatching or wildlife spotting. With over 40 national parks and "natural monuments" to choose from, you can guarantee your new boots will look decidedly worn by the end of your vacation.

Hit the trails in the Andes, entering the Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada by the teleferico, from La Mucuy near Tabay, or from near Mucuchies. Highlights include the glacial lagoons in the north of the park, the stone chapel of Juan Felix Sanchez in El Potrero, and the hot springs and paramos within the Parque Nacional Sierra de La Culata.

Of Merida's main tour operators, Arassari Trek & Bum Bum Tours have some very good naturalist and experienced guides on their books.

Of the coastal parks, numerous pretty well-marked trails criss-cross Henri Pittier. Cacao Travel Group offers excellent hiking or trekking tours in the park, with lodges in the pretty colonial village of Choroni.

Peninsula de Paria, at Venezuela's eastern extreme, retains plenty of untouched muddy cloudforest trails. Entering from the south, you emerge from the forest at paradisiacal beaches on the Caribbean. What better way to wash off the sweat of a four-hour hike? The soft sandy beaches, thankfully still Venezuela's best kept secret, provide the nesting grounds for large numbers of endangered marine turtles. For information about turtle watching on the coast, contact Encuentro Paria (see below).

Tours of the park are best arranged through local posada owners. Among the most knowledgeable guides in the area, and an intriguing man to boot, Klaus Muller runs a pioneering lodge, Campamento Vuelta Larga near El Pilar. Also in Paria, the omnipresent Encuentro Paria, Avenida Independencia, Carupano, manage a series of beach cabañas, a water buffalo ranch, thermal springs, and an old cacao hacienda. They can arrange all sorts of tours of the region. For birding and hiking, Billy Esser and his family's Hacienda Bukare south of Rio Caribe, is one of the friendliest lodges in the area.

And then there's Canaima, along with the Sierra Nevada, king of Venezuela's adventure parks. Although most people visit the park to feast their eyes on Angel Falls, reached by river in the rainy season and by small plane in the dry, more adventurous hikers can discover its hundreds of waterfalls, sylvan pools and tea-tinted rivers. A growing number of operators, including the competent Cacao Travel Group (see above) arrange the demanding hike up the Auyan mountain, from where Angel Falls plunges, starting from the hamlet of Kavak. The hike can also be attempted independently by bringing your own food and contracting a local Pemon Indian as a guide.

The eastern sector of Canaima, reached by the Highway 10 leading to Brazil, presents a tapestry of trails to blaze. To the southeast, fit travelers embark on the six-day trek up to the lunarscape atop Mount Roraima, the highest of the mesa mountains (called tepuis) of the Gran Sabana. The trek is regarded as one of South America's finest. But you can also head off into the savanna at any number of points. From San Francisco de Yuruani, a three-day trail heads west to the mission village of Wonken, in the heart of the savanna and seldom visited, while close to the unique frontier community of El Pauji on the Brazilian border, settlers from the cities or local Pemon guide you through the forests and savanna to some wonderful sights.

Of Venezuela's numerous caves, the longest courses through the mountains of the Sierra de Perija in Zulia State (Cueva del Saman), though the most famous cave in the country burrows into the hills of Monagas State: the Cueva del Guacharo, home to the country's largest colony of the unique guacharo (oilbird). Spelunking is best organized through the members of the Venezuelan Speleogical Society.

King of the dive locales, the Los Roques Archipelago off the central coast, rules for its variety of corals and number of fish encountered. Sesto Continente, based near the Inparques headquarters on Gran Roque island, is the only company to provide dive services and courses. For live-aboard yachts contact AlpiTour

Some of the sites suit more experienced divers, though Boca del Medio, only 10 m (33 ft) in depth but nonetheless teeming with fish and pristine corals, makes a great beginners¨ dive. Of the other sites scattered throughout the islands and islets of the archipelago, Dos Mosquices, with its turtle-breeding research center, and the shipwrecks close to Nordisqui are my personal picks, but you could add the vertical cliffs off Cayo Sal or the labyrinths of Nordonqui to the list, and still not exhaust the possibilities. Aggregate the deserted and pristine La Tortuga island, north of Los Roques, in case you run out of options.

The shallows and sandy bottoms of Morrocoy, west of Caracas in Falcon State, are regarded as the best venue for beginners, with good dives off Cayo Sombrero and Cayo Borracho. Contact the experienced Mike Osborn of Submatur, Calle Ayacucho No. 6, Tucacas, or multi-lingual Pierre and Monika of Agua-Fun Diving in Chichiriviche. Both enjoy good reputations, and also offer PADI and NAUI courses.

Mochima, the marine national park stretching between Puerto La Cruz in Anzoategui State and Cumana in Sucre State, offers some great deep-water dives, though waters are therefore colder than elsewhere in the country. Dolphins abound, and whales have also been spotted. If you want to combine sophisticated hotels, nightlife and divelife, head to Puerto La Cruz where several companies organize trips to the nearby reefs, among them the Scuba Divers Club, based in the Bahia Redonda Marina, Avenida Tajamar, El Morro, east of the town. For something more relaxed, and less luxurious, two posadas in the traveler-friendly Santa Fe, Playa Santa Fe Resort and Dive Center and Siete Delfines offer combined lodging and diving packages.

Last of the "M"s, one of the best dives on Margarita Island, El Farallon by Pampatar, includes a saintly religious statue among the brain corals and sea fans. However, you should head further afield for the best diving off the "Pearl of the Caribbean": Los Frailes, a cluster of islands to the northeast, and Los Testigos, are only just being discovered by divers, and offer sites comparable to Los Roques. Contact Centro de Buceo Pablo Montoya , which runs PADI, NAUI and CMAS courses, or Enomis¨ Divers, based inside the Hotel Margarita Dynasty.

For all sorts of information regarding scuba diving in Venezuela, and elsewhere, see the Scuba Yellow Pages

If you bring your own board with you, surfing in Venezuela may not be Hawaii but it will keep you smiling through your vacation. On Margarita, surf dudes head for Playa Guacuco and Playa Parguito, while on the mainland, Playa Camuri along the Litoral Central (east of the Maiquetia airport), and Playa Cuyagua north of Maracay across Henri Pittier park, both draw plenty of surfers to their beaches.

One of the top locations in the world for windsurfing, El Yaque on Margarita's southern coasts boasts howling winds all year-round, strongest from November to March. Its annual regatta, attracting windsurfers from all over the world, is held in May. For a windsurfer's perspective see website. Not only are the winds intense, the accommodation and nightlife which has built up around the beach is first-class, making it a great place to come even if you're not a windsurfer. Rivaling El Yaque on the mainland, winds at Adicora, on the east coast of the "giant's head" Peninsula de Paraguana in Falcon State, also howl. Accommodation and sail rental is available at Windsurf Adicora

SAILING

El Morro, a vast project initiated in the 1980s, continues to expand. With its various marinas, luxury resorts, shopping malls and classy restaurants, it's the place to head for on Venezuela's Caribbean. The country's largest regatta, the South Caribbean Ocean Regatta takes place every year usually in August. For yachties, the Centro Marino de Oriente has the most modern facilities of the three marinas in El Morro.

If you're a group of four or more, chartering a yacht to cruise the islands of Mochima, or to head east to Los Roques, can be more economical than you might think. Dockside Marina Bahia Redonda, El Morro, are a very organized local tour, travel and yacht agents, within the marina. They can help you charter the right yacht for your needs.

The gaggle of yacht charters on Margarita Island are also tempting. Day trips to the islands of quieter and beautiful beaches and coves of Coche and Cubagua islands to the south can be arranged through Viola Turismo in the Margarita Hilton.

Accommodation on Los Roques can get quite expensive if you're a group of more than four. Chartering a yacht for a few days in order to explore the islands in this case can save you money. Contact Alpi Tour (see above) who can offer a range of packages.

MOUNTAIN BIKING

As fans of two-wheeled adventures know, the real enemy of the cyclist is wind, not hills. The Andes aren't short on these. Among the best routes, biking the back-roads of the Pueblos del Sur south of Merida, or the trails from Apartaderos, (north down to Timotes, or south down to Merida), have cyclists scribbling postcards home. Bum Bum Tours (see above) rent bikes in good condition, and can advise you on other excellent circuits.

Elsewhere in the country, finding a bike rental company can be more problematic. In Coro, Posada El Gallo, Calle Federacion No 26, run by the Frenchman eric and his Venezuela wife, rent bikes and show you routes through the colonial villages and cool hills of the delightful Sierra de San Luis, south of the town.

In Paria, the friendly La Posada de Arlet also rents bikes, an excellent move considering the lack of public transport to the wonderful beaches close to the town.

The hills around the Cueva del Guacharo -- known as El Jardin del Oriente (The Garden of the Orient) -- make for some great biking territory, plus they're refreshingly cool. With the numerous restaurants dotted along the roads, and some great agriturismo posadas in the area, a bike offers plenty of freedom. Contact Trekking Travelers Tours, Calle Guzman Blanco, Caripe.

HORSEBACK RIDING

Venezuela's mythical heart lies in the plains and horsemen of Los Llanos -- though cynics would argue it's more like the beaches and boutiques of Miami. Ever since the llanero cavalry played such a pivotal role in the War of Independence, the cowboy -- rugged, resourceful and romantic -- has occupied pride of place in the country's pantheon of heroes.

Look no further than the Llanos for great adventures on horseback. Many of the hatos (ranches) scattered throughout the plains states offer riding tours of their lands, making a far better alternative to the open-sided safari trucks usually employed. On horseback, you can get the much closer to the abundant wildlife, and feel far more in tune with the natural environment of the plains. After days spent in the saddle you¨ll also understand why the llaneros are so tough. The dry season affords the best opportunities for both exploring and wildlife spotting. The 80,000-hectare (200,000-acre) Hato El Piñero boasts some of the best horses in the region, but you could also contact Las Churuatas de Capanaro, which enjoys privileged access to Parque Nacional Cinaruco-Capanaro,

In many towns throughout the Andes, local andinos rent mules and small criollo horses for day-trips. Spend an afternoon exploring the hills around Jaji; take a mule over the hills from the Loma Redonda teleferico station to the village of Los Nevados; or rent a horse to meander the trails close to Laguna Mucubaji. The quality of the animals may be lacking however, so it's best to contact one of the specialized fincas around Merida that offer larger horses, accompanied by professional guides. Contact the competent Jose Luis Troconis of Natoura Adventure Tours, also on Calle 24, Plaza Las Heroinas, Merida.

Over on Margarita, the westerly Macanao Peninsula makes for some fantastic riding, but trails also abound throughout the inland villages of the main peninsula. The landscapes of Macanao, arid and cactus-covered, are as dramatic as the heat is unforgiving. Take a tour early in the morning or in the evening, and enjoy some rides along the near-deserted beaches of the southern shores. Rancho Negro, based near La Asuncion, have years of experience, while Cabatucan lies close to Boca del Rio on Macanao.

For some wonderful riding in the cool hills of the Sierra de San Luis above Coro, contact the posada La Soledad, which enjoys superb views, run by two brothers who know the area's wonders like the backs of their hands. In Paria, explore the forests, colorful villages, cacao haciendas and unsurpassed beaches with the people of Ruta del Cacao, just south of Rio Caribe.

Dominic Hamilton is the author of the Traveler's Venezuela Companion and host of the Venezuela Voyage website. He can be reached via email

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