FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF HUMBOLDT
14 DAYS/13 NIGHTS
DAY 1
Arrive Puerto Ayacucho, capital of Amazonas state, from Caracas on Santa Barbara Airlines at 10:30 a.m. Transfer to the city with visits to the Ethnological Museum, the indigenous market and making purchases for the trip. Overnight in Campamento OrinoquIa in double room. Lunch and dinner provided.
DAY 2
After breakfast leave at 8:00 a.m. for a one-hour jeep drive to Puerto Samariapo. Start of river trip on the Orinoco with a visit to Isla Ratón and San Fernando de Atabapo. Overnight in hammocks. Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.
DAY 3
Navigating again on the Orinoco River, stopping for a visit at the Ministry of the Environment station at Trapichote to observe the cultivation of rubber trees. A visit also at Santa Barbara at the mouth of the Ventuari River. Another night in hammocks. Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided.
DAY 4
Navigating along the Orinoco with a long look at the fantastic Yapacana mountain. Overnight at the town of San Antonio. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
DAY 5
Continue to the Yanomami town of Cejal combined with a visit to the Tamatama Mission. We will then carry on to the town of Esmeralda where we will overnight. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
DAY 6
At Esmeralda we will visit the Humboldt Investigation Center prior to sailing onwards to the Casiquiare.
DAY 7
We will explore some of the areas along the Casiquiare and visit another Yanomami settlement at Coromoto.
DAY 8
An exploratory trip along the Siapa River.
DAY 9
Finally we will navigate to the Rio Negro.
DAY 10
A visit to the town of San Carlos de Río Negro as well as a Colombian town.
DAY 11
We will now navigate to the huge, enormous Cocuy stone at the frontier between Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela.
DAY 12
We will make an excursion to visit the area of Cocuy as well as a town in Brazil.
DAY 13
We return to San Carlos de Rio Negro to catch the plane to Puerto Ayacucho. Hopefully we will be able to see the Autana Tepuy during our flight. Overnight at Campamento Orinoquia.
DAY 14
Transfer to the airport and flight back to Caracas.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRIP
- Boat and Equipment
The metal boat is 27 mts. long and 2.90 meters wide with an outboard motor of 115 HP. This boat is completely adapted to the rivers we will be traveling along. There is a bathroom and shower, and the roof may be used as a terrace, and the roof may be used as a terrace. Food will be cooked and mostly served on the boat, where tables and chairs will be available. Also, hammocks may be hung in the boat for afternoon siestas. We have an auxiliary 16-foot aluminum launch with a 40 HP motor for exploring narrow rivers and streams. There is also a GPS aboard so everyone will know exactly where we are at all times.
We have radio communication with the office in Puerto Ayacucho as well as other stations in the event of an emergency. A satellite telephone my be rented by the passengers. At night we will use solar power for illumination. We also have a small electrical plant for charging batteries and we naturally carry reading material and maps of the area.
We guarantee safe drinking water during the whole trip. Ample and complete meals will be served with those products available locally – fish, meat and fruits. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide cold drinks.
- DETAILS OF THE ROUTE WE WILL FOLLOW
We will be sailing from the Port of Samariapo, which is just before the Rapids of Maipues. We will be traveling up the Orinoco River, visiting indigenous communities and overnighting at some of them, hanging our hammocks in their houses. The guides will identify all the tributaries along the Orinoco and explain any and all important ecological details of the area for you.
Travel will be only during daylight hours, always trying to alternate activities and visits as well as exploring smaller rivers, fishing and observing nature as we travel.
As indicated by the title of this trip, we will be following the route visited by Alexander Von Humboldt in 1799, exploring the Casiquiare branch that connects the Orinoco watershed with the Amazonas River. One of our goals will be to reach the triple frontier where the borders of Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela meet at the famous Cocuy Rock. During the trip we will stop to visit stations of scientific investigations and several religious missions. We will also have the opportunity of visiting two Yanomami settlements that are located outside of the Biosphere Reserve.
The two-hour return flight to Puerto Ayacucho will be by a small Cessna plane with a flight plan that gives us an opportunity to observe the fantastic Autana Tepuy, or Sacred Mountain.
For mythological reasons the majority of the indigenous groups that we will be visiting, and particularly the Yanomamis, resent being photographed. This applies especially to women, children and older people. While we must respect this social restriction, in some areas the problem can be negotiated by the principal guide. You should let him handle the situation.
Sleeping arrangements during the trip will be in hammocks with mosquito nets, usually in indigenous communities or other adequate locations. If necessary, we may hang our hammocks on the boat.
Our drinking water will be taken from jungle springs and then boiled and chemically treated. There will be bottled or canned refreshments, concentrated as well as fresh juices. Breakfasts and dinners will be the main meals and served hot. For obvious reasons, although lunches will be light, they will also be varied.
- OBSERVATIONS
Due to the return trip by plane, baggage must be limited to 18 kilos per person.
There is a small bathroom on the boat as well as a shower. These use the water from the river that is pumped up to fill a small tank.
The use of satellite telephone is additional and must be canceled by the user at the moment of making the call according to the tariff indicated when placing the call.
With previous advice prior to the trip, a vegetarian menu can be arranged.
Due to climatic conditions or the collective wishes of the group, the itinerary may be altered but always ending at the date and place agreed upon.
It is not permitted to collect plants, minerals or animals in the area. Collections are not allowed under our operating permits, and, furthermore, the law prohibits the extraction of same.
Photographs of the indigenous people is not guaranteed and may only be authorized by the main guide who will negotiate with the Yanomamis, etc.
- INCLUDED
- Accommodations and meals at Campamento Orinoquia in double room.
- All meals and nonalcoholic beverages.
- English-speaking guide.
- Flight from San Carlos de Rio Negro to Puerto Ayacucho.
- All necessary transfers.
- Electric plant for charging video cameras batteries.
- Processing of all legal permits to visit the area.
- Photographs of indigenous peoples not guaranteed.
- RECOMMENDATIONS
- No more than 18 kilos of baggage per person.
- Light-weight clothing, bathing suit, boots, sandals and sports shoes, rain cape or jacket.
- Medicines for personal use (headaches, indigestion, etc.)
- Flashlight, knife, hat, insect repellent, sun block, sun glasses.
- Binoculars and sufficient photographic material
- This trip is not recommended for children.
- The trip does not require any special physical conditions.
- Due to water levels the trip may only be made from June to December.