Jet Set Go

The first in our series of Once-in-a-lifetime Adventures and Experiences

My husband and I may have different interests but one of the two we have in common is the passion to travel and savor unique experiences. We had our private wedding at the Valley of Fire, Nevada in June, 2012, and at a beachside restaurant in Singapore a week later. Shortly after, we flew to Thailand for our honeymoon in Phuket.

As beautiful and romantic as Phuket was, we both developed a hunger for holiday experiences that were out of the ordinary. So, as soon as our honeymoon ended, we started planning for such a trip to happen the following year.

 

Original Reason for Visiting Venezuela

My husband is of Argentine origin but his eldest brother has been living in Venezuela for decades. We visited his brother and his brother’s family in July, 2013 in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela where he lived (and still lives now at the time this post is written). My late mother-in-law flew over from Mar del Plata, Argentina to meet us there and that was when I was introduced to his whole family except for his elder sister who had to cancel her trip at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances.

 

***       Word of Caution: Governments of most countries currently
categorize Venezuela as an unsafe country to visit due to ongoing social and political unrest. If you are motivated to engage in the adventurous trekking activities described in this post, you are strongly advised to get in touch with trustworthy travel agents in Venezuela prior to your arrival in the country and take all the necessary precautions as advised by your respective governments or consulates. Otherwise, you may want to keep this adventure in mind for a later and safer time.

 

Activities in Venezuela before the Amazon Rainforest Adventure

While in Venezuela, we enjoyed great food (the other passion that my husband and I share) and truly unforgettable family time. On top of that, we:

1. Spent a wonderful day exploring La Llovizna, a gorgeous park with a magnificent waterfall called the Llovizna Falls
2. Went on a fun and memorable two-days-one-night road trip to the beautiful Mochima National Park where we had a lovely day at the serene Mochima Beach and spent the night at a small lodging in the nearby town of Santa Fe.

 

The Amazon Rainforest Adventure

The highlight of our Venezuelan trip was our adventure trekking through the part of the Amazon Rainforest called the Gran Sabana situated at the Venezuelan-Brazilian border, within the Canaima National Park in Bolivar State, Venezuela.  At that time, our only option for booking the guided adventure was in person at a travel office at the Manuel Carlos Piar International Airport in Puerto Ordaz. We paid for our trip in Venezuelan bolivar, so I am not able to provide the accurate price we paid based on the current exchange rate with USD. At that time, in total for the two of us, it was about USD $800. Quite possibly the price has about doubled since then. We had to make full payment at the time of booking for the three days-two-nights full board trip that included:

1. Roundtrip flights on a small plane
2. All transfers (land and water transportation)
3. Fully guided tours
4. One-night stay at the wonderful Campamento Ucaima, Jungle Rudy, a rustic lodge
5. One night in a camp opposite the breathtaking tallest natural waterfall in the world, Angel Falls
6. All meals

There are now several travel agencies offering similar tours with information made available on their websites. However, most (if not all) still do not offer direct online bookings, and requests/inquiries have to be made by contacting them directly via email or by filling up the online forms on their websites.

 

What to Prepare

It was indeed a once-in-lifetime adventure that required at least a good fitness level to engage in as it involved a significant degree of hiking, in-river water breaks, climbing of rocks, and ascending inclined trails within the Amazon Rainforest that is home to myriad repellent resistant insects and other creatures. It was an absolute paradise for nature and adventure lovers like us but definitely not for the faint-hearted or those who only thrive in comfort and luxury when traveling. It has all to do with fitness and readiness level and nothing to do with age. There was a 10-year-old Italian boy (with his parents) in our tour group who looked like he was having the time of his life; and a senior couple who looked like they were anywhere between their late 50s and mid 60s who could manage the activities perfectly. My husband and I were in our 40s then. As advised by the tour agency, we ensured we had the following:

1. Good fitness level
2. Lots of insect repellent
3. Suitable clothing and change items for land and water trekking activities
4. Trekking shoes
5. Lots of sunscreen
6. Hat/cap and sunglasses
7. Our medicinal needs
8. Comfortable clothing for pre and post-forest trekking

Our food and water needs were fully provided by the agency. I brought along enough sanitizing wipes too. It was optional but recommended that we wore long-sleeved trekking tops and long trekking pants because the insects and bugs in that forest were not of the usual species you encounter in developed areas. These are mostly immune to insect repellents. We learned the hard way that most were the “commando” types that could even bite us right through clothing. Of course, due to the humidity in the rainforest, we could not wear thicker attire. The long sleeves and long pants were also recommended to protect us from cuts and scratches as we navigated our way through rocks and vegetation. Most of us did not fully adhere to the recommendations. 

 

Arrival in Canaima National Park

The small plane from Puerto Ordaz flew us directly to the entrance of Canaima National Park located at the airport itself. Everyone on the plane was in our tour group and they were from Europe, South America, and the United States. There were about 12 of us in the group. We only got to know those from Italy and other parts of the United States. We were given some time to explore the park’s entrance area where souvenirs and some refreshments were sold.

Our guide then took us on a tour, riding on the back of a pickup truck, of the Canaima Village where we already started getting fascinated by the tea or rather rust-colored rivers, and gushing rapids that led to magnificent waterfalls. We were told that the deep color of the river water was due to the high mineral content. From the start of the tour, the guide told us that the only kind of signal we might get during the trip was the smoke signal. We laughed but he was not kidding. There was no wifi or cell phone signal anywhere within the national park at that time. I still brought my cell phone along everywhere just to take pictures. Things might have changed since then because most travel agencies currently advertise the availability of “free wifi” in their Canaima tour packages on their websites. Still, I highly doubt that you may have access to reliable or any kind of cell phone or internet signal while trekking the rainforest.

 

The Accommodation: Ucaima Camp (Campamento Ucaima, Jungle Rudy)

After the village tour, we were taken on a motorized canoe to our accommodation for the night. All along the trip, the tour guide provided us with interesting information about the forest and its inhabitants. He had a great sense of humor too. While on the boat, I asked about the piranhas that I heard inhabit the Amazonian rivers in abundance. He told me that it was true but that they were not at all parts of the rivers at all times. Pockets of them hang around specific areas at specific times for food. He hilariously suggested that I try dipping my finger(s) into the river water to see if there were any piranhas where our boat was passing by. Then, speaking seriously, he mentioned that snakes, including large ones such as the anaconda, were NOT rare sightings in the area and that a full-size anaconda skin was on display at the lodge’s lobby for us to get an idea of the size of the beast.

Upon arrival at the Ucaima Camp, I must admit that I was at first apprehensive. Although the lodge was situated right by the river across from a row of magnificent tepuis (table-top mountains) within a wonderfully lush and serene surrounding, the lobby and dining hall/restaurant looked like an oversized hut. I was worried that the eco-conscious lodge would offer less than what I needed for a minimally comfortable night’s stay. However, as soon as I set foot in the rustic structure, I was blown away by how brilliantly the lodge was designed. As mentioned by our guide earlier, an anaconda skin was spread high along the lobby wall lining the joint where the wall and the ceiling met. Walls and corners were adorned with items depicting Pemon (local indigenous people of the Gran Sabana) art, handicrafts, and artifacts such as weapons and pottery.  Artsy wooden furniture provided an atmosphere of understated elegance. The ambience was warm, welcoming, and relaxing. To further put our minds at ease (or perhaps quite the opposite), the anti-venoms of dangerous snakes and insects were displayed in flasks (along with the snakes and insects) on a shelf along a wired grid wall. Also displayed were the flags of countries from which every visitor had come from. Friendly and adorable parrots were hanging around freely in the dining area much to the delight of all guests.

Our ensuite rooms were small but roomy enough for the two of us to walk around the queen bed comfortably, and to unpack and repack our travel bags at a corner where there was a small table and a chair. It was very clean and the brightly colored walls and linens provided a warm hue balanced by the calming view from the window that overlooked the river in the back. The bathroom with a walk-in shower had nice ceramic tiles and countertops. Every room was delightfully equipped with a hammock at the patio which was part of a corridor/walkway connecting the rooms. There was no television because guests were meant to disconnect from the outside world. Just lying on the hammock and enjoying the breeze felt like heaven though.

                                 

 

There was also a shared balcony-like structure at a corner at the back of the row of rooms. It jutted out a few meters above the river water. At night, we could hang around the balcony to gaze at the magical view of the stars almost fully covering the peaceful night sky. For nature lovers, this could just be paradise.

 

Trekking through the Gran Sabana (Part of the Amazon Rainforest) to Angel Falls

We set out on our trekking journey quite early in the morning but not before breakfast. As the package was full board, we were asked about our dietary needs and the chefs did an awesome job of providing delicious meals while adhering to our requirements. The playful parrots were delightful companions at the restaurant too.

Drinks and picnic lunch were packed and brought along for us by the tour guide group. We were equipped with life vests and started our journey by first plying along the scenic rivers. The journey involved:

1. Canoe trips over the tea/rust-colored river waters with dangerous rapids
2. Ascending inclined and often rocky forest trails
3. Passing under heavy waterfall showers with slippery rocks under our feet 
4. “Water breaks” while enjoying refreshing and beautiful river pools along waterfalls
5. Picnic lunch stop by a serene river bank
6. Walking across a grassy plain for about two miles before ascending yet another half a mile of rocky forest mountain trail
7. Arriving at and admiring the magnificent beauty of Angel Falls
8. Ascending down to a rustic camp situated across a river across from Angel Falls to spend the night
9. Doing almost everything again in making our way back to our Ucaima Camp lodge
10. Have our last meal at Ucaima Camp before getting transported back to the airport
11. Enjoying a delightful (albeit a little nerve-wracking) flight on the small plane over breathtaking rivers and waterfalls on our way back to Puerto Ordaz

 

Highlights and Review of the

Gran Sabana/Amazon Rainforest Trekking Journey

 

Wildlife

Other than hearing unfamiliar sounds from wildlife that were, quite possibly, hiding all around us, I did not personally see any although my husband said he saw an anaconda slithering by a river bank as it was pointed out to him. What I saw were a variety of insects and bugs of all colors and species, some looking more menacing than others. The ones I saw, as quite a few landed on my legs and arms at different times and I helped remove one that landed on a fellow traveler’s head, apparently did not bite or sting me. However, by the end of the trekking trip, I found bite/sting marks all over my legs with a few on my arms while my husband had similar marks all over both his arms and legs. This was despite applying insect repellent frequently throughout the journey. The bites and stings were not very itchy or painful but the red marks later turned into brown scars that took about two to three weeks to completely disappear.

 

As for bigger wildlife, despite my awareness of the danger, it would have been a little more thrilling for me if I had seen at least one, preferably from a safe distance of course. That said, I believe wild creatures of the forest see us humans as a danger to them as much as we see them as a danger to us. Thus, it was understandable that they hid from us as soon as they could sense us approaching.

 

Dangers and Risks

The boat rides were sometimes smooth but at other times, were heart-racingly bumpy as we rode through rocky rapids. There was always that risk of the boat toppling over and we would get thrown overboard. As we were all equipped with life vests, we were less concerned about drowning than we were about what could be lurking in the water.

 

Wildlife encounters “of the dangerous kind” somewhat hovered over us but our tour guides, some of whom were of local indigenous tribe(s), were all so professional, confident, and friendly with a great sense of humor that whenever concerns arose, they were short-lived. We had no doubt that they were experts who were highly trained, experienced, and knew exactly what they were doing. We trusted them 100% with our lives. The only time there was a real danger to me was when I fell while attempting to jump down from a huge boulder instead of taking the safer route of going around the boulder and stepping down via smaller rocks. My right knee took quite a hit, but despite the mid-level pain and concerns from everyone in the group, I insisted on carrying on with the journey. Quite miraculously, after about 30-60 minutes, the pain went away completely.

The rough terrain and humidity did pose some danger too naturally. Anyone who willingly chooses to embark on this adventure should be well prepared for that. There were members of the group, at some points, who felt a certain degree of discomfort and needed to pause for a few minutes. I did dread it whenever I felt exhausted and yet the guide told us that we had a “45-minute hike” or a “15-minute climb” ahead. Yet, our fascination with what we saw around us, and our determination to reach Angel Falls as our climax, drove us on and made time pass by quickly at every segment of the journey.  Overall, everyone could manage well. I would say that the most dangerous part of the journey was when we had to walk along the edge of a high cliff while showered by a heavy and strong gush of waterfall affecting our visibility. The path was narrow, rocky, and slippery but we had a sturdy rope to hold onto all along the edge, not only to keep us steady but also to guide us along as we could not clearly see our way through. Everyone made it through just fine and to be honest, I was absolutely thrilled by that experience.

 

Experiences  

There were three main aspects of the trekking experience that I felt were most memorable:

1.    Firstly, the experience of being totally immersed in rough environments without access to basic necessities such as restrooms and phone connections. Anyone who needed “to go” would have had to find moments and opportunities along the way such as during short pauses where there were suitable bushes to make a quick dash away from the group. The best times would of course be whenever we made scheduled longer stops at beautiful waterfalls with pools of refreshing water all around. We reveled in much-needed respite from the heat and enjoyed relatively proper water breaks at such locations. We made stops at sublimely delightful waterfalls quite a few times along the way. The chance to enjoy splashing good times like a child in each one was simply “out of this world”.

As for cellular network connection, I surprised myself by not missing it at all. There was just so much of nature to enjoy and keep our minds occupied and entertained. As we fully trusted the guides to keep us safe, the need to use our phones, other than for taking pictures, was diminished.

 

2.    Secondly, the experience of spending a night at the rustic camp opposite Angel Falls was originally a novelty that I wanted to try out but expected not to enjoy. I tried camping out in the rough twice before and hated them. Camping out in a part of the Amazon Rainforest was something I wanted to be able to brag about but anticipated that I would feel just as miserable as I did on previous occasions. I could not have been more wrong. It was amazing!

There were rather roughly-built series of small huts, possibly made of stone or concrete. One of the huts housed two small bathrooms but the water supply came from the nearby river through an overhead hose or pipe with a small opening. It looked like it required quite a bit of patience to shower using it. Another hut housed a rustic kitchen and dining hall, and the other huts were sleeping areas/rustic rooms allocated to each couple, family, or solo traveler accordingly. Electricity was shut down exactly at 10 pm.

 

We arrived at the camp at sunset time and were given a short time to take turns using the bathroom to get cleaned up before our celebratory dinner at the dining hall. Looking at the water supply, my husband and I felt that it would not provide us with a satisfying shower unless we took a good long time. So, we quietly decided to head straight to a shallow part of the nearby river and clean ourselves there. It was already getting dark and we took turns to keep watch while the other was washing up. The water felt wonderful and we had fun sneaking away to get it done like that.

 

The dinner was delicious and we had a wonderful time toasting our shared trekking accomplishment while sharing our takes on the experiences and getting to know at least a little bit more about one another. Before heading back to our sleeping areas, I thought about having to get on the boats to head back to our Ucaima Camp lodge early the next morning immediately upon waking up. I decided to grab a bottle of drinking water from the kitchen so that I could at least brush my teeth with it before getting on the boat. My husband took one too and then the others in the group thought it was a brilliant idea and did the same.

When the lights were turned off at 10 pm, the whole place was extremely dark and quiet. Unfortunately, I needed “to go” in the middle of the night and so, hilariously, had to use the provided torchlight to get to the bathroom and find my way around it accompanied by my husband.

 

Despite everything, I felt that the camping experience was a unique, fun, and unforgettable closing to our adventure. The trekking trip back to Ucaima Camp lodging thereafter was mostly a repeat of our journey to Angel Falls but in reverse.

 

3.    The third and climax to all the experiences was, of course, the exaltment felt upon arriving at the foot of Angel Falls. The pictures in this post do not do justice to the magical and tremendous beauty of the majestic natural wonder. The strenuous journey and efforts put in to get to it magnified the beauty even more. The feeling drove many in the group to fall to their knees and say prayers based on their respective religions. There was just something in the atmosphere there too that filled our eyes with tears of joy and wonderment at such a magnificent creation. It felt like we arrived at the center of all creations and were therefore so close to the creator. It was surreal and the sense of accomplishment was like no other.

 

Overall Review and Conclusion

Trekking the Gran Sabana, a part of the Amazon Rainforest that is within the Canaima National Park in Venezuela is something I highly recommend at least once in a lifetime for nature and outdoor enthusiasts. It is indeed an adventure like no other. Visitors of any age (except, perhaps, toddlers and very young children) may engage in all the strenuous trekking activities through forested land and water terrain of varying heights as long as they have a good physical fitness level and are mentally prepared to have very limited access to creature comforts and being exposed to encounters with forest wildlife including insects and bugs never seen in developed settings. The adventures and experiences are mostly exhausting and nerve-wracking but at the same time thrilling, highly satisfying, and rewarding. The activities may be categorized as high-risk but you are accompanied by highly skilled and professional guides at all times who do a great job at keeping you safe and making you feel safe. From the roundtrip flights on a small plane gliding over river waters and through waterfalls, to rusticly wonderful accommodations with five-star service and delicious food, and the challenging yet rewarding jungle trekking through rivers, waterfalls, rapids, rocky and steeply inclined forest terrains that culminates with the arrival at the magnificent wonder of Angel Falls, your experience at Canaima National Park will be unforgettable and one that accords you well-deserved bragging rights.