Arrival in Caracas. Reception and transfer to your hotel

After breakfast, transfer to Turmero. The hike starts in the afternoon as the weather is too hot to start any earlier. From the start we will observe the semi dry deciduous woods and savannah vegetation as well as many creeks and water sources coming down from the mountains. With good weather after sunset we will see the city lights of Maracay and the surroundings. We will reach the campsite "Simon Machado" after dark. The night will be rather chilly.

Meals: B

Today we will still be trekking towards the crest of the mountains... but now we will have the opportunity to enjoy one of the richest biodiversities on the planet - the cloud forest. We will descend towards Rio del Medio for lunch and then continue to a small hamlet called "El Paraiso", at which point we will be entering the xerofite, coastal landscape. Chuao and the worlds most famous cocoa plantations are very close now and so are the lovely tropical beaches. We will stay overnight in the small hamlet of Chuao in a rustic posada.

This morning we will experience an exciting canyoning adventure with six waterfalls from 6m to 48 m high in beautiful tropical cloud forest setting. Lunch before continuing our trip to Merida. Transfer to your lodge.

After breakfast, transfer to Tucupita by long distance bus. Arrival and transfer to your hotel. Tucupita is a hot river town, and the centre of the Orinoco Delta, the second largest Delta in South America after the Amazon. It is a perfect home for all kinds of animals as well as Moriche palms and other tropical plants. It is common to see Monkeys, Herons, Terns, Caiman and a great variety of insects and spiders, and with some luck one of the rare Manatees or Jaguars. The people who live here are the Warao Indians, who have built their huts on stilts above the water known as Palafitos.

Meals: B

A fast boat will take us from Tucupita in around 1 ½ hours to the camp, the Orinoco Delta Lodge. After arrival lunch is served, followed by a short rest. Activities for the afternoon may be a choice of either Piranha fishing, a swim in the bay in front of the camp or just enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Late afternoon we'll take a boat ride to watch the spectacular sunset and get to know the lively Dolphins (Toninas) of the Orinoco.

Breakfast at 08:00 am. Return by boat back to Tucupita. Transfer to the bus terminal for the trip to Maturin. Continue onto Caripe, set in a verdant mountain valley not far from the coast. Accommodation at your hotel.

Meals: B

After breakfast, full day visit to Cueva del Guacharo. The Cave of "Guácharo" represents the biggest cavern in the country, with a surface area of 15.500 hectares. It was initially decreed a Natural Monument in 1947 by the German scientist Alejandro Von Humboldt who first visited the cave in 1799. This fantastic natural monument has a total length of 10.2 kilometers which many people believe is one of the most complete cave ecosystems to be found anywhere in the continent. The strange formations on the walls of the cave and the sound of the birds (Guácharos) howling deep within the cave offer the visitor a reminding impression.

One of the most important features of this cave are the exits of the birds (Guácharos) in the evening. During the twilight period, these birds come out in search of food such as fruits and seeds of some species of palm and other trees. The guácharo (Steatornis caripensis), is a nocturnal bird, the only one of its kind in the world. It inhabits caves in various parts of tropical America, living in total darkness and leaving the cave only at night for food. The guácharo has a radar-location system similar to that used by bats, which enables it to find its way in the dark.

The Cave of Guácharo has an entrance 23m high and 28m wide. The first portion is of 1500m of the cave crossing the Salón Humboldt and the Gallery of the Silence (with formations baptized as the Cardón, the Carmen's Virgin, the Guard's Angel) until arriving at the Salón Sublime where the stalactites and stalagmites can be appreciated. These were formed by the constant action of the water on the rocks. Return to Caripe for the night bus to Caracas.

Meals: B

Arrival to Caracas in the morning and transfer to your hotel. Free day.

Transfer to Caracas airport for the flight to Los Roques. Welcome and transfer to your hotel Lunch, followed by an excursion to the islands of the Archipelago. Dinner.

Free day to explore the archipelago at leisure. Lunch and dinner included.

Breakfast before your return flight back to Caracas and onward for your return flight home.

Meals: B