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Family Destinations> Venezuela
Venezuela
Article
written by Edmundo Roa
If you really want to visit a country that has everything - Caribbean beaches and islands, rivers, jungle, cloud forest, desert, mountains - even some with snow - plains, big cities, small fishing and farming villages, Venezuela is your destination.
Angel Falls, the world's tallest known waterfall (twenty times higher than Niagara falls) is a Venezuelan experience not to be missed. Here, on mountain top table plateaus (called
tepuis) have been found rare plants - such as carnivorous plants - and animal life as old as time, dating back to the days of the
dinosaurs.
Sir
Arthur Conan-Doyle's
book "The Lost World", is based on the Venezuelan Amazon territory. Even around the 1930's some belief existed that there were
dinosaurs still living in this area. How about that for adventure?! The native population of the Amazon
(Vanomami) has not really been affected by the outside world.
If you and your family, want the best possible jungle experience, the Venezuelan Amazon is the place to go. Here you can find jungle lodges with native guides who will introduce you to great wildlife experiences, including the opportunity to see more than 680 species of birds, as well as share with you some of the cultural riches of their indigenous communities. Great experiences for the physically fit, including older kids.
Venezuela boasts the world's longest
Caribbean coastline and some beautiful beaches. Most people who look for a beach vacation tend to go to Margarita island. This island is off the north east coast of Venezuela. It is a dry island, somewhat desert-like, similar to Aruba.
It has tons of activities for the family,
especially water sports, beach activities and great windsurfing! The best swimming beach on the island is Playa del Agua
beach. A good family resort by the same name is across the street from the beach. This beach area offers
opportunities to enjoy a choice of many local restaurants, craft shops, clubs, rental companies for
boogie-boards, windsurfers and the like.
Margarita is also frequented by vacationing Venezuelans from the main land and is a busy spot year round, especially over any major holiday
season... don't go over Christmas or Easter without confirmed hotel reservations.
Another popular Venezuelan destination is Los Roques, an archipelago of hundreds of
little cayes and islands with really unexplored waters, especially attractive to scuba divers.
Not even the locals know of everything in these waters. It is also an excellent place to do some fishing for marlin, tarpon or bonefish. There are several good swimming beaches and the locals run water taxis to different little islands and cayes. The
accommodations offered are "posadas", offering three meals per day including a "cooler lunch" for the beach. Most posadas are very small and personal, rent 3 to 4 rooms and usually you share mealtimes with the other guests.
The area around Venezuela's central north (Coro) is mostly desert and it stretches right to the
Caribbean Sea. Coro is directly across from Aruba. You can even take ferries over to Aruba , or a 15 minute flight. It is an excellent place for windsurfing from
beginners to professionals. I must warn you that the winds can reach up to 50 or 60 knots in the afternoons. This area has hotels to
accommodate any budget.
The Andean mountains offer some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Merida is the tourist
center of the Venezuelan Andes. This area is high and cool, unlike the rest of
the country. Merida is home to Pico Bolivar, the highest mountain in Venezuela. It is also the home of the longest cable car in the world. You can go
right up Pico Bolivar by cable car, or you can go half way by cable car and the rest by mule. (I did this when I was a child, great fun). At the top you will see breathtaking views and snow, yuk! Remember to dress warmly.
In and around Merida there are many exciting and fun things to do - hike, backpack, mountain bike, camp, fly-fish for trout, or go bird watching in the cloud forests and the paramo (moors) of the Andes mountains, where the endangered Condor and the rare Cock of the Rock fly. As well, you can witness a variety of butterflies, including the dazzling giant Blue Morpho.
In the rugged llanos, comparable to Africa’s plains, you can embark on a wildlife safari to observe such peculiar fauna as the capybara (world’s largest rodent), monkeys, crocodiles, anacondas, macaws, storks, eagles, iguanas, chameleons and much more. Fish for piranha, and if you’d like, have them for dinner! Make sure you stay out of the water though or
they'll have you for dinner!
Not too difficult to get to, and not overly expensive -- Venezuela has it all for a real family adventure. Contact us for more details and to book a great holiday.
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