Tent adventure in Venezuela
Updated: Apr 23, 2022
At the beginning of 2016, I got the opportunity to spend one month in Venezuela as a part of a scientific excursion "Earth's ecosystems" at the Comenius University, Slovakia. The aim of this excursion was to see the rich and unique diversity of Venezuelan ecosystems, plants and animals... and all this just with a backpack on my back... First of all, I was surprised that my 700$ meant a small backpack full of local currency bills - Venezuelan bolívar, because I came here at a time of high inflation. My first stop was the capital city Caracas, however, a detailed excursion of the city was not possible because of high criminality, especially for tourists, so I crossed the city centre with the windows covered on the bus, nevertheless the contrast of wealth and poverty was still obvious.
I spent my first days in the Caribbean and enjoyed beautiful unoccupied beaches to the fullest. After a few days I went to the Orinoco delta and exchanged a bus for a boat. Sailing all day (and also swimming) on the Orinoco River, visiting the village of the Warao indigenous Amerindians , climbing mangroves, sleeping in a hammock and falling asleep with the sounds of the jungle were magical. What was not so magical was the constant presence of mosquitoes and piranhas. I had the opportunity to taste the national dish called Pabellón criollo (beef, black beans, rice, cheese and roasted banana) and typical empanadas (fried corn pancakes with minced meat, cheese and beans) but also some unusual things like bamboo leaves, coconut water, sugar cane and palm worm.
After a week, I travel to the Guiana Highlands - the Table-top mountain and walked 24 km to the Mount Roraima. The environment, fauna and flora at the Mount Roraima is unique and untouched by humans, therefore I had to follow special rules e.g., not to use soap or toothpaste to prevent chemicals entering the surrounding. The sunny weather alternates rain and cold from hour to hour but the feeling that I had travelled millions of years back in time to this rocky labyrinth fully offset it. A few days later, I moved to the tropical grassland plain of the Llanos and exchanged a boat for an off-road car. I saw never-ending plains full of colourful birds, capybaras, caimans and anacondas.
For a one day I also managed to visit the city Mérida and then I continued to the Andes and claimed to the highest mountain in Venezuela - Pico Bolívar. During the two-day march, the bamboo forests were replaced by rocks, lakes and wild cows. The beautiful landscape, the incredible night sky and the washing in the streams were intermittent with my altitude sickness at 4,000 meters height.
The last stop of this excursion was again the Caribbean area, city Maracay, with endless beaches, real chocolate (which, by the way, tastes completely different from what we usually buy, since the cocoa grains were crunching under my teeth) and well-earned relaxation from the difficult month, rewarded by diving, sound of the sea and magical sunsets.
When I came to this country, I didn't know what to expect, but I think that the welcoming statement of my guide - "Venezuela is a country where everything is possible and at the same time impossible" - was fulfilled during this trip to the point. This month was not only about getting to know the beauties of the wild nature, but also getting to know myself. I would never say before this trip that when I was lost in the dark forest or was a few inches from slipping off a rock, I felt more alive than I am spending a day in our comfortable European life.
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