Venezuela - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 905

ORINOCO DELTA TOURS
There are various lodges within the delta, which you can contact directly, as well as agencies
throughout the country that organize trips in the region. Activities generally include visiting
indigenous Warao villages, canoeing through the small caños , fishing for piranha and
observing local flora and fauna on jungle walks. Packages cost US$100-140 per person per day
and are all-inclusive. The lodges and operators listed here are the most reliable.

operating trips to the Orinoco with stays in three
different lodges, some more rustic than others. English-
speaking guides available. Free pick-up from Maturín,
Puerto Ordáz or Tucupita.
Waro Waro Lodge T 0424 162 1960, W orinoco
deltatours.com. Named after the Warao word for the
electric-blue butterflies that flutter around the region,
this intimate rustic French-Argentine owned lodge is
located on the Jaropuna channel northwest of the
delta. It's easily accessible from San José de la Buja,
and they can also organize a free pick-up from various
locations, including Ciudad Bolívar and the northeast
coast.

TOUR OPERATORS
Orinoco Queen T 0414 871 9339, W lobo-tours.de.
Built and run by the owner of Casa del Lobo in Puerto
Ordáz, the Orinoco Queen is the smallest and most
personal of the numerous camps in the area. A three-
night stay, one of them spent in the hammocks at
a nearby Warao village, costs US$300 and includes
all food and activities; piranha fishing, jungle walks
and expeditions in dugout canoes. Can also organize
customized tours throughout the country.
Tucupita Expeditions Boulevard Playa El Agua,
Isla Margarita T 0295 249 1823 or T 0414 794 0172,
W orinocodelta.com. Margarita Island-based company

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forming a network of navigable
waterways (known as caños ) on which the
Warao Indians have lived for millennia.
Trips to the Orinoco Delta go to tourist
campamentos built on the riverbanks,
although all are very basically equipped.

charm. Still further east, Caripe is a pretty
mountain town nestled away at chillier
altitudes, where mountain sports,
volunteer work and the astonishing Cueva
del Guácharo are excellent diversions.

PUERTO LA CRUZ
The bustling collection of high-rises that
calls itself PUERTO LA CRUZ isn't that long
removed from being a fishing village. Not
that you'll notice much to give away its
rural past; it acts primarily as a hub for
tourists heading to Parque Nacional
Mochima (see p.911) or taking the ferry
to Isla Margarita (see p.914). There's little
reason to spend long here, although the
wide seafront promenade makes for an
enjoyable afternoon of strolling and
people-watching, especially when there's
a cool breeze rolling in off the Caribbean.

The northeast
coast and islands
he northeast coast is home to some of
the country's most ruggedly beautiful
coastline, where sleepy fishing villages
lie unperturbed by the proximity of
some of the country's most energetic
cities. Puerto La Cruz , a high-rise fast-food
paradise, is the coastline's main hub,
and makes for a diverting afternoon's
people-watching on the seafront. A
short ferry ride away is Isla Margarita ,
Venezuela's largest island, whose
mega-resorts and island vibe are a huge
magnet for Venezuelans taking a break
from the mainland.
Between Puerto La Cruz and Cumaná
(the continent's very first European
settlement, although there's little to see) is
the Parque Nacional Mochima , loved for
its uninhabited cays and under-the-radar

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
There's really nothing much to see in
Puerto La Cruz itself - the city doesn't
particularly cater to international
tourism and most activities take place
outside the urban limits. For beaches and
boat rides in Parque Nacional Mochima,
you'll be better off organizing excursions
from Santa Fe or Mochima within the
park itself.