Hotel Michelle Santa Elena de Uairen

The whole flying malarkey around Venezuela is shrouded in mystery. Since leaving Caracas any previous flying experience has gone out of the window. Our next flight from Canaima to Santa Elena, further south on the Brazilian border was no different. And we were expecting problems with our bags again as a 6 seater Cessna arrived out of the blue and announced we were its passengers. It turned out that there were 5 paying customers, all with bags and freight. As the ...

Our adventures in Venezuela started with a six day trek up Mount Roraima, a crazy table top mountain that soars out of flat plains surrounding it. I`m no geologist, but it`s quite spectacular. It was written about as the Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, because of it`s steep rainforesty sides and moonscape jurassic top. You really do feel like you are in a different time.<br><br>We ...

... Giddeon, was from neighbouring Guyana and, because he had lived in a village very close to the mountain, knew all manner of stories about the region. <br><br>The first two days we walked about 12 kms each day to get to camp, where we put up tents and relaxed. Despite it being the rainy season here we were blessed with good weather, and we ambled through savannah and jungle and the odd river crossing here and there. During the sometimes cold nights ...

... paints as a dictator in charge. Have to say though that after passing through, albeit very briefly, I´m not sure the people of Venezuela feel that way. Chavez is working to build a socialist republic here - the next Cuba so to speak is where this country is heading over the next 10 years. He does seem to have done a lot of good things for the poorer classes of people here and the place certainly doesn´t have as much of the have and have nots of Brazil. At ...

So for the last 6 days and 5 nights I have spent on the side (or on top) of a mountain camping. Yes, me camping. Why when I travel do I find a need to do things I know I would hate in real life? I guess that is the greatest beauty of traveling: doing things you would never do in the real world. That said over all the experience was amazing! Roraima is a tepuy that is apparently part of the lost world. On top there is an unique Eco system ...

Roraima This mountain was one of the reasons I wanted to come to Venezuela, and it didn't disappoint. I have plenty of gripes about the tour, even though we went with the company that is supposedly the best, and is the most expensive. Just little things like not quite having enough food and "guides" who know the way but aren't very informative. This last complaint is a recurring theme so perhaps I am at fault. And our poor guide went way beyond what ...

... that truly has respect for the local indigenous communities and the nature, as well as the people he travels with. He was so laid back, too, that it just felt like travelling with a good friend who knows very well his way around the savannahs. It was nice. He was also constantly taking care of keeping us happy, giving us much more than we had paid for - throwing in a few beers for the road, which in theory wasn't included in the tour and came from his own pocket, as well ...