Ya-Koo Eco Lodge Santa Elena de Uairen

... plane was moving we were convinced it would never get off the ground. It was stuffed. So much so that one lucky person sat in the back with plastic bags all over her, her face pressed against the window so that she just had enough room to breathe and she certainly had no need of a seat belt. All she could do was to tap away on her mobile phone! Anyway, we were happy as no payments were wanted for anything, least of all for excess weight despite the aircraft ...

... feels very safe and friendly, but is very very hot. Just near Plaza Bolívar there is a street corner packed with men wanting to change US$ for BsF and it made me glad that I was on my way to a country where I can go to a bank to get my money! After just one night I took a bus to the border, locally known as La Linéa and managed to find the office at the Venezuelan end to get my passport stamped. I even managed a conversation ...

... 6 days climbing the mountain - 3 up, 1 on top, 2 down. It was physically very demanding, as unlike other extended treks such as the Inca Trail, we had to carry our own packs, around 10kg, with our clothing and sleeping gear. Our porters carried food, tents, even our own toilet as the resources on the mountain are basic. <br><br>The first couple of days were spent marching across ...

After I filled a diaper following the Angel Falls flight, we decided to do something I´m a lot more keen of: walking, or rather ´let´s carry some heavy gear up a mountain´ trekking up to the top of Mt Roraima. Mount Roraima is the highest of a group of table-top mountains in South America, and was first described by the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in 1596. Reports from early Victorian expeditions to the mountain inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ...

... its port. Only one road out of town (to Venezuela) - here the major arteries are aboard the Amazon. From Belem to Manaus takes about 6 days in a boat - I flew for much the same price in 2.5 hours but I think the boat is the way to go if you have time. Much cooler experience if you have the time and the Port is the centre and heartbeat of the town. If you do find yourself in Manaus, then its prob one of the only things actually worth checking out. There is ...

... America! The scenery was breathtaking and throughout the trek we always had the ominous sight of Roraima ahead of us. I kept wondering how we would ever scale it! In and out of the clouds it would appear. It seems Roraima has its own weather system and this can be very unpredictable. Well actually i could predict one thing...rain! Us English are used to that though. It took until end of day 2 until we finally reached the base of Roraima and again i wondered how the hell we would ...

So liebe luet ich schick oi wiederemal es paar foetli uebere. Jetzt sind scho wieder es paar taeg verbii und ich hock schowieder ame gaaanz andere ort ime internetkafi. jetzt bini gad ade Kueschte z'Venezuela, aber um das gahts da nonig. Di letschte Taeg bini ganz im Suede vo Venezuela ide Gran Sabana gsi. Das isch en riise ...

... of its own and the trek to the top is one of the best in world. All that said, it´s still me camping!!! Mo and I choose the tour company that was considered the ´Cadillac´ of tour companies in the Gran Sabana region. The pour owner, Erik, had to put up with our American questions and concerns but finally we went a head and made a decision to go with him. Our main concern was of course the quality of the equipment as I was camping and I ...

... think is required in giving up his sleeping bag for a girl who had stupidly got hers wet, and also fixed boots on the top of the mountain. Roraima is one of a number of tepuis that rise from the Gran Sabana, or great savanna. It is pretty countryside of soft hills, with trees hugging the waterways, but not venturing far beyond . Tepuis are ancient structures, which have survived 1.8 billion years of erosion and now present sheer cliffs and eerily ...

Santa Elena<br>My next destination was the town of Santa Elena de Uairén, located in the Venezuelan southeast in a large savannah area famous for indigenous heritage, stunning and ever-mystical tabletop mountains or "tepuis" and countless of beautiful waterfalls.<br><br>Once in Santa Elena, after crossing the border from Brazil, all the travel agencies were closed. I was interested in doing a Gran Sabana tour for 2-3 days to the Pemón indigenous village of Kavanayén, and ...