Day 1

Depart UK on your flight to Paris. On arrival transfer by shuttle to the 4* Radisson SAS Airport Hotel for overnight.

Day 2

Depart Paris Charles de Gaulle on your direct flight to Caracas with Air France. On arrival in Caracas you will be met and transferred to the Hotel Caracas Hilton for one night.

Day 3

Transfer from the Hilton Hotel to the airport for your flight to Mérida. On arrival you will be met and transferred to the Hosteria La Sevillana for 3 nights. In the afternoon take a half-day city tour of Mérida and visit the city’s colourful Mercado Principal where artists display their handicrafts, regional delicacies such as ‘dulces abrillantados’ (crystallized guava chunks wrapped in leaves), flowers, weaving and pottery. You will also visit the Cathedral and the Government Palace on Plaza Bolivar.

Day 4

Full day tour to the world’s highest and longest cable car and to the small Andean village of Jaji. After the cable car ride, explore the lower Andes driving through the cloud forest to reach Jaji. Explore its beautiful colonial streets, and then continue to the old coffee plantation at Hacienda La Victoria.

Day 5

Day at leisure.

Day 6

Overland transfer from Mérida to Hato El Cedral for three nights. Hato El Cedral is a working cattle ranch dedicated to the protection of the spectacular wildlife of the Llanos. This is a true paradise for naturalists and birdwatchers. and everyone who wants to discover nature from close up with the guidance of professional guides.

Days 7 and 8

At leisure.

Day 9

After breakfast, transfer to Barinas (about a 4-hour drive) for your flight back to Caracas. Overnight at Hotel Puerto Viejo near the airport.

Day 10

Early morning flight to Los Rocques. On arrival, go straight to the beach and board a catamaran for a full-day excursion to the islands of the archipelago. Snorkelling equipment is available. Return to Gran Roque in the late afternoon and overnight at the Posada. Los Roques is one of the largest national parks in the Caribbean with expansive white sand beaches, warm azure waters and an abundance of marine flora and fauna. It is an ideal destination for diving and snorkelling and for enjoying the sea and sun away from the bustle of larger beach destinations.

Day 11

Continue to explore the islands of the archipelago on board the catamaran.

Day 12

Fly via Margarita Island to Maturin. Transfer to the port of Morichal Largo and from there you enter the Orinoco Delta by boat, arriving at Boral Camp in time for lunch. There will be an afternoon excursion in the Delta and dinner and overnight at the Camp.

The Orinoco Delta is a vast, intricate labyrinth of waterways weaving through a simmering jungle to carry the waters of the Orinoco River to the Atlantic Ocean. The Warao Indians – the ‘Canoe People’ – are the native inhabitants of the Delta and reside in palafitos (stilt houses) along the banks of the river. Boral Camp is located on Caño Morichal Largo, one hour by boat from the port of Morichal Largo. It is a very simple camp with just 10 rooms and a dining area but is in a stunning location.

Day 13

Continue to explore the Delta. Morning and afternoon excursions will be made by boat including survival training in the jungle, piranha fishing and a visit to the Warao Indian communities.

Day 14

Transfer to Maturin airport and fly to the beautiful Arekuna Lodge in the middle of Canaima National Park. Canaima National Park is situated between the rainforest of the Amazon Basin and the watershed of the Orinoco River and is a rugged wall of remote mountains and deep, heavily forested canyons. Many of the mountains have precipitous rock walls that rise thousands of metres where they end in an almost perfectly flat top. These formations are known by their Indian name ‘Tepuis’ and from one of these Tepuis plummets the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls.

Day 15

Morning and afternoon excursions in Canaima National Park.

Day 16

Weather permitting, this morning you will make an overflight of the spectacular Angel Falls, land in Canaima village and visit Sapo Falls where you can walk behind its curtain of water. In the afternoon depart for Margarita Island where you will spend the next 5 nights at the Hotel Hesperia Isla Margarita, on Pedro Gonzales Bay with its beautiful beaches.

Days 17 – 20

At leisure on the beach.

Day 21

Transfer to Porlamar Airport for your early morning flight to Caracas. Check in for your return flight to Paris and onwards to the UK.