Expedition and Ecotourism to Los Llanos Venezuela 4 days / 3 nights. With the option of rafting included..

Day 1: The jeep Expedition begins at the base in Merida around 8:00 am. From Merida our expedition tour brings us up the valley and over the mountains to Barinas, a city on the edge of Los Llanos. The scenery of Los Andes en route is not to be missed. There are optional stops to show you some highlights along the way - the stone church of Juan Felix Sanchez at San Rafael, and a chance to relax at Laguna Mucubaji in the Sierra Nevada National Park.

Through thick rain forest the altitude declines but the temperature rises until we reach Barinas where the flatlands begin. It's a slow drive over rough terrain towards a village called Mantecal. During this part of the trip you'll have your first glimpse of the endless savannas and varieties of bird life.

Tofays journey ends at our camp. Here we have small huts equipped with mosquito nets and real Indian made hammocks.

Days 2 - 3: Here we will have two days to enjoy what the camp offers. Our goal is to discover the wildlife this region has to offer. The different activities this expedition includes are:

Canoeing down river to see the fresh water dolphins, and fishing for pirahnas that you may choose to have for dinner.

Here you will see caimans or anacondas and enjoy horseback riding.

You will feel like a real vaquero (cowboy) as the horses brings you trough the savanna. The rest of the time we may leave the camp for short safaris with our Jeeps, especially made for observing the wildlife. Some of the birds we see here are the red, white and black ibises, storks and white egrets. Other animals we will have the opportunity to see are anteaters, monkies, capybaras, anaconda, snakes, iguanas, turtles and the typical Los Llanos cows.

Most of the days in Los Llanos end with spectacular sunset. After lunch the third day we will leave the camp heading for our way to Rio Azequia, where the Los Llanos ends and where the mountains begin. We will spend the night in a small posada close to the river in the middle of the cloudy forest.

Day 4: This day we have the option to do some rafting in Rio Azequia, or just discover the region of the river and the forest with the possibility to visit a place with some fantastic prehistoric perogliphicos.

After lunch it's time to move again! Our trip back to Merida continues, but if you prefer to end the tour in Barinas, just let us know!

About a third of all Venezuela can be described as Los Llanos (The Plains).

This vast area is dominated by extremely flat terrain or savanna, isolated woodland, and thin strips of sometimes tense jungle along the edge of a network of rivers and streams. Human population is sparse, but animal life is abundant.

More than 350 bird species, and 50 types of mammals, + an addition of thousands of insects, reptiles and fish. Los Llanos compared to Los Andes means a totally different planet.