Orinoco Delta, Venezuela

Now one of Unesco's biospheres, the Orinoco Delta has been recognized for its biological importance. The countless waterways are peppered with colorful birds, wonderful mammals, reptiles, fish and plants of great beauty. This rich ecosystem is where the largest river in Venezuela, the Orinoco (The Father of Our Land in the Warao language), meets the Atlantic Ocean along a 231 miles coastline.

The Orinoco Delta boasts species of great scientific and biological importance and here lives the ancestral culture of the Warao. Warao means "people of the water" and represents the second most populous indian group in Venezuela. Still living off of fishing, hunting, gathering of wild fruits and the farming of some products, the Warao are masters of weaving, using their artistic abilities to transform plants like the Bora, Mamure, Tirite and Moriche in renownl baskets, bowls, hammocks, hats and other artisan products part of their cultural richness.

Wildlife like the rare Manatee, the River Otter, the River Dolphin and the Crab-eating Fox; birds like parrots, toucans, the Scarlet and Blue-and-Yellow Macaws, the Rufous Crab-Hawk and the Muscovy Duck, reptiles like the Caiman and the Delta Lizard, and fish like the delicious Lau-Lau, the Cat Fish and the Coporo form the most characteristic fauna of the Orinoco Delta. Swamp jungles, mires, Moriche palms oasis, flooding savannahs and mangroves are the main kinds of vegetation.

The Delta Amacuro State covers 16,294 square miles and its capital city is Tucupita. Although mainly located in the Delta Amacuro State, it also claims small portions of Monagas, Sucre and Bolivar states. The Orinoco waters divide in two main courses. To the north, The Caño Manamo, which ends in the Gulf of Paria, and to the east, The Rio Grande, which ends in the Atlantic Ocean. There are not scheduled flights to this city but we easily access this region from Maturin in Monagas state or Puerto Ordaz in Bolivar State.

Our preferred lodges here include the Orinoco Delta Lodge combined with its wilder, little brother Simoina Camp and the Tobe Lodge. All are reached by boat and offer comfortable accommodations and activities like canoeing, visits to the indian communities, piranha fishing and jungle walks in order to fully experience this region.

Contact us to include the Orinoco in a customized itinerary of travel to Venezuela.