The Orinoco River, whose source lies in the south, cuts cross the Amazon region and winds through thick rain forests full of colorful birds and the sort of fauna that you would expect. The only town of any size, and the state capital, is Puerto Ayacucho, a seaport on the banks of the Orinoco, a ten-minute boat-ride from Colombia, and the last larger outpost.

Several curiara-days from Puerto Ayacucho, you’ll also come across several small, Indian communities and Cerro Autana, the fabled sacred mountain. An unforgettable two-day boat trip through the jungle, Cerro Autana houses five national parks—that are among the wildest and least accessible in the country (with more than 8,000 plant species, collectively).

In the Amazon Yampu offers accommodation at Orinoquia, a lodge built on granite rock on the banks of the Orinoco River between the rapids of Atures and Maipures. Its twelve, round Indian huts—churuatas—come with fans, mosquito nets, and bathrooms (without hot water). Just twenty minutes from Puerto Ayacucho Airport, and not far from Cerro Pintado, Garcita Island, Caño Tiburón, Piaroa indigenous communities, Tuparo National Park and the town of Puerto Ayacucho, its location couldn’t be much more ideal.

Additional information on this trip:

• Days of Week the Trip can Start:
  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday