Coro
Located on the Caribbean coast at the base of the
Península de Paraguaná, Coro is a pleasant,
peaceful, cultured town with some of the best colonial
architecture in Venezuela. The historic town centre
was declared a national monument in the 1950s and
a number of buildings have been restored. Founded
in 1527, it was one of the earliest colonial settlements
on the continent, but most of the interesting architecture
dates from the 18th century, when Coro flourished
as a contraband centre trading with the islands of
Curaçao and Bonaire.
Río Orinoco
At 2150km (1333mi), South America's third-longest
river, the Orinoco runs from its source on the Brazilian
border in the south of the country to its wide, flooded
delta on the northeast coast. The myriad forested
islands that make up the delta are home to the stilt
houses of the Warao fishermen. At the reaches of the
Lower Orinoco lies the site of ex-capital, Ciudad
Bolívar (formerly Angostura), a city that boasts
a glorious history and still retains much of its colonial
charm. It was here that Simón Bolívar
set up his base for the final stage of the War of
Independence.
The Andes
The Cordillera de los Andes is a world of towering
peaks, rocky cliffs and icy lakes – alpine scenery
at its best. Mérida state, the heart of the
Andes is an unmissable destination and adventure sports
capital. It has the highest mountains and the best-developed
tourist facilities. The two other Andean states, Trujillo
and Táchira, also provide great adventure travel
opportunities, but are almost untouched.
Colonia Tovar
This unusual mountain town sits at an altitude of
1800m (5900ft) amid the rolling forests of the Cordillera
de la Costa, about 60km (37mi) west of Caracas. The
town was founded in 1843 by a group of 376 German
settlers from the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). Isolated
from the outer world by the lack of roads and internal
rules prohibiting marriage outside the colony, the
village followed the mother culture, language and
architecture for a century. Spanish was introduced
as the official language in the 1940s and the marriage
ban was abandoned.
Roraima
Straddling the borders of Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil
is a 280 sq km (109 sq mi) plateau called Roraima
that has become increasingly popular with travelers
interested in trekking or botany. Though the trek
involves extensive preparation, discomforting amounts
of rain, the climb is fascinating and the moonscape
scenery at the top of the mesa is a science-fiction
dream of blackened rock, misty gorges, pink beaches
and bewildering plant life.
Salto Aponguao
One of the most impressive and photogenic waterfalls
in La Gran Sabana is Salto Aponguao. However, it's
rather difficult to reach unless you're prepared to
expend a little time and energy. One way to see it
is to leave the highway, then travel about 40km (25mi)
on an unpaved road before coming to the Indian hamlet
of Iboribó. The next step is to pay one of
the locals to take you by curiara (dugout canoe) across
the Río Aponguao, from where it's a half-hour
trek to the falls. Another possibility is to arrange
for a boat to take you directly there, and then return
on foot. Either way, the 105m (344ft) Salto is spectacular.
A well-marked path leads to the foot of the falls,
where you can bathe and swim in one of the natural
pools. Nearby is an idyllic camping spot with excellent
views of both the falls and the surrounding countryside.
Hotels
All the hotels we recommend are clean, well
located and comfortable hotels varying in services
as according to their category. We rarely use hostels
as the price difference is negligible between a good
hostel and a hotel. In places like the Amazon, we
work with clean lodges. We do endeavour to choose
the best hotels in line with your budget. There are
five star hotels all the way to modest three star
establishments. We will always quote you with good
hotels on all our programmes but upgrades or downgrades
will be available as per your request. However, as
the price will decrease with downgrades, this will
ultimately reflect in the services and standards of
the hotel.
Flights
Unless otherwise stated, we provide the internal flights
in your programme. We can provide international flight
quotes upon request. We work directly with the best
airlines in South America but are not responsible
for any changes in flight schedules or cancellations
made by the airlines. This is the responsibility of
the airline in question. We will always endeavour
to minimise any delays or changes but cannot guarantee
a successful outcome.
Insurance
It is a mandatory requirement that all our customers
take out adequate travel insurance cover. Once you
have obtained your insurance, it is company practice
to check the validity and cover of your insurance
policy and we hold the right to refuse travel to anyone
whose insurance does not satisfy Amazing Peru's stringent
criteria. These include cancellation and curtailment,
death or injury, medical insurance, emergency repatriation,
delayed baggage, loss and theft etc.
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