Venezuela - Orinoco Delta

In 1987, waiting for a job and with my hopes turned to South America, I took this solo trip to one of the most remote places in Venezuela, a land that offers an infinite variety of different landscapes, from the altitudes of the Andes to the beautiful unspoilt beaches, to the sand desert and on to the Amazon jungle.

Through a series of circumstances I found myself in Caracas with some guys who were making this trip by jeep, and without thinking twice I was already there with my backpack on. Two couples on an adventure in these territories can create both hugely exciting moments and dangerous situations, but luckily, and thanks to the others' experience, we managed admirably.

The journey is very long and tiring, but the places we visit are enchanting, despite the poverty of the people who still give a smile even to us, who are hardly the stereotype of the money-laden tourist.

We pass through Puerto La Cruz to reach the Orinoco at Ciudad Bolivar, then on towards Puerto Ordaz, where the Caroni river empties directly into the Orinoco. The different colours of the two rivers create a unique spectacle. The Caroni, much darker, forms, before joining the Orinoco, the Embalse de Guri, a vast artificial lagoon that feeds the second-largest hydroelectric plant in the world.

We arrive in Tucupita thanking our lucky stars for the jeep, since calling it a road seems too generous. This little town is something chaotic. Lots of dirt, but then again we knew we wouldn't find comfort. We settle into a guesthouse that is nothing if not ramshackle, but with owners of an extreme kindness rarely found in big hotels.

In Tucupita we meet Jose, who turns out to be a relative of our travel companion. He owns a small tourist agency and for work reasons has to go into the interior. Naturally we tag along with him, free of charge of course (usually tours of about two or three days cost even 300 dollars). We park the jeep, stock up on the necessary provisions, load them onto the motorboat, give our details to the local Police (it seems they ask anyone heading into the interior of the Delta), and finally we set off.

From the Cano Manamo we slip into the many channels of the Delta (the name Venezuela derives precisely from the multitude of channels that made it seem, in the eyes of the Spanish conquistadores, a sort of Venice), some of them very narrow, taking care not to run the hull aground in the shallow water. Here nature explodes in the truest sense of the word; mangroves, lianas and vegetation of every kind join land and water, with the sound of animals in the background. We meet some communities living on stilts, where we eat yucca and excellent fried plantains (bananas). We stay in one of these communities (I'll never remember the name...) in hammocks, with monstrous mosquitoes relentlessly trying to get through the net. Here there is an incredible peace, and the chaos of Rome seems to me only a distant nightmare.

I also remember I was tempted to stop there for the rest of my life, but then life's events changed things.

The days spent on the Orinoco will remain forever dear in my memory. The friendliness of the people we met, the landscapes, the piranha fishing, a spine-chilling anaconda, these are all things it's pointless to describe. My advice is to absolutely visit this place, even at the cost of comfort.

On our return to Tucupita a nice surprise, read: a rather large little snake, was calmly waiting for us in the engine compartment of the jeep. Its end was horrible, unfortunately, though not my doing.

The return to Caracas saw us caught up in an unpleasant and very thorough search, especially of us men, by an isolated and intolerant National Guard post. The only sore point, in every sense, of the trip.

We spent a week of absolute rest on the beaches of Cuyagua, west of Caracas, a famous surfers' paradise. Free camping on a beautiful beach and a wonderful sea with very high waves. The only drawback: you have to watch out for the coconuts, which, when they fall, especially at night, can really hurt...

Days: 60

Period: December/January