Places with photo galleries in South America
Long beaches, sand dunes, sea lions and a lighthouse, that's what Cabo Polonio is all about! There are only a few hostels, all small wooden houses on or close to the beach with very basic electricity. Thanks to the fact that Cabo Polonio is a protected area, it can maintain its small size and basic lifestyle. There isn’t much to do except relaxing and going for (beach) walks, but that is exactly the reason for coming to this chilled place. To get there you have to take the park’s 4x4 truck on a sandy road, which already makes for half the fun. It builds up the excitement of getting there and you can do some bird watching in the meantime.
A trip there is more than just viewing the tallest waterfall in the world (1002 m), it is an amazing journey through one of the most spectacular landscapes on the globe. A tour will normally start with a flight into the small indigenous village of Canaima about 50 km from the falls. The surprisingly nice setting will for sure impress you (think lake, waterfalls and palms in the most cliche way). From here the trip goes upstream in a canoe zigzagging through small rapids and escaping big boulders. The sheer sides of the ever present huge tepuis (tabel mountain) of "God of Evil" will be leading the way into the Devil's Canyon, where the Angel Falls are plunging over the edge at the very top. Even with a trek up to the base of the falls, it is hard to grasp their gigantic size. Don't consider the narrow belt of water as the highlight, but merely a grand finale of a great trip.
An impressive natural phenomenon where lightning strikes for hours non-stop, mostly soundless without thunder. It occurs about 150 nights a year and lake Maracaibo is the only place in the world where this is happening. Though the lightnings can be seen hundreds of kilometres away, they are best viewed from the lake. Here there are three main viewing areas: Chamita, popular viewing platforms but furthest away from the lightning, and the two stilt villagers, Congo Mirador and Ologa, on the lake which both are much closer to the action. All of them can be reached by motorboat from Puerto Concha, but the boat trip is more river safari than transport, with a good opportunity for some serious bird watching (toucans, eagles, and loris, to name a few). So if you are at the right place at the right time, be prepared for a spectacular night.
Mt. Roraima is a table mountain (so-called tepuis or tepuy) and the highest in Venezuela (2810 m). This flat-top mountain with free-dropping edges is an amazing trek into another world. The top has been cut off from the rest of the world for millions of years, which means plant and animal life has developed independently. It is a strenuous multi-days trek up to a lost world of strange rock formations surrounded by clouds. A walk to the edge offers spectacular views to other table mountains like neighbouring Kukenan. A brave peek over the edges will get anyone dizzy for the drop is more than 400 meters. Some locals believe that Roraima and Kukenan have supernatural powers and that they are centres for metaphysical phenomena like crystal energy and UFO activities, which just adds to the mystery of the place. This is truly a unique experience, which should not be missed.
If you survive the winding trip over the mountains from Maracay, you will be greeted by a cool little place. Colourful colonial houses, palm lined beaches and a local liquor that is only good in small doses, are the attractions here. A popular place for locals in the weekend, but rather abandoned during the week. Nothing much is going on here, so relax, visit the different beaches, and get some sun on your tummy.