Off-the-Beaten Track Tour
Introduction
This is an account of Naturetrek’s Venezuela Off the Beaten Track budget birding holiday of 20th - 28th February 2010.
There were six clients: Dave Ferguson, Jim Rose,
Dave Parmenter, Waldy Brouwer, Paul Cullington and Penny Cullington. The leader
was Cecilia Herrera and the driver Leo Gomez.
The group saw 330 species and heard another 16.
No attempt is made to mention every species in this account but a full birding
list can be found as a supplement.
Overview
This was a short duration, high intensity tour
which took in many of the habitats to the west of Caracas. We rose before dawn
and usually breakfasted at the hotel while it was still dark. There was a two
hour drive to the first hotel, where we spent a brief night, a five hour drive
when we moved from the mountains to the coast, and a four-and-a-half hour drive
from the coast back to Caracas. In between, drives from our two bases were less
than an hour. Given the number of habitats we visited and the number of birds we
saw it was a surprisingly less manic than some of our other holidays.
Health
Mosquito nets were provided at the Posada el Encanto
but nobody (except me!) had mosquitos in the room. Chiggers were present in the
coastal areas and at Henri Pittier National Park. We tucked our trousers into
our socks and sprayed the socks. We saw no snakes, spiders or other scary
creatures except for a roadkill Coral Snake. We had bottled water available at
all times.
Weather
It did not rain although some rain is normally
expected at this time of year. Some mornings were overcast but mostly it was
sunny. The temperature varied between pleasantly warm and - on the coast - hot.
We were allowed a short siesta on the last two days on the coast because of the
heat but the weather never stopped us birding.
The leader
The plates in the Birds of Venezuela are a
trackless forest of flycatchers, woodcreepers, tanagers and many others. To lead
you through this jungle you need a skilled, experienced and hard-working guide.
Luckily we had one: Cecilia Herrera, who, as well as being a brilliant bird
leader, spoke fluent English and had a great sense of humour. Her knowledge of
bird calls and songs, particularly in the forest areas, was excellent. The
clockwork-like organisation was also down to her abilities.
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Transport
We were conveyed in luxury by our excellent
driver, Leo, in an air-conditioned Mercedes minibus. On board we had cooled
water, coffee and, if we were having an al fresco lunch, picnic supplies.
Hotels
We stayed in three hotels. The first, the Posada
el Limon in Maracay was merely an overnight stop. We arrived in the dark and
left in the dark. The room was hot which the overhead fan did little to
ameliorate.
The second hotel was the Posada el Encanta near
Sanare where we spent four nights. It was situated on a hill in the countryside
in beautiful, immaculate grounds. The rooms were spacious, clean and comfortable
with air conditioning (not needed) while the food was excellent. In short, it
was as good as it gets. See
http://www.posadaelencanto.com
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The third hotel was in the coastal resort of
Tucacas where we spent two nights. A short walk past a boatyard, avoiding the
Rottweiler than was sleeping in the shade of a boat
(chained, luckily), took us to a jetty where we could watch Frigatebirds
and pelicans. The rooms were fairly small but comfortable and with
air-conditioning, which, in this case, was needed. The food again was excellent.
20 Feb 2010
We flew from London to Caracas with a change of
aircraft at Lisbon. Strong head winds made us one and a half hours late so we
did not arrive until 22.15. We changed US dollars to Bolivars at the airport
then drove for two hours to the Posada el Limon in Maracay where we spent a
rather hot and brief night.
Web site editing by Jim Rose
Video clips by Dave Parmenter
Video clips by Dave Parmenter
