May 2006: As part of a two-week trip that also included Colombia-Colombian Cocaine Labs, Indians and Hiking to the Paramilitary Controlled Lost City of Tayrona | Venture The Planet, I visited Venezuela for a week with two of my friends, Sterling and Holly. The goal of the trip was to camp on a deserted island in the Los Roques islands and to raft through the Amazon rainforest to the highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls. This was my itinerary for the trip:
Day 1
- Arrival at Simón Bolívar International Airport, Caracas, Venezuela on Copa at 2:49 PM
- Transfer to the national airport and flight to Los Roques on TRANSAVEN (16:00-16:30)
- Transfer to Rancho Agua Clara on the island of Craski
- Overnight in a tent
Day 2
- Overnight in a tent (Arrange night on deserted island)
Day 3
- Camp in a tent on a deserted island
Day 4
- Transfer to the airport at Los Roques
- Flight to Caracas national airport by charter (TRANSAVEN 08:00 – 08:30)
- Flight from Caracas to Canaima (3B 1199 at 12:00)
- Check-in at Hotel Posada Kusari
- National Park fee Canaima, excursion to Salto El Sapo (3 hours)
Day 5
- Excursion to Angel Falls
- 1 night in hammocks at Angel Falls
Day 6
- Transfer from Angel Falls to the airport at Canaima
- Flight from Canaima to Puerto Ordaz by charter
- Flight from Puerto Ordaz to Caracas (RUT1304 at 19:20)
- Transfer to Hotel Prezzano near the airport
Day 7
- Depart Caracas at 05:00 AM
Travel route in Venezuela
In the years leading up to my trip, Venezuela was rapidly becoming an adversary of the United States. Hugo Chávez, the country’s president, was transforming Venezuela into a Cuba-style socialist state, consolidating power in a way that granted him near-dictatorial control. He amended the constitution to eliminate presidential term limits, effectively allowing him to remain in office indefinitely. Elections became little more than a formality, riddled with corruption and manipulation.
Chávez aligned Venezuela with Cuba in opposition to the U.S. and moved to nationalize key industries, seizing Western-owned companies and oil fields. This provoked political sanctions and economic isolation from the U.S., further destabilizing Venezuela’s already struggling economy. The oil industry—one of the largest in the world—was in free fall, and crime rates soared.
Despite these challenges, Americans could still visit Venezuela without a visa at the time, traveling freely throughout the country. Knowing that this policy could soon change, I prioritized my trip, seizing the opportunity to experience Venezuela before restrictions tightened and travel became far more difficult.
Camping on a Deserted Island in the Los Roques Islands
The Los Roques archipelago is a Caribbean paradise—a scattering of white-sand, coral-fringed islands a few hundred miles off the Venezuelan mainland. With hundreds of islands, most of them uninhabited, it was the perfect place to fulfill one of my favorite travel experiences: camping on a deserted island. Given the choice, I would always prefer sleeping under the stars on a remote beach over staying in a five-star hotel. To me, deserted islands are paradise.
To reach Los Roques, we took a small twin-prop plane, arriving in the afternoon. Our first night was spent camping on the beach of the main island, home to the archipelago’s largest town. Though we had brought tents, the heat made them unbearable, so we opted to sleep directly on the beach, lying on inflatable mattresses where we could feel the cool ocean breeze throughout the night.
The next morning, I arranged an early scuba dive before organizing a boat to take us—along with our camping gear—to a deserted island a few miles away, where we would be dropped off for the night. Over the course of our stay, we camped on two different islands. One was completely uninhabited, while the other had a few abandoned buildings and a small hut where a family of fishermen now lived.
Our days were spent swimming, snorkeling, and simply soaking in the tropical beauty. With no distractions, we embraced the simplicity of island life—reading, relaxing, and basking in the warmth of the southern Caribbean sun.
Flight to the Los Roques Islands
Los Roques Islands
Me Sleeping on one of the uninhabited islands
The abandoned structure where we spent our second night on another uninhabited island wasn’t completely deserted; a family was staying in a fishing hut a short walk from our location. We celebrated my birthday with them by enjoying fresh fish, sharing some beers, and they even made a simple cake for me, singing happy birthday in Spanish.
Where we slept
The waters of the Los Roques Islands
Our neighbor the pelican
Me swimming in the Los Roques at sunet from oiur campsite
Angel Falls
For the second half of the trip, I set my sights on the “Lost World”—the towering tepui mountains that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel about an isolated land so remote that dinosaurs still roamed its heights. While no dinosaurs have ever been discovered, the region remains an untamed wilderness, home to some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth. Among these is Angel Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall (or so it is claimed), plunging an astonishing 3,212 feet from the summit of Auyán-tepui.
Reaching Angel Falls is no simple task—there are no roads leading to it. The only way in is by small aircraft, so we chartered a single-prop bush plane and flew into Canaima, the gateway to the region. From there, we embarked on a multi-day expedition, journeying deeper into the rainforest by river raft, following the same path that countless explorers have taken in search of one of the planet’s most breathtaking natural wonders.
Plane to Canaima we took
Tepuis in the distance
Canaima falls
Walking behind the falls
Walking behind the falls
Boat to Angel Falls
Tepui
River we traveled
Angel Falls
Boat to Angel Falls
Angel Falls
Angel Falls
Me swimming in the first pool at the bottom of Angel Falls
Huge Orb Spider at campsite
We spent two nights in Canaima at a rustic hotel, taking in the stunning scenery before setting off on our journey to Angel Falls. The expedition took us deep into the rainforest, traveling by river raft all day through dense jungle and past towering tepuis. By nightfall, we reached the base of Angel Falls, where we set up camp for the night, falling asleep to the distant roar of the cascading water.
We rafted back down the river, then boarded our bush plane for the flight back to Caracas. From there, we continued onward to Colombia-Colombian Cocaine Labs, Indians and Hiking to the Paramilitary Controlled Lost City of Tayrona | Venture The Planet, ready for the next adventure.