Caripe

Caripe sits in a valley at around eight hundred metres in the Turimiquire massif, high enough to be cool and green in a hot part of the country, and it has long been a coffee and citrus district with orange groves on the slopes around the town. It is the base for visiting the Cueva del Guácharo a few kilometres away, and the surrounding hills give walks to waterfalls, caves and viewpoints in cloud forest.

Background

Caripe del Guácharo, meaning Caripe of the Oilbird, is the town's official name, after the oilbird colony in the nearby Cueva del Guácharo. Its founding date is recorded as 12 October 1734. Science did not know the oilbird until 1799, when Alexander von Humboldt reached Caripe on his Latin American Expedition, while a Capuchin mission was based here. The name almost certainly comes from Carib, and a legend tells of a chief named Caripe whose son Caripito followed the Caripe river down and founded Caripito in the lowlands. Cerro Turumiquire tops the surrounding Cordillera de Caripe at 2595 m, and Cerro Negro comes next at 2430 m. The cave anchors the Cueva del Guácharo National Park, created in 1975.

Source: Wikipedia, "Caripe"

What you'll find

• The orange groves - citrus and coffee farming on the surrounding slopes.
• The cloud forest - the wet forest on the higher ground around the valley.
• The cave access - the town is the base for the Cueva del Guacharo.
• The waterfalls - falls in the hills reached on foot from the valley.

When to go

December to April is the driest. The altitude keeps it cool year round and nights are chilly. The wet season brings frequent afternoon rain.

What to expect

The town itself has few sights and works mainly as a base. Roads in the mountains are winding and slow. Accommodation is limited and basic.

Nearby

Cueva del Guacharo is nearby, and Mochima is west.

Key facts