Cerro Pintado Petroglyphs

Cerro Pintado is a granite outcrop south of Puerto Ayacucho whose vertical face carries one of the largest concentrations of petroglyphs in the Orinoco basin: human figures, animals, geometric designs and above all a serpent carved along the rock for tens of metres, all pecked high up the face where the carvers must have worked from scaffolding or from a higher water level. They are attributed to the region's pre-Columbian peoples and are not securely dated.

What you actually see

• The great serpent - a snake figure carved along the rock for tens of metres.
• The human figures - stylised figures pecked high on the vertical face.
• The height of the carvings - work placed far above the present ground level.
• The granite outcrop - the rock rising out of the forest south of the town.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the best for the road and the light. Morning and late afternoon raking light shows the carvings best. The rains make the approach muddy.

Honest expectations

The carvings are high on the face and binoculars help a great deal. There is no interpretation on site. The road in is rough and the site is unstaffed much of the time.

Nearby

Puerto Ayacucho is north, and Tobogan de la Selva is beyond it.