Ciudad Bolivar

Ciudad Bolívar stands where the Orinoco narrows to less than a kilometre, which is why the town was founded here in 1764 as Angostura, the narrows. It gave its name to the bitters invented here in 1824 and it was the base from which the independence campaigns of the 1810s were organised. The old quarter above the river keeps painted colonial houses around the Plaza Bolívar and the cathedral, and the Piedra del Medio in the river carries marks of historic flood levels.

Background

The town was also once known as St. Thomas de Guyana. Its first site, in 1576, lay near present-day Ciudad Guayana at the meeting with the Caroní River, and a second settlement was founded in 1595 by Antonio de Berrío. Fernando de Berrio refounded it in 1620. Don Joaquin Moreno de Mendoza established the present city on 22 May 1764 as San Tomé de Angostura, a name honouring its diocese and its place at the first narrows of the Orinoco. Besides the bitters, the Angostura tree also carries the old name. The city was renamed for Simon Bolivar in 1846. It has the first bridge across the Orinoco, works as a major river port and had 422,578 inhabitants in 2022.

Source: Wikipedia, "Ciudad Bolívar"

What you'll find

• Plaza Bolivar - the colonial square with the cathedral and painted houses.
• The Paseo Orinoco - the riverside walk above the narrows.
• The Piedra del Medio - the rock in the river used to read flood levels.
• The Angostura connection - the town where the bitters were devised in 1824.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and the most comfortable. The river is highest between July and September. It is hot year round.

Practical notes

The old quarter is small and parts are run down. Museum opening is unreliable. The town is mainly used as the departure point for flights to Canaima.

Nearby

Castillos de Guayana are east, and Canaima is south.

Key facts