Orinoco Delta

The Orinoco breaks into hundreds of channels before reaching the Atlantic, spreading over a delta of some forty thousand square kilometres of swamp forest, moriche palm and mangrove. The Warao have lived here for a very long time in stilt houses along the water, travelling by canoe, and their name means boat people. Visits are made from lodges on the channels, going out by boat for howler monkeys, scarlet ibis, caiman, river dolphins and piranha fishing.

What you actually see

• The channel network - hundreds of waterways through swamp forest and palm.
• The Warao stilt villages - houses built over the water along the channels.
• The moriche palms - the palm stands the delta economy has long depended on.
• The wildlife - howler monkeys, scarlet ibis, caiman and river dolphins.

When to go

December to April is the drier season with fewer mosquitoes and easier travel. The wet season raises the water and floods more forest. Rain is possible in any month.

Honest expectations

Mosquitoes are relentless and malaria is present; prophylaxis and repellent are necessary. Visits to Warao communities are commercialised and the benefit to villages varies. Lodges are the only practical accommodation and are booked as packages.

Nearby

Tucupita is west, and Ciudad Guayana is beyond it.