Description
Northwest of Mérida state towards Lake Maracaibo is a beautiful
area in which one can see seven distinct types of ecosystems in a few
day's travel. From our starting point in Mérida city, which is set
in a beautiful Andean valley, we travel west and descend suddenly into a
desert-like landscape. Then we turn north and head into the hills,
reaching an area with dozens of coffee haciendas. This area is
historically one of the most productive coffee regions in the country,
and through the centuries, the locals have developed a distinct culture
around its growth and commercialization.
After the plantations, we ascend further into lush, dense cloud forest.
Hiking through this panorama of green, we will find several totally
natural hot spring waterfalls known only by the locals. Further north,
the land begins to flatten out and we pass through an area with dozens
of large banana plantations, where delicious tropical fruit can be
bought at one of the many fruit stands along the road. We reach Puerto
Concha, at the edge of Ciénagas de Juan Manuel National Park, and
the surrounding landscape begins to resemble marshland. Dozens of
species of birds make their home here, along with howler monkeys, mato
lizards, and many other tropical animals.
We reach Lake Maracaibo and sail half an hour on the lake
to our palafito (house built on stilts in the middle of the lake modeled
on the original indigenous settlements which inspired European explorers
to name the area Venezuela after ), where we spend the night in
hammocks, looking for the famous 24 hour silent Catatumbo lightning.
Finally, we spend a quiet morning exploring the edge of the marshlands
seeing thousands of birds, looking for fresh-water dolphins, and
visiting and sharing with the local fishermen who unhurriedly go about
their livelihoods as they have since before the first Europeans arrived.
For visitors who are interested in seeing the incredible diversity of
Venezuela's landscapes in a short amount of time, the Coffee Trails -
Catatumbo tour is highly recommended. Relatively few foreign tourists
choose this worthwhile adventure, but it has consistently amazed and
delighted those who crave a taste of the tropics in the backyard of the
Andes.
Itinerary:
- Day 1:
- Leave Mérida at 8:30am.
- Visit a trapiche (small family-owned sugar processing mill).
- Hike for an hour and a half through coffee haciendas and plantations.
- Lunch in a local farmer's home.
- Afternoon hike through cloud forest to the first set of natural hot springs.
- Spend night in hammocks in the jungle.
- Day 2:
- Breakfast at 7:30am.
- Jeep tour for 45 minutes through more cloud forest.
- Hike downhill for an hour to a small natural bath fed by hot waterfalls.
- Picnic lunch
- Jeep ride to Puerto Concha arriving after 4pm.
- Boat ride for half an hour through marshes, looking for large birds such as the Savannah Hawk, fresh-water dolphins, howler monkeys, and mato lizards.
- Arrive at palafito at 5:30pm.
- Boat tour at dusk to visit areas where dozens of birds come to roost and see a spectacular sunset.
- Barbeque dinner.
- Look for Catatumbo lightning.
- Day 3:
- Boat tour for 2 hours, looking for fresh-water dolphins, and seeing dozens of Chicaguire nests, a bird that is only found in this area of Lake Maracaibo. We also meet the local fishermen, to learn a bit about their lives.
- Roast chicken lunch.
- Visit Hacienda Victoria (a beautifully restored colonial home which has been restored as a museum displaying the history of coffee in the area).
- Arrive in Mérida by 5:30pm.
All transport, food, drinks, and accommodations are provided for 3 days and 2 nights. Vegetarian options are available.
Recommendations
Café Trails, 3 Days - 2 Nights, June 6, 1999
After three days on the coffee trail, we are back in the office in Mèrida. We had a wonderful trip to the mountains and the rainforests with Jack the guide, and Marino the very good driver. We have experienced something we have never seen before.
Jack is an excellent guide who took care of everything including food and night stories after the day trips to the jungle and hot springs. The car, a Toyota LandCruiser of Marino was very tough in the tour regarding the partly very bad roads. We thank very much you two for this adventure.
- Rauno and Liisa Luoto, Helsinki, Finland, Europe
Café Catatumbo 3 Days - 2 Nights, March 2, 2002
Excellent!!! Thank you Eli, for a great trip. We are now very tired, but happy after three fascinating and fun days. The scenery was amazing and really varied - cloudforest, rainforest, (hot) waterfalls, flat grasslands, rivers, houses on stilts. and tasty food. Eli was very knowledgeable and helpful, especially about the wildlife. Totally recommended for anyone who wants a bit of exercise, a bit of relaxation, and a complete change from the mountains around Los Nevados.
-Jo, Esma, and Jamie from England
Catatumbo, 2 Days - 1 Night, December 23, 2001
We had a great time on the Catatumbo trip! We saw lots of birds, dolphins, and monkeys. The best was sleeping on the lake in hammocks with a wonderful breeze and the beautiful lightning all around.
-Barbara Carey
What an action-packed tour for only two days - one night. Saw lots of flora and fauna and multiple eco-zones. It.s amazing to start in the mountains of Mèrida and then sleep in a hammock over Lake Maracaibo at night. Diana is a great guide, both gracious and well-versed in things from Venezuelan Spanish to the birds in the trees! The coffee plantation was beautiful. Catatumbo has something for everyone.
-Elizabeth Swanson, Arizona
- Leave Mérida at 8:30am.