Acequias - Siniguis - Upper Canagua
(3 days/ 2 nights, Acequias,
Canagua & Siniguis)
Barinas - Venezuela
Day
1: ( 4 km , 1 hour whitewater
rafting, class 2and a half to 3)
The day starts with a spectacular drive through and over the Andes.
Stopping at the famous stone church built by Juan Felix Sanchez, Laguna
Mucubaji, Santo Domingo, before we get to our new "Campamento de aventura
Arassari trek". Here its time to enjoy a typical lunch including some
of the most tender beef in Venezuela, surrounded by lush tropical rainforest
with a breathtaking view of the highest snowcapped peaks of Venezuela in
the background. The setting for our first river run on a class 2 and
a half to 3 river, ideal for training, surfing, helicopters and playing
with the flow. Late afternoon we can relax around with a cold beer
and Cuba Libres in the midst of the sights and sounds of tropical birds
or do some mountainbiking on the spectacular side roads of barinas state.
The night is spent in beds in our new "Arassari Trek Adventure
camp" next to the Acequias river. If you wish we can sling up
hammocks too. An added bonus is the absence of mosquitos !
Note: it is possible to join our trip in Barinas at midday
or get directly to the camp (if coming from Caracas, Valencia, Maracay,
Barinas or Barquisimeto)
Day
2: ( 20 km, 4 to 5
hours whitewater rafting, class 4+)
We pack up all our gear and head far away from civilization to
the isolated village of Santa Maria de Canagua. The last part of
the journey is tough four wheel driving through the mud as the trail gets
steeper, the road gets narrower and the forest thickens. It´s around
3 hours to get there. The river is 400m from the ridge where we get to
with the 4X4. After a recap on the rafting instructions, we launch the
raft into what seems a tranquil river. Yet only two hundred
metres later everybody will be wide awake as we hit the first of today's
big rapids "Flying High". Many class 3 and 4 rapids follow,
until we get to the the biggest rapid "The three Martins" so named after
a long swim on the first ever descent down the river in 1997, by you guessed
it, three guys all named Martin! Along the way we will stop at beautiful
beaches, one with a natural hot spring for a swim and a much needed snack.
All around you will see virgin tropical rain forest, huge cliffs, enormous
boulders, and occasional wildlife. Upper Canagua tops all Venezuela's
white water rafting experiences, and the adrenaline and the beauty of nature
will blow your mind! This river is only run by Arassari Trek,
Mérida´s leading and most innovative outfitter and adventure
tourism operator, with the assistance of top New Zealand qualified, senior
rafting instructors. We will finish in Heaven, a local riverside farm,
from where we get transport back to Campamento de aventura Arassari Trek
where food will be waiting for us,- as will showers and the first signs
of civilization for the day.
Day
3: (12 km, around 3 hours
of whitewater rafting, class 4 + to 5)
Breakfast and a short drive further upriver, past the most original
Plaza Bolivar in Venezuela, to some of the oldest petroglyphs found in
Venezuela that prove the existence of ancient indian culture (thousands
of years ago) in this valley.
Then onto the hanging bridge the starting point for today's rafting.
After an comprehensive safety briefing, we launch straight into a class
5 rapid ( the alarmclock!) where HOLD ON!! is the call of the day.
We share the river today with River Otters, Iguanas, and many species of
tropical birds and butterflies. The rapids today have a kitchen appliance
theme, with rapids such as the Mixer, the Blender, and the Washing Machine,
and are class 4+ to 5 (being the highest classification commercially
runnable). We will have a few stops on the way to take in the
spectacular views, admire the lush vegetation and eat chocolate bars and
nuts. We may even find an Indiana Jones style hanging bridge to jump off
into the river! After around 3 to 4 hours on the water we finish
our trip back at the Campamento Arassari
for
a well deserved lunch/Barbeque and some more cold beers.
From here we pack up all our gear and head back to Barinas and Merida.
If you wish to stay at the Arassari Trek adventure camp after your
adventure please tell us in advance or as soon as possible to check the
possibility and availability as soon as possible.
Your three days of adventure and adrenaline are over and its time to
go back to the office or continue your travels, this time with wild tales
of fantastic white water and shared experiences with your boatmates.
We can drop you off in Barinas to go on by bus or plane to Caracas,
Valencia or Ciudad Bolivar in the later afternoon. Maybe you would like
to join up with one of our wildlife trips to the llanos...
or continue your journey with us to Mérida to enjoy some Canyoning,
horseback riding, paragliding, mountain biking, bridgejumping or climbing
with the professionals of adventure tourism at Arassari Trek.
The exploration trip. Tom told us about this river which had only been
run once before, 2 years ago. He was the only person from that first raft
left in Venezuela and he asked if we would like to join an exploratory
expedition, to be the second raft down ever. We didn't need to be asked
twice. Tom's memories of it alone got the adrenline going, and last time
they had run it in lower water. We thought the Gods were trying to tell
us something when we were held up by schoolkids protesting with burning
tyres on the road to Barinas, but we pressed on regardless. We were not
dissappointed, it was massive, rapid after rapid of grade 4+ water. It
was mad from the start, and the very first rapid got named "the Paragliders"(now
called "flying high") after they all got flipped out, 200 yards after the
put in point. Pete's guiding skills were impressive considering he was
doing the river for the first time too. Thanks for a fantastic trip.
Justin & Cathy, London, England |
