The Llanos and the Amazon

V!VA User‘s Description

An excellent spot for wildlife watching, this prairie-like wilderness makes up one third of Venezuela (300,000 sq km) and floods every year from September – November. These are the best times to see wildlife like capybara, the world’s largest rodents, caiman, monkeys, anacondas, river dolphins, puma and many types of birds. At this time, the llaneros (Llanos cowboys) drive their cattle into the hills or through the flood from one mesa to another. The rest of the year, the plains become sun-scorched savanna. Only about 10% of Venezuela’s population lives here, but about 80% of the cattle population lives here.

The Amazon Region in Venezuela is largely unexplored. The Amazon takes up one fifth of Venezuela's land space and stretches from the Río Orinoco south and west to the borders with Brazil and Colombia. Probably the only section of the Amazon most tourists spot in Venezuela is around the famous Angel Falls, which are only reached by plane or arduous land journey.