My friend and I did a 5 day trip to the Angel Falls and Margarita Island, with 2 days travelling to and from Guyana at either end. We booked through Hike-Venezuela and had a truly memorable experience, the customer service was as good as any I have ever experienced. Our hostess Evelyn was absolutely amazing, all the arrangements for hotels, taxis and flights worked perfectly.She met us on Margarita Island, gave us great tips on where to go and what to do and was very patient in arranging our return journey, which also worked beautifully. She didn't just go the extra mile, nothing was too much trouble for her, I would recommend her wholeheartedly.The Angel Falls 3 days from Ciudad Bolivar was a great experience, two flights in light aircraft (6 seaters), a walk behind a waterfall at a beautiful lagoon, boat trips to/from the Angel Falls (breathtaking) and good accommodation and food.We stayed at Playa el Agua on Margarita Island, the best beach in our opinion.
The trek is awesome and a great experience. Good physical challenge over the days with changeable weather adding to the spice!Regarding the operator Backpacker Tours they did a good job and have excellent porters and guides.. The food provided is good quality and knowledge and courtesy is top notch. I have given them the same feedback to them as I have written here to ensure it is an unforgettable experience.The porters only arrive in camp after you do so when cold and wet a hot drink is a long way off plus they don't have any snacks for mid afternoon to boost energy levels so need to bring loads of your own which wasn't explicit. The quality of food is amazing but would be great to get more warm drinks on summit as drops to 5C and is wet! Also the camp on summit is constantly damp with a little drainage improvement could be much better.Can't compare to other operators in the area but can compare to other trekking operators like on Kilimanjaro hence noticed improvements. Given cost is c.$40 per day I can't really complain
I did a 6 day hike with Backpacker Tours. It cost a bit more than the other operators but it was worth the extra money as the guides, food an accommodation were good. I was worried the hike would be really difficult. It was difficult at times, but not too often. Overall it was fun and really rewarding. It is essential you pack everything in waterproof bags. Have enough clothes if you get wet. Take hiking boots. Have flip flops for relaxing at camp. Don't take any non essential items. Enjoy!
It is a pity that the Pemon indians force everybody to start so far away from the Roraima mountain so everybody has to sleep 2 days before climbing up Roraima mountain in very uncomfortable tents with much cold in the nights and threatened by mosquitos called Puri-puri. Also the 2 days walk to Roraima tepuy mountain is under the hot sun and with not so much changing surroundings.You can recognize a street from the past leading to the Roraima but the Pemon want to earn money working carrying 3 extra days !!I suggest that the Pemon indians should organize better sleeping camps, a parking area, a better street leading over there and a safer way up the Roraima mountain and in this way the Pemon can charge their money giving a more enjoyable trip to their tourists so everybody is happy !!The trip going up the Roraima is very difficult but very beautiful and a great experience especially on the top.Pemon indians are very friendly and helpful persons.I recomend this trip just for very strong persons who do not mind sleeping in uncomfortable conditions and if the Pemon indians accept going by car to the Roraima mountain and not starting so far away because u even do not get mosquito bites going up and on the top it is quite cold so please treat better the tourists !!
I joined a tour in Santa Elena, Venezuela to Mount. Roraima. It was a 7d6n tour. There are probably not such thing like last minute deal. Departure dates are fixed and may be once per month though all tour agency may have different departure date.Things to concern:1. Physically fit especially for day 3 (from base camp to the top)2. Females might concern about toilet tent. The tours I joined did not provide toilet tent.3. Wear long sleeves and trousers. The black flies are crazy. It leaves scars and itchiness and not afraid of insect repellent. (especially day 1 and the last day)4. Poncho is essential especially wet season. You are going to hike under some waterfalls. Nothing will be dry. Wrap your electronic stuffs with plastic bag.5. You do not need 7 pairs off clothes or a 7 days hike. So pack light and save your money for hire a porter.And lastly, I would say this is a well protected area, not over crowded like Machu Picchu. Please do not draw and write on the rocky wall.
(I'm posting this same review under Angel Falls, since it covers both Roraima and Angels Falls.)Our family of four used Hike Venezuela (hike-venezuela.com) to make all the arrangements for a 12-day trip that included a six-day Roraima trek, a three-day Angel Falls excursion, and many logistics to get us from place to place. We began arranging the trip by email with Evelyn, who had excellent English. When Evelyn left the company and we started communicating with the owner Tino, whose English leaves something to be desired, we got a little nervous. We shouldn't have. Tino's arrangements were flawless and so was our trip, in a country where it's surely easy for things to go awry.Tino arranged absolutely everything from start to finish: an "escort" on arrival in Caracas who helped us change money and made sure we were squared away for our domestic flight, the domestic flights themselves, all hotels, private transfers varying from 1/8 mile at the Puerto Ordaz airport to eight hours to and from Santa Elena, the all-inclusive Roraima trek and Angel Falls excursions, and invaluable advice such as how much cash to exchange and to look out for unannounced gate changes in the domestic airports. He even worked miracles to reposition our extra luggage while we were trekking, and with a final long layover in Caracas he arranged a spur of the moment excursion. He provided a local phone for the duration of our trip; the only time we called him was when one pick-up was uncharacteristically 10 minutes late. In a country known for its crime, we were taken care of everywhere that could be sketchy, and we always felt comfortable.The Roraima trek was both more crowded and a bit more challenging than we expected. The challenge may have been primarily due to the weather -- we had a LOT of rain. But our Guyanese English-speaking guide Ricky was just excellent, the porters were friendly and prompt, the equipment and meals were easily up to par, and the summit plateau of Roraima is just incredible, rain or shine. While we could have lived without all the mud and six days of wet feet (despite waterproof boots), we have no regrets about doing the trek: it's a must for people who enjoy full-service trekking and want to see a fantastic and unique area. Although Tino arranged our overall trip, it appeared that the trek was subcontracted to Backpacker Tours, the main trekking operation out of Santa Elena.The Angel Falls excursion was more mainstream but no less enjoyable. It's a finely-tuned operation that includes flights in and out of Canaima, an afternoon boat and hiking tour of the Canaima lagoon area, and the next day a four-hour boat ride upriver to a one-hour jungle hike to a terrific viewpoint of the falls. The overnight near the falls is traditionally in hammocks, but the level of luxury may vary. We had a very pleasant "camp" with dining and real toilets on one level, plenty of hammocks on the second level, and excellent food. Our Angel Falls excursion was operated by Tapuy Lodge in Canaima, where we spent our first night. We were worried about a large group experience, but we were paired with a nice Venezuelan family and our guide was accommodating and friendly. We had a few hours to spare on our last day in Canaima, so Tino suggested if we were feeling extravagant we might splurge on an overflight of the falls. At $50 per person we decided to go for it, and we had no regrets -- it was a perfect add-on to the river/hiking way of seeing the falls, and a highlight of the trip.All of the miscellaneous places we stayed were fine; we especially enjoyed Posada Los Pinos in Santa Elena and Casa Grande in Puerto Ordaz. Some of our shorter transfers were in small cars, but our longer drives were in large, comfortable SUVs.Hike Venezuela offered a variety of price points. Opting for private transfers, mid-level hotels, and especially a private Roraima trek raised the overall price of our trip, but it was still extremely reasonable for all of our activities and the excellent service at every stop.I believe Tino has a new helper in the office whose English is a little smoother, but regardless, Hike Venezuela is a terrific operation with all details attended to. Highly recommended.
Climb to the top of Mount Roraima is an indescribable experience. The mountain will put you to the test physically and mentally all the way. The journey begins from the small Indian village Paratepui and for 6 wonderful days you'll hiking and looking absolutely incredible landscapes. If you like adventure, nature, landscapes and challenges, Roraima is definitely for you. Recommended: Wear waterproof bags, hiking shoes or boots and appropriate socks, sunscreen, fast dry clothes, insect repellent and of course a good camera.
Mount Roraima is an incredible place, and a very challenging trek, especially if you choose to carry your own pack. I decided to have a personal porter as I wanted to enjoy the trek and not be weighed down by a heavy pack.I went on a trek organised by Backpacker Tours. I arrived on the overnight bus with about an hour to spare before trek departure, and I needed to organise porter, repack my rucksack, find somewhere to leave excess clothes etc. Backpacker Tours couldn’t have been less helpful. They were unfriendly, and denied having received payment from Hike Venezuela, and I wasn’t even on the trek list. A very stressful start to a 6 day trek, especially after a night’s ‘sleep’ on a bus, when we were hauled out for a full luggage search at a police check point.The group of 21 walkers plus porters & guide was far too large for the mountain. Even Backpacker’s own leaflet states that the maximum capacity of the summit campsites is 14 people.On the plus side the guides and porters were excellent, working long hours to provide us with nutritious food and setting up camp and dismantling tents, often in the pouring rain.Why are so many people climbing Mt Roraima? Most people on my trip had no idea what a special place it is, with its unique environment home to many endemic species. This is a fragile place and cannot cope with the numbers of trekkers tramping round on the summit. The Venezuelan government should be doing more to control the number of trekkers, and clamp down on this over-exploitation by companies that are just making the most of the present lack of control without regard for the future of the mountain.
What an experience in the lost world of the gran sabana!Evelyn Podewin from hike-venezuela.com arranged this trip for us and she would come highly reccomended for helping and organizing a trip of a lifetime. I was unsure of the situation in Venezuela when planning this trip 4 moths ago but after many emails exchanged with Evelyn we were well assured that all was okay and that our trip would go smoothly.My booking was took in good faith and no cash was exchanged before 1 week into our trip in Venezuela. We were picked up in Caracas airport by a driver and stayed in a fine hotel near to the airport before flying to Ciudad Bolivar the following day. From here we stayed in a lovely posada named Don Carlos before the Angel Falls adventure combined with 4 days of hiking and boating! blessed with good weather and a great group & guide this was an unforgetable few days..From here a nightbus to Santa Elena which although comfortable was disrupted by 4 military checkpoints and thus took a little longer than expected, arriving in SE after 15 long hours.. all part of the fun tho eh!! :) Staying in the extremely professional backpackers hostel here we met our guide and was informed of the details for the next 5 days with the trek to Mount Roraima. I have been fortunate to experience some incredible landscapes and treks in my time travelling but Mount Roraima will certainly remain high on the list. Truely set back in time in the lost world this was a magical experience getting to the top, a tough trek but with the time you have each day no problem at all..! well, you need to be in goodISH shape... ;)I cannot reccomend Evelyn enough and she has also has indepth local knowledge on what else to do in the surrounding regions. hike-venezuela.com will also give you the best possible price depending on the crazy exchange (black market) so rest assured you will be in the safest hands by chosing this company.Enjoy!!
I did a 6 days hike with my brother and use a local service of guides in San Francisco de Yuruani, amazing place, people was very kind and helpfuly, guides and porters were incredibles, and Roraima is something really really unexpected, it is really a lost world, we have a spectacular weather while we were hiking, and on top of the Tepuy was awesome. I really recomend this trekk, I will do it again