Venezuela 99    Grand Sabana

We flew from Prague via Milano to Caracas. Atitalia airline was a nice surprise. Good service and we're got even socks! Flight ticket was about 420 USD including airport tax. On the airport we exchanged 200 USD/bucks each (it was a great idea, we found it later on) in rate 624 Bolivar /USD. Approx 300 meters on a right side from the Int'l terminal there is a national terminal with bus service (1300B) to the centre (Parque Central). Then we took a taxi/cab (7000B) to the east bus station Terminal Oriente out of town centre. It's possible to get there by metro and local bus. But was dark and guidebooks alerted with all kinds of dangerous stories from 8 milion's Caracas. Direct bus to Santa Elena was scheduled to 10 p.m. (22600B/p). From previous trips we knew that these nice new air-con buses are moving fridges. Even driver warn us. And it was...

Early morning we recognized huge Orinoco river from the only bridge across this river close to Ciudad Bolivar. Next stop was Puerto Ordaz (quite nice for industry town) and El Dorado - a gold mining centre mostly abandomed by the solitary miners these days. After El Dorado begins highway (KM 0) to brasilian Boa Vista. On KM88 called San Isidoro bus stops for a meal. There is last petrol/gas station ,few food stalls and bottled water.

Just after KM88 are the borders of the world's six's largest national park - GRAND SABANA. Bus make a short stop on place called Piedra de La Virgen - the rock with holy Virgin with fabulous view down to the Orinoco plain.

Well paved asphalt road winds up through tropical jungle to plateau in altitude 1000m from which raise up famous table mountains. Surprisingly, biggest part of the plateau covers grass savanna. No jungle as we expected. On the other hand we had all-the-time view to Tepuís (local name for table mountains). Ticket was valid until Santa Elena but we took off in San Francisco de Yuruaní. It was just beccoming dark and (with permission of local people) we erected our tent in the middle of the village.

We met german guy with two girls which just came from Roraima trek. They updated us with bad news about high transport prices (30000B one way) for jeep to Paratepui village - starting point of Roraima trek. In a "pub" we tested local beer Polar (400B), we'll see on morning what we can do ...