SAN JUAN DE LOS MORROS
San Juan de los Morros is one of the most visually striking places in Venezuela. Situated in the central part of the country and inland from the Caribbean coast, San Juan de los Morros will surprise the visitor with its steep, jagged hills that can look lush and green in the rainy season or even appear slightly spooky at night under a full moon. In Spanish, the word “morros” in fact means “hills.”
Tourists often regard San Juan de los Morros, which is the capital of the large and thinly-populated Guárico state, as a “jumping-off point” for trips to Venezuela’s vast central plains region known as “Los Llanos.” For rural adventures, the llanos offer great opportunities for hunting, rafting, bird watching and animal sightings. Large farming estates called “hatillos” provide a base for tourists, renting rooms and running local excursions. Some of the most famous of these are the cattle ranch and nature preserve called Hato Piñero, and Hato El Frío, which also boasts a biological research station.
In the town of San Juan de Los Morros itself, there is some fine colonial architecture to take in. The traditional Plaza Bolívar and centuries-old government buildings are reminders of history. Looming over the central square, an enormous statue of San Juan Batista (St. John the Baptist) stands over 130-feet tall.
One of the best things about San Juan de los Morros is the opportunities it offers for relaxation. Visitors with this aim will not want to miss the nearby hot springs that are said to have curative powers. According to local lore, Venezuela’s autocratic ex-President Antonio Guzmán Blanco found out about the hot springs in the late 1800s and ordered that a highway be built between San Juan de los Morros and the capital for improved access. Luckily, today’s travelers should not have any trouble reaching them.
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VENEZUELA’S “CHOCOLATE COAST”
In the past few years, Venezuela has become known for its exports of fine organic chocolate. Though the country’s economy was founded on agriculture and relied heavily on cacao farming in the 17th and 19th centuries, Venezuela’s new chocolate industry is a whole different story. Chocolate production has gone upscale, and has created some very savory options for tourists with or without a sweet tooth.
Near the Paria Peninsula on Venezuela’s eastern “chocolate coast,” farmers of cacao (chocolate in its raw form) also cater to visitors by offering tours and lodging, as well as local hiking trips.
Hacienda Bukare is one of these sites, where tourists can stay in thatched roof cabanas, relax in rural splendor, and check out the cacao museum. Here, Bukare trees with their orange blossoms are used to shade the low-growing cacao plants. Inside sticky pinkish-red pods, the plants yield the same high-quality beans that have been used to make chocolate in Venezuela for centuries. It is no wonder cacao literally means “food of the gods.”
Visits to the “chocolate coast” are not complete without a stop in Ocumare de la Costa, the town around which the new organic industry is flourishing. Several farming cooperatives have been organized in the surrounding area, and are revitalizing the coastal economy. According to the foreign chocolate manufacturers who purchase their goods, these family-run cooperatives are delivering some of the finest organic cacao in the world.
Of course, you do not have to go to the cacao farms to get some of this coveted Venezuelan chocolate. La Praline Chocolatier in Caracas will give you a quick fix. Those wishing to sample Venezuelan chocolates closer to home should visit Chuao Chocolatier on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, Florida. A recent Miami Herald review raved about its orange blossom honey truffles and almond truffles with a hazelnut and almond praline center.
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ANGEL FALLS
Venezuela’s lush landscape holds some of the most beautiful natural wonders in the world!
Angel Falls, or Parekupa-meru as the Pemon indigenous people call it, is the world’s highest free-falling, freshwater waterfall. At 3,212 ft. tall, this natural wonder boasts a clear drop of 2,648 ft. The height of the falls is so great that before getting anywhere near the ground, the water is buffeted by the strong winds and turned into mist. It is located in the state of Bolivar in Canaima National Park.
Sir Walter Raleigh was said to have discovered Angel Falls, but in actuality Venezuelan explorer Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz was the first outsider to see it. He did not make his discovery public, though, so Angel Falls did not appear on maps until the American aviator James Crawford Angel flew over it on November 16, 1933. Angel returned years later on October 9, 1937 and tried to land his plane atop the falls, on Devil’s Moutain. Unfortunately for him, his wife, and two other companions riding with him that day, the wheels of the plane got stuck in the mud and they were forced to climb down the mountain on foot. It took them 11 days to make their way back to a town, but news of their adventure spread and the waterfall was named “Angel Falls” in the American pilot’s honor. An exquisite, eye-opening account of this largely untouched area of Venezuela appears in a recent article in the Belfast Telegraph.
Tourists who wish to visit Angel Falls have several options, but the tour company we found most suitable for singles, couples, and families alike is the eco-friendly Angel-Eco Tours.
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