Itinerary

Week 1 and 2

• Location: Playa Colorada
• Culture: Intro to modern Venezuela with emphasis on etiquette and safety. Cassava preparation.
• Activities: Intensive Spanish classes. Trips to islands, waterfalls and neighbouring villages. Introduction to culture including Salsa and Merengue dancing. 3-day Kayaking expedition and dolphin encounter. Introduction to rock climbing/abseiling.

Nestled on the beautiful Caribbean beach of Playa Colorada, you'll think you're in paradise as you arrive at the lodge that will be your main base for the next six months.  After settling in you'll have chance to get to know everyone else in the group and find out all about what you're going to be doing whilst in this amazing country.

Intensive Spanish classes begin straightaway (nothing like getting stuck in!) and also include an introduction to the culture of Venezuela, covering topics such as etiquette and safety.  To help you get into the swing of things you also have the chance to learn Salsa and Merengue dancing, which can get 'muy loca', especially after a few glasses of rum and you find yourself in a dance off!

When you're not in the classroom (we use the term loosely, it's much more relaxed) you'll be out on the beach or on a kayaking expedition to explore the surrounding islands, where you'll encounter pods of dolphins, interesting marine life and beady-eyed iguanas.  They can be quite feisty, especially when there is food around, so watch your fingers!  Back on land there is an introduction to rock climbing and abseiling - skills which may come in handy on the treks later on in the trip.

Week 3

• Location: Caripe - camping in tents
• Culture: Coffee plantations and local fruit and vegetable farming culture
• Activities: Intensive Spanish lessons. Trip to Caripe including Study of Guácharo cave and its inhabitants. Visits to coffee plantations, fruit and veg farms, and great local markets. We also do mountain trekking to stunning waterfalls, caves and camping.

Spanish lessons continue this week, but it's not all hard work and no play!  There is a chance to visit the friendly countryside town of Caripe, surrounded by coffee plantations and fruit farms, some of which you’ll be visiting to see traditional farming methods in action and learn a little about the local economy.  

When you reach the entrance to the village you’ll see a statue of a big bird, a species which this area is famous for.  You’ll get to see the real thing when you visit the Cueva del Guácharo.  This is a very long, large and spectacular natural cave located 12 kilometres from Caripe and is home to thousands of the noisy, nocturnal oilbird that the cave is named after.  It's possible to visit the first 1200 metres of the cave and see huge stalactites and stalagmites, some of which have familiar shapes that are just downright rude!   For such a dark and damp environment, it's surprising how much wildlife actually survives in the cave - mice, crabs, insects and spiders will all be scuttling around your feet and combined with the Guácharo guano, you'll want to make sure you're not wearing sandals.

There are also opportunities to go trekking in the mountain areas and visit the colourful local markets and sample some locally grown strawberries.

Week 4 and 5

• Location: Orinoco Delta kayaking expedition. Sleeping in hammocks.
• Culture: Ancient Warao Indian culture 
• Activities: Now these are exiting weeks! 10 to 12 day kayak trip deep into the Orinoco Delta. Visiting remote Warao families and settlements. Exploring the waterways, jungles and sabanas, and seeing the amazing abundance of wildlife and flora. Fishing, gathering and indeed travelling and living as the Warao have done for over 20,000 years. Learning how to survive in the jungle as the Warao do.

During weeks four and five you have a break from the intensive Spanish lessons and instead get to spend your time exploring the magnificent Orinoco Delta by kayak and learning all about the Warao Indian culture.  Over 10 – 12 days you’ll wind your way along the river, past tropical mangroves, swamp forests and flooded grasslands, whilst looking out for marine life such as dolphins, rare manatees and giant otters, not to mention the abundant and colourful birdlife.  On land you can expect to see red howler and capuchin monkeys and if you’re lucky you might spot a puma or an ocelot.  This unique ecosystem is also home to a vast number of reptiles and amphibians, some cute such as turtles and some not so cute, like anacondas and vipers!

Sharing this habitat with the wildlife are the Warao Indians, who have lived in this area for over 20,000 years.  The expert guides and locals that you meet during the trip have plenty to teach you when it comes to surviving in the jungle - Bear Grylls has nothing on these people!  The outside world has had little influence on the Warao culture and visiting the settlements, interacting the families and seeing how they live is a truly wonderful experience.

When it comes to the kayaking you'll cover quite a few kilometers, but you'll be so in awe of the wildlife and scenery that you won't even notice sore muscles.  There is also plenty of freshly caught fish for dinner to keep your energy levels up - that's if you can catch any ;0), but don't worry, your Warao guides will show you what to do.  They'll also be teaching you how to put up make-shift camps - a few nights are spent sleeping in hammocks, which all adds to the experience of an authentic jungle adventure.

Week 6

• Location: Playa Colorada
• Culture: History and culture of Venezuela
• Activities: Intensive Spanish language, history and culture classes. Do some beach volleyball to keep fit. Cooking classes. Time to do some great snorkelling. Visits to historical sites in Cumaná.

You're back at the fabulous base at Playa Colorada for week 6, which involves getting back into the Spanish lessons.  You'll also have some classes on history and culture, plus the chance to visit Cumaná, said to be the first city in South America, dating back to the 1500's.  Unfortunately, due to a number of earthquakes, very little of the original architecture survived but you can still see two old forts,  Castillo de San Antonio de la Eminencia and Castillo de Santa Maria de la Cabeza, and some great examples of colonial buildings.

Other activities this week include rustling up some Venezuelan delights in the cookery classes and plenty of free time  to do some snorkelling and play some beach volleyball.  Tournaments with the locals are unheard of so you might want to get some practice in - it's all in the name of fun though.  If you don't feel that energetic after all of the kayaking then you can just lay on the gorgeous Caribbean beach and admire the scenery; tanned bods or vibrant blue sea, the choice is yours ;0)

Week 7 and 8

• Location: Gran Sabana and Roraima
• Culture: Ancient Pemon Indian
• Activities: Jeep Safari to the Mystical highlands of Venezuela, visiting various indigenous settlements, and finally a week hiking to the top of Roraima. Spanish classes for week 7 only.

During this section of the 6 month adventure you'll move away from the main base at Playa Colorada to spend time in a town inhabited by the Pemon people, learning about their culture and taking more Spanish classes, before embarking on a week-long hike to 'The Lost World'.

The journey to the Pemon town of Santa Elena, situated on the Brazilian border, is a fun jeep safari that takes you through the stunning landscape of the Gran Sabana area, with its crystal clear rivers, tumbling waterfalls and the dramatic Tepuis.  These towering table-top mountains, known to the local people as 'The Houses of the Gods', seem to spring up out of the rolling savannah and forest, the highest of which is Mount Roraima at around 2,800 metres.  You'll spend one week here receiving lessons, going on some short excursions and preparing for the mountain hike the following week.

Although the hike is tough it is most definitely worth doing.  Sure, you can take helicopter trips over Mount Roraima and no doubt get some great photos, but to truly appreciate this fascinating and mysterious place you need to get up close and personal.  Over the 5 - 6 days that it takes to reach the summit you'll start to understand how it inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Lost World'.  Surreal rock formations, carnivorous plants and crystal laden valleys are just some of the sights you'll see and to ensure that you experience the magical times of dawn and dusk you'll stay in tents on the summit for two nights.  This gives you the chance to watch how the light moves across the mountains during daylight hours and to stare at the incredible star-filled night sky once the sun goes down.  Your local Pemon guide keeps you on the right track and makes the trek seem like fun rather than a chore.

This is definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime activities that will impress your mates (or make them very jealous).  Just make sure you get someone to take your photo at the summit to prove you were there!

Week 9 to 12

• Location: Playa Colorada
• Culture: Community work
• Activities: This month we dedicate to working on a community project. Working with local people we try to give something back to our host in this underdeveloped country. Spanish classes in the morning, volunteer project in the afternoon.

Following a long journey back to base camp after the hike it's time to embark on a month-long community project, which not only gives you the opportunity to participate in important work that helps the locals but also to practice all that Spanish you've been learning.  There are still classes in the mornings, but by this point in the adventure you'll learn as much from interacting with the local community as you will in a classroom.

There are a number of different types of projects available, including:

• Teaching in local schools - This involves teaching subjects such as English, sport and geography to school children, so you may find yourself running around a football pitch or playing word games.
• Assisting at the new community centre - classes for both adults and children take at the newly built centre (completed by volunteers like you) and as well as academic subjects topics like health & safety and the environment are included.
• Marine conservation - this involves working in groups to tackle a particular problem that is affecting the coastline and/or marine life.  Cleaning beaches, repair of local shelters and raising awareness of marine conservation to visitors and local boat owners are just some of the things volunteers have participated in.
• Forest conservation - This project is all about educating the local community about the dangers of deforestation as well as transferring trees from the nursery to plant in the natural environment and maintaining walkways in the area.

Week 13 to 20

• Location: Various options
• Culture: Community work
• Activities: Students can choose two programs for 4 weeks teach from the following; teaching English, National Park Programs, photography, tour guiding, adventure sports training, journalism, tourism, bar, restaurant and hotel management, building and construction and many more. You will live with a host family or in a camp/Posada.

During the Adventure Travel Classroom trip you have many opportunities to get involved with the local community through various social and environmental projects and during weeks 13 - 20 you can choose two placements (4 weeks each) from a number of worthwhile causes.  These are detailed below, including where they are based, which is either Playa Colorada or Mérida.

• Street Kids' Fundacion Don Bosco (Mérida) - this is a fantastic programme that helps disadvantaged kids, usually those on the streets, get into a safe and supportive environment.  There are three stages, starting with the provision of shelter and food, then moving onto education and activities and finally the opportunity for them to be fostered by a family.
• ABANSA (Mérida) - This is a Christian charity that assists abandoned children, orphans and those living in difficult and even dangerous circumstances.  They seek to prevent juvenile delinquency, provide support and help these children to be able to live better quality lives.
• Zoo/Animal Sanctuary (Mérida) - Originally just a tourist attraction, this zoo has now been turned into an animal sanctuary providing care for sick and injured animals, with a view to returning them to their natural environment.
• Jakera Club (Playa Colorada) - This organisation runs many different types of projects, all of which involve working closely with the local community.  Replanting trees, marine conservation and working in a wild animal sanctuary are just some of the activities volunteers have undertaken, as well as organising games and events on the beach, building a small baseball stadium and maintaining the local football pitch.
• Warao Indian School (Playa Colorada/Orinoco Delta) - This project starts in Playa Colorada but then moves to the school in the Orinoco Delta, where volunteers assist teachers with daily activities and lessons.  The aim is to give children living in this area the chance to a more structured education, integration with the local community and also to teach them about their own Warao culture.

All of the projects available are well established and run by genuine organisations/charities - they are not just 'token' projects set up specifically for tourism, but are extremely important schemes that provide a beneficial experience for both local and the volunteers, so you will really feel like you're making a difference!

Week 21 and 22

• Location: Canaima and Angel Falls
• Culture: Pemon Culture and Venezuela
• Activities: One week walking to Canaima from la Paragua stopping at isolated villages along the way and sleeping in the wilderness. Second week in the Village of Canaima (Spanish classes), and an optional day trip to see the world highest waterfall. Flight back to La Paragua.

It's trek time again in week 21, which involves walking from La Paragua to the village of Canaima.  Along the way you'll pass through tiny settlements, where you'll have another chance to see the Pemon Indians and learn some more about their culture.  There will also be an abundance of wildlife to see along the way and come night-time you can listen to the nocturnal soundtrack as you sleep in the wilderness.

You'll spend week 22 based in Canaima, taking Spanish classes in the mornings (you'll be pretty advanced by now!) and heading out to explore the national park in the afternoons.  The highlight of this week has to be the day trip to see the breathtaking Angel Falls - the world's highest waterfall.  This excursion is optional, but you would be crazy to miss out.  It's difficult to put into words just how amazing it is, so have a look at our video for a taster.

At the end of the week a flight takes you back to La Paragua, giving you the chance to see some stunning aerial views of the area, not to mention saving another week long trek to get back.  Your feet will thank us.

Week 23 and 24

• Location: Playa Colorada
• Culture: Beach Time
• Activities: Time to work on your suntan and polish of your Spanish skills before going home. Plenty of fun on the beach and farewell parties.

The last two weeks of your trip-of-a-lifetime are spent back at base - the Caribbean lodge at Playa Colorada.  Essentially this is chill-out time, with the chance to lie on the warm sand, go snorkelling in the inviting blue sea and explore some more of the surrounding islands by kayak.  Beach and water activities are endless!  There will also be Spanish classes in the mornings, giving you the opportunity to get in some final practice before you wow everyone at home with your language skills.

Night-times are just as fun, with plenty of parties, salsa dancing and good times with all the new friends you've made over the last 6 months.  Don't forget to get emails, facebook names, phone numbers, etc., as we guarantee that you'll want to stay in touch with your fellow adventurers - you'll need someone to reminisce with when everyone else at home gets bored (translation - too jealous to listen anymore) with your exciting stories!

This adventure will leave you feeling not just like a visitor but like one of the locals.