Travel | Adventurous spirit required for travel in Venezuela | Seattle Times Newspaper

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Adventurous spirit required for travel in Venezuela

Venezuela should be a tourist mecca.

It boasts the world's highest waterfall, snowcapped Andean mountain peaks and white-sand beaches dotting one of the longest coastlines in the Caribbean. But hurdles to easy, carefree travel — such as fly-by-night tour operators, lack of qualified guides and mediocre accommodations in many remote regions — keep many potential visitors away, leaving some of Latin America's most diverse natural beauty for the most adventuresome.

During more than a decade living in Venezuela, I've discovered that the hang-ups that come with exploring destinations off the beaten path are often eclipsed by the rewarding experiences.

Try trekking up Roraima, one of the flat-topped mountains called "tepuis" in southeastern Bolivar state.

The plateaus — among the world's most ancient rock formations, shaped by heavy rains over millions of years — inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic adventure story, "The Lost World," and more recently "Up!" — the computer-animated comedy-adventure film about a cranky old man who flies to South America in a floating house suspended from helium balloons.

Merciless biting flies — nicknamed "la plaga," or "the plague" by locals — can make the arduous two-day hike through surrounding savannas to the top of Roraima harrowing, but visitors are awe-struck upon reaching the summit. When sunshine bursts through the clouds, a fantastic landscape is unveiled: Beds of crystals and pink ...

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