This is our premier Venezuela tour. It visits the broadest cross section of habitats and records by far the greatest number of birds of any Venezuelan tour. We are offering this tour in two parts, making it more accessible for the convenience of those with limited time or those who simply want a shorter trip. You can make this a single action-packed Grand Venezuela experience by signing up for both parts, or you can choose either part separately to fit your schedule.

Among our traditional destinations are Colonia Tovar, the famed Henry Pittier (Rancho Grande) National Park, the saline lagoons and dry forests of Chichirivichi, the Barquisimeto Desert, a variety of sites in the Mérida Andes and foothills, and two-and-a-half-days at a ranch in the grasslands (llanos), renowned for enormous concentrations of waterbirds and large numbers of easy-to-see birds of all descriptions. By taking both trips, you will see perhaps in excess of 500 species, including everything from tiny bejeweled hummingbirds to showy tanagers and bizarre-looking hoatzins.

PART II. THE BARQUISIMETO DESERT, THE ANDES, AND THE CEDRAL RANCH IN THE LLANOS. This trip picks up where Part I ends, and offers new arrivals a chance to visit the Barquisimeto Desert before leaving for the Andes. The main focus of this trip is the Andes. We will gradually make our way up the western slope, spend a couple of nights en route at a peaceful country inn, explore high cloud forests, and eventually reach the high páramo grasslands above treeline, all in a series of action-packed days that offer breathtaking scenery and new birds at every turn. On our final descent we will hike in to a spectacular Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek, and then continue to the eastern base of the Andes in preparation for our grand finale at the famous Cedral Ranch. The inclusion of the Cedral Ranch in this itinerary provides an opportunity to see the tremendous spectacles of waterfowl and waders that are practically a trademark of the vast, flat llanos. The ranch truly offers one of the greatest spectacles of birdlife on the continent (some would say it is THE premier spectacle), a glimpse, perhaps, of what planet earth was once like. Beyond the tens of thousands of herons and egrets and hundreds of thousands of waterfowl, the area teems with small birds in fields, gallery forests, and even in sheltering trees at the ranch compound. For birders and naturalists this is paradise found, and it couldn’t be enjoyed at a more comfortable location.
 
Venezuela is one of the most economically advanced countries in South America. It has a rich avifauna and many productive areas that are easily accessible, often from paved roads. It is also a very safe country, offers good accommodations, good roads, and a new bird book written by Steve Hilty, who will be your guide.

Early morning departures and a fairly brisk pace, but with time to relax at end of day; travel by air-conditioned bus; most birding on roadsides or well-maintained trails; one short, very steep forest trail (Andean Cocks-of-the-rock); maximum walking distance about three miles; maximum elevation 13,000 feet (for a few hours only); highest hotel about 7,800 feet; chilly mornings in Andes, warm to hot at ranch.