LLANOS
To the south, the tall-grass savanna of Llanos (Los Llanos) extends, occupying about 1/3 of the territory of Venezuela. The Orinoco River flows along the southeastern border of this savannah, and its tributaries flow along the savannah itself. It is in Llanos that the difference between the two seasons is most noticeable: wet and dry. During the rains (April-November), all vegetation comes to life, and most of the savannah is flooded with water. At this time of the year, Llanos is almost impossible to move around, because most of the roads are flooded. During the dry season (December-March), the vegetation is much sparse, however, a large number of birds and animals accumulate near the reservoirs to drink, this is the best time for observing wildlife. In Llanos, there are 320 species of birds (ibis, herons, cormorants, jacans, moorhens and snake birds), more than 50 species of mammals (deer, capybaras, peccaries, tapirs, opossums, ocelots, jaguars and monkeys), Amazonian dolphins, anacondas live in the rivers and crocodiles
A tributary of the Orinoco River – Apure – divides the region into two parts: the northern one – Llano Alto (high plains, where, in addition to tall grasses, the Andes spurs covered with forests stretch) – and the southern one – Llano Bajo (low plains). Hato livestock ranches are scattered throughout Llanos, where tourists are offered a variety of excursions during which they can observe the wildlife of the Venezuelan savannah. Tours are conducted in small local trucks, jeeps, canoes, boats or horses. Many cities have guest houses to accommodate tourists. The most popular ranches are Hato Pinero, Hato Corozopando, Hato El Cedral, Hato El Frio.
According to Itypejob, the largest city of Llanos is Barinas . There is an airport in Barinas that connects the city with the capital of Venezuela – Caracas by air. Tourists come here to go on an unforgettable journey through the vast plains of the Llanos. 70 km north of Barinas is the “spiritual capital of Venezuela” – the city of Guanare. There is a shrine to the Virgen de Koromoto, named after the patron saint of Venezuela. The temple was built in 1996 on the spot where, according to legend, the Saint appeared in 1652.
LAKE MARACAIBO
The western slopes of the Cordillera de Merida mountain range descend to the largest lake in South America – Maracaibo (Lago Maracaibo). The area of the lake is 13210 sq. km. In the north, it is connected by the narrow Strait of Tablazo to the Gulf of Venezuela. The largest port city of the lake – the city of Maracaibo – is located in its northern part on the shore of the strait. It is now the second largest city in Venezuela. From the city of Maracaibo across the Strait of Tablazo, connecting Lake Maracaibo with the Gulf of Venezuela, one of the longest concrete bridges in the world is thrown – the bridge of General Rafael Urdaneta with a length of 8.7 km. 60 km north of the city Maracaibo is interesting lagoon Sinamaika (Laguna Sinamaica). It was here in 1499 that Amerigo Vespucci, seeing piled villages, exclaimed: “Look, little Venice !”, which in Spanish sounded like “Venezuela”. Hence the name of the country. Along the shores of the lagoon on stilts are traditional palafitos houses. Palafitos were built in these places by the Guajiro Indians before the arrival of the Spaniards. In addition to the houses of the palafitos, in these places you can see the last representatives of the Guajiro Indians, of which there are very few left. On the opposite bank of the Tablazo Strait from Maracaibo is the Chienago de los Olivitos Nature Reserve. (Cienaga de los Olivitos) with an area of 260 sq. km. The local mangroves are the only place in the country where pink flamingos nest. However, most often tourists go to lake Maracaibo to visit the Cienagas del Catatumbo National Park, located off the southwestern coast of the lake. The Catatumbo River flows through the park, flowing into the lake, above the mouth of which a unique atmospheric phenomenon is observed – Catatumbo lightning. About 150 days a year at night (about two hours after sunset), silent flashes of lightning are observed over the confluence of the Catatumbo River into Lake Maracaibo.
