Henri Pittier National Park

Hello from Henri Pittier National Park, Venezuela. Located in the North of the country against the Carribbean coast, the national park is the oldest in Venezuela and comprises 108k hectares of rainforest within rugged mountains. A real hidden gem of a park, with sandy beaches, lush rainforest and mountain streams and waterfalls.  

We have been relaxing for the past few days at Puerto Colombia, a popular fishing and tourist village in the middle of the park on the coast. Rather than relax on the beach (I cannot think of anything duller), I have been off exploring the park for the past few days which has been excellent.

Yesterday I went exploring the trails around the village by myself and today myself and Geoff went out with a local guide into the middle of the park to get a real feel for the rainforest and see what local wildlife we could find. Apparently the national park is home to 43% of all bird species in Venezuela, so we saw lots of birds, amazing butterflies, snakes, frogs and insects. A really good day and it was great to have a local guide to explain all of the plants and animals.

Next stop in Venezuela is Los Llanos, a huge marshland in the centre of the country, with the opportunity to go giant anaconda hunting. Should be interesting!

Anthony