Arassari Trek Adventure Camp
Río Acequia
Cultural, historical, handcrafts and artistic:
- closeby to "la Acequia" you can find interesting prehispanic arqueológical sites. Petroglyphs and polychromatic ceramics as old as 20.000 B.C. !!! The foothills of Barinas state are probably the most important arqueological places in Venezuela. (Caño Grande, las Lajitas, Bum Bum, Curbati or "Los Cerritos" for example. If you are interested in visiting these wittnessesand monuments of the past please ask in Arassari Trek for more detailed information and maps)
- In the small but very tidy village of " El Tesoro" exists the exposition hall "Ali Primera" that shows paintings and sculptures of Mariano Arismendi and some wood works of Adán Rubio. ( calle 2, casa 6-47, turn left 2 squares after the Plaza Bolívar and ask for Mariano. The patron saint is San Benito and local festivities are celebrated from December 23rd to 30th.
- Fundacea is a United World College for Agriculture. It is the only one of it's type in Latin-American. The students dedicated to agriculture learn on a 'doing it" bases. And if you didn't know...Prince Charles and Hollywood star Katherine Hepburn visited the site too.... At the exit of Pedraza on the way to Boca de Anaro aprox. 2 km outside.
- Artistic handcraft centre "Cataure" is the gathering and distribution place for local and regional handcrafts. On the main road Barinas to San Cristóbal. 100 meters before getting to the Acequia bridge.
Sports, Mountain biking, adventure and nature:
- For the mountain bike freaks the foothills offer some of the most spectacular routes along creeks, dirtroads, tropical forest, plains over hanging bridges etc. Ask for more detailed maps and 5 star routes in the area at Arassari Trek.
- Trekking and hiking: Hikers and trekkers will find beautiful paths and "camino reales" leading to forgotten or ghost villages in the mountains and National Park ( our Cabanas are named after them) Santa Rosa, El Quino, El Carrizal and San Benito. Exuberant Vegetations, fantastic panoramic views of mountains, foothills and the plains.... if you want too you can walk from La Acequia to Mérida (or vice versa). The south eastern side of the Sierra Nevada National Park is home to hundreds of different bird and mammal species (some endangered by extinction f.ex. the spectacled bear, torrent duck, Andean cock of the rock etc.) It is also possible to rent mules or horses for some of these excursions. The few remaining living people in the mountains are generally very nice, friendly and hospitable.
- Fishing: Boca de Anaro a fisher village, some 2 hours drive into the savannah offers a big variety of neotropical fauna to contemplate and on a river excursion (by motorboat) one can get inside the wood reserve of Ticoporo or fish national species such as Cat fish (bagre rayado), peacock (pavón), coporro, cachama, palometa, el dorado, sierra or piranhas (caribes) for example. In the months from august to October some spectacular nesting places with thousands of scarlet, white and green ibis, herons and egrets can be seen from the road.
-Rafting, kayaking, river tubing and other watersports:
The Acequia river next to our camp and the vicinity of rivers like the Canagua, Siniguis, Bum Bum y Sto. Domingo invite to play, swim, train and learn the use of whitewater kayaking, rodeo, inner tubing or simply enjoy the beach and Tarzan ropes, snorkel in the pools or catch a nice suntan on a river beach.... and of course there is whitewater rafting from May/ June to November/ December. For the very relaxed ones maybe a bath in the hot springs is welcome.
...if the rafting should not be enough adrenaline kick our plans extend to paragliding and extreme canyoning for advanced levels. For more information about extreme plans in the surrounding contact Arassari Trek.
Birding, amphibians and Butterfly watching:
Birdies and other creature lovers would be surprised by how much the zone offers for them. The advantage consists of linking jungle, mountains and plains together. check out this link to find alist of species.
We invite you to come and enjoy this pleasure of pure nature.
Reservations , Cel. 0414 7463569
or via email: arassari1@hotmail.com
