White Water Rafting !!! 3 Thrills !
Acequias - Siniguis - Upper Canagua
(3 days/ 2 nights, Acequias, Canagua & Siniguis) Barinas - Venezuela
Day 1:
( 4 km , 1 hour whitewater rafting, class 2and a half to 3)
The day starts with a spectacular drive through and over the Andes. Stopping at the famous stone church built by Juan Felix Sanchez, Laguna Mucubaji, Santo Domingo, before we get to our new "Campamento de aventura Arassari trek". Here its time to enjoy a typical lunch including some of the most tender beef in Venezuela, surrounded by lush tropical rainforest with a breathtaking view of the highest snowcapped peaks of Venezuela in the background. The setting for our first river run on a class 2 and a half to 3 river, ideal for training, surfing, helicopters and playing with the flow. Late afternoon we can relax around with a cold beer and Cuba Libres in the midst of the sights and sounds of tropical birds or do some mountainbiking on the spectacular side roads of barinas state. The night is spent in beds in our new "Arassari Trek Adventure camp" next to the Acequias river. If you wish we can sling up hammocks too. An added bonus is the absence of mosquitos !
Day 2:
( 20 km, 4 to 5 hours whitewater rafting, class 4+)
We pack up all our gear and head far away from civilization to the isolated village of Santa Maria de Canagua. The last part of the journey is tough four wheel driving through the mud as the trail gets steeper, the road gets narrower and the forest thickens. It´s around 3 hours to get there. The river is 400m from the ridge where we get to with the 4X4. After a recap on the rafting instructions, we launch the raft into what seems a tranquil river. Yet only two hundred metres later everybody will be wide awake as we hit the first of today's big rapids "Flying High". Many class 3 and 4 rapids follow, until we get to the the biggest rapid "The three Martins" so named after a long swim on the first ever descent down the river in 1997, by you guessed it, three guys all named Martin! Along the way we will stop at beautiful beaches, one with a natural hot spring for a swim and a much needed snack.
All around you will see virgin tropical rain forest, huge cliffs, enormous boulders, and occasional wildlife. Upper Canagua tops all Venezuela's white water rafting experiences, and the adrenaline and the beauty of nature will blow your mind! This river is only run by Arassari Trek, Mérida´s leading and most innovative outfitter and adventure tourism operator, with the assistance of top New Zealand qualified, senior rafting instructors. We will finish in Heaven, a local riverside farm, from where we get transport back to Campamento de aventura Arassari Trek where food will be waiting for us,- as will showers and the first signs of civilization for the day.
Day 3:
(12 km, around 3 hours of whitewater rafting, class 4 + to 5)
Breakfast and a short drive further upriver, past the most original Plaza Bolivar in Venezuela, to some of the oldest petroglyphs found in Venezuela that prove the existence of ancient indian culture (thousands of years ago) in this valley.
Then onto the hanging bridge the starting point for today's rafting. After an comprehensive safety briefing, we launch straight into a class 5 rapid ( the alarmclock!) where HOLD ON!! is the call of the day. We share the river today with River Otters, Iguanas, and many species of tropical birds and butterflies. The rapids today have a kitchen appliance theme, with rapids such as the Mixer, the Blender, and the Washing Machine, and are class 4+ to 5 (being the highest classification commercially runnable). We will have a few stops on the way to take in the spectacular views, admire the lush vegetation and eat chocolate bars and nuts. We may even find an Indiana Jones style hanging bridge to jump off into the river! After around 3 to 4 hours on the water we finish our trip back at the Campamento Arassari for a well deserved lunch/Barbeque and some more cold beers.
From here we pack up all our gear and head back to Barinas and Merida.
If you wish to stay at the Arassari Trek adventure camp after your adventure please tell us in advance or as soon as possible to check the possibility and availability as soon as possible.
Your three days of adventure and adrenaline are over and its time to go back to the office or continue your travels, this time with wild tales of fantastic white water and shared experiences with your boatmates. We can drop you off in Barinas to go on by bus or plane to Caracas, Valencia or Ciudad Bolivar in the later afternoon. Maybe you would like to join up with one of our wildlife trips to the llanos... or continue your journey with us to Mérida to enjoy some Canyoning, horseback riding, paragliding, mountain biking, bridgejumping or climbing with the professionals of adventure tourism at Arassari Trek.
