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TOURS
Tours to Roraima are big business.
Nearly all the tour operators in Ciudad Bolivar, Ciudad Guayana
and Santa Elena de Uairen offer trips. You should be aware of the
following before booking one:
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Tours from Santa Elena are
cheaper than those starting in the Orinocan cities.
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You should
only attempt the trek independently if you have all
the correct equipment. It's often preferable and easier
to let a tour operator deal with the logistical headaches involved...
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If you're going on your own, food
is cheaper along the Orinoco than in Santa Elena. In Santa Elena,
share a taxi to the frontier market over the border in Brazil,
where it's cheaper (you don't need to stamp/visa your passport,
but you will need proof of a yellow fever jab, or have to get
one there and then).
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Ask to meet the guide who will
actually take you. Check his language skills and ask to see
his guide credentials (they should all have these, though it's
no guarantee of experience or expertise).
-
Beware of sub-contracting. Many
companies use clandestine transport and guides to cut costs
or fit in more tourists. Responsibility, and insurance liability,
therefore suffers.
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Ask to see equipment, especially
tents before signing. Check how old it looks.
Ask for a
formal receipt for any deposit you leave for equipment.
I'm reluctant to list every single
tour operator, for the simple reason that I haven't checked them
all out, or don't have personal experience of them all. But please contact the advertisers, Lost World Adventures and Natoura Adventure Tours, for prices and details of their tours.
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