Whether as an additional or alternitive leg to your journey, the Pantanal, Orinoco, and Gran Sabana are never a waste of time. Each has their unique oppurtunities and adventures.

Pantanal

Tucked away between Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay exists the best place to view Amazonian wild life. So great is Pantanal’s biodiversity that UNESCO has even named it as a World Heritage Site. Her many flood plains and savannahs are home to birds, anacondas, iguanas, river otters, anteaters, cougars, crocodiles, cougars, fish, jaguars, and deer. And yet even this Eden of animal biodiversity is not safe from the threats of man. Over fishing, cattle ranching, pollution from mines and pesticides, seasonal burning of grass land, and plans to deepen the Paraguay River all threaten the tender balance of the Pantanal.

Orinoco (Venezuela)

At 2150 km, the Orinoco is the third largest river in the Amazon. It is abundant in animal life as well as natural beauty. This river is also home to the Waraw people who are renowned for their stilt houses and river canoes. A little ways off, one can find easy access to the Canaima National Park to see Salto Angel; the world’s highest falls at 979 m (3,231 ft).

Gran Sabana

In the southeast corner of Canaima National Park in Venezuela exists a world that has seemingly stood still in time. Forests part into islands amongst vast grasslands, as the Tepuis rise above them all as great fortresses. Geological disruptions and the erosive rain have shaped this unique landscape creating a world so mysterious and old that it even inspired Sir Conan Doyle to write his “Lost World”. Likewise, natural wonders abound throughout the Gran Sabana. Water thunders over jade to create the iridescently red Quebrada de Jaspe Falls, while the towering heights of Mount Roraima (1550m-high) shelter a plethora of unique animals and plants. Amongst its darkened arches and crystal caverns exist black toads who never needed to jump or swim and plants that have turned carnivorous to supplement their diets. The Gran Sabana is truly a “lost world” to behold.