Amazon Yanomami

The Yanomami tribe is one of the last primitive living Indians on our planet. The population is about 20.000 people. 12.000 in Venezuela and ca. 8.000 Indians in Brazil. In Venezuela lives the main part of the Yanomami tribe in the national park Parima Tapirapeco. This park is the biggest from Venezuela with a superficies from 34.000Km². Some of the Yanomamis left the national park to live closer to missioners or to smaller communities.

We are visiting the Yanomami tribe at the Siapa river or at the Casiqiare river (the Casiqiare connects the both river systems from Orinoco and Amazon).

Transport by boat with a motor. Overnight in hammocks or tents on beaches , in the jungle or in Indian villages and shabonos. We will confront the Indians with many respect and very devote. We do not take any pictures until we get the permission from them. We will pass over gifts to the Indian chief and also to the people we will take photos from.We  join Yanomami for fishing and hunting  to be familiar with  their very fascinating culture.

1Day 1 - Caracas

Late afternoon arrival to Caracas, transfer to hotel, free time.

2Day 2 - Puerto Ayacucho

Transfer to the airport, morning flight to Puerto Ayacucho. Appointment with colonel of military to get allowance for flight to Esmeralda and revise passports. Transfer to cozy hotel, having lunch there. In the afternoon visiting ethnics museum where we get more knowledge about Yanomami, Piaroa and Yekwana tribes. Time for shopping at souvenirs market.

3Day 3 - Esmeralda, Orinoco/Casiquiare rivers

Early morning we fly to former missioners village Esmeralda. Currently it is multiethnics village. Below us green lungs of earth - Amazonas jungle and appearing above the clouds tepuy. Flight time 1h 40min. Next we take a metal boat with fast engine and roof. This boat went by river 2 days ago with full supply for expedition and to meet us in Esmeralda. We navigate by Orinoco river, next Casiquiare river, lunch on the boat. This day we want to get as far as possible. Late evening we get to Capibara island. This is granit rocks beach, we can swim here, we cook dinner on fire between stones, walk into the jungle. In the past here was a village of people working with caoutchouc but gold and dimond fever moved them more up of the country. Here we see the granit formulating a house where inside are prehistoric drawings on the walls. Nobody knows if it is natural form of rocks or formulated like that by a human. We sleep in hammock under palm roof. 

4Day 4 - Casiquiare river, lagoon Pasiva

After breakfast we navigate by Casiquiare river. Depending on level of water we will stop on wild beaches covered by white sand and swim. Perhaps this day in the evening we get to Yanomami. If not, we sleep on sandy beach or unhabitted island. In lagoon Pasiva we jump into water, swimming close to toninas dolphins which like that place. Over us yellow and blue big parrots - guacamayas. 

5Day 5 - Siapa river, Yanomami

This day (or the day before in the evening) we get to Siapa River. Here is Yanomami village – Maraca. All people run to the coast to welcome us. Visitors get here very seldom, so enthusiasm is huge. They look for contacts with us, trying to talk, touch us. Yanomami are very lovely, pure and peacefull people. Boss of the village is a most educated person, speak Spanish so contacts with them is easier. Spiritual leader of the village is a shaman who deals with magic issues. We negotiate our stay in village with a boss, agree rules and activities. To encourage them we offer part of very valuable gift for them – tabaco. They chew it all days passing tabaco from mouth to mouth. Other gifts which we will distribute step by step are: knives, matches, hooks and nylon for fishing, mirrows and red materials for women, dry food etc. We have to get used to all the time company of Yanomami. We will not have any privacy, they will be close to us in the evenings and early mornings. We sleep in one of Indians hut or under palm roof in hammocs (depends of season of mosquitoes) This day is devoted to mix with Yanomami, walk in the village, sit in their houses, talk to them being friendly.

6Day 6 - Yanomami

This day we go to the jungle with Indians. They show us different plants which they are using on daily basis, they watch nest of parrot or toucan, they hunt, climb on the palm tree looking for fruits for a juice or touch a nest of bees if there is honey. Our gifts are reason of a big event. Indians organize dances for us. We all paint our bodies and faces, Indians women dress in palm skirts, put bamboo decoration with birds feathers in their ears, colourfull neclaces under naked breasts. Men put big bracelets on their arms also decorated with birds feathers. They take their best hunting bows. They present us war dance, welcome dance when some villages meet on special occasions (like exchanging women). In the evening shaman makes a yopo ritual being under strong plants drugs. He will sing and make rain or monkey dance to connect with spiritual world. 

7Day 7 - Rio Negro

In the morning we say good bye to Yanomami, we navigate in direction of Rio Negro close to the boarder with Colombia. We stop at San Carlos de Rio Negro . This is first sign of civilization, we can buy cold beer or coca cola. We organize our camp at one of wild islands, we sleep in tents or hammocks (depends on weather conditions in the evening)D

8Day 8 - Guainia river

We pass Piedra de Curimacare to the place where Guainia and Casiquiare rivers get together to create Rio Negro. On the way we stop to swim.We stay for a night in Indian village close to Maroa.

9Day 9 - Maroa - Yavita

We get to Marao small town. Take a petrol, load the boat into the truck, we go by the same truck 30km around 3 hours as road conditions in the rain forests are terrible. In the port Yavita we load down the boat into the river, pack back our belongings and navigate into direction of Atabopo. This night we stay in another indian village in hammocks.

10Day 10 - Atapobo, Samariapo, Puerto Ayacucho

We navigate in direction of Samariapo port. There we go 1 h by jeep to Puerto Ayacucho to the same hotel.

11Day 11 - day of reserve

This is a day of reserve for unexpected river conditions and depending on rain or dry season. We may finish our expedition a day before but if not you have to make your bookings of international flight accordingly.

12Day 12 - Puerto Ayacucho-Caracas or Ciudad Bolivar

Depending on your further plans we propose flight from Pto Ayacucho in the afternoon to Caracas or trip by land to Ciudad Bolivar (around 11h by night bus, around 8 hours by private transport during a day)