Ciudad Guayana Travel Guide

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The dramatic view of the main cascade doesn't come easily. At first one hears the roar of the falls, and then through the foliage, one can glimpse the first views of the minor falls crashing down. Then, at further along, the trail opens to a panorama of La Llovizna, a 20 meter high, but very wide cascade. I hope that you are browsing all these photos carefully, because each is a spectacular image of the falls. In the close up of the main falls, one can clearly see the cranes constructing Guri in the background. How the water was diverted, I don't have a clue, because the casade remains untouched.

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La Llovizna translated into English means "the drizzle", a name that is more than appropriate because of the steamy mist that's in the air within this part. The amount of water tumbling down toward the Caroni increases in volume as one approaches the main cascade, raising the sense of anticipation. Different sorts of bridges cross over the tributaries. Incidentally, the black tea color of the water is a natural result not of sedimentation but of a chemical released by the roots of a species of tree within the rainforest, so I'm told. Thus, the Caroni is "black" but clear and eventually mixes with the muddy waters of the giant Orinoco.

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Besides the beautiful flowers and pedestrian landscaping, what makes this park so spectacular are the increasingly larger tributaries which one crosses on the way to the main cascade. Literally hundreds of creeks flow down and converge on the Caroni. These tributaries create, in effect, islands of lush tropical vegetation.

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Parque La Llovizna is larger than Cachamay, and provides miles of pedestrian walks, including the initial walk through a landscaped and domesticated open area, bordered by tropical flower beds, which leads past a food concession with a view, and then into a rainforested walk with a heavy tree canopy and lush tropical flower beds. The maintainence of this park is perhaps the best of any in Venezuela, and the food concession in particular is world-class.

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Cachamay is a city park of Ciudad Guayana that allows access to the Caroni River. Some other images found on the internet will conflict with mine because during January, for example, the dry season results in a rather tranquil and bucolic view across the river. We visited during July though, and the Caroni was a torrent of rapids far to dangerous to even consider stepping on toe into. The park landscaping is very domesticated, with cut lawns and paved walkways, and the lack of tree canopy in some places made the day a hot one.