BEL-MAO-MIA   In the morning TotalAdventure packed ( still carrying  ski jacket from Chile ) and boarded TAM for the 2 hour flight to Manaus – Amazonian Capital – and  hopping off point for many jungle and river adventure trips.

Coming into Manaus.

Time To Return Stateside –

The 4 1/2 hour journey offers beautiful aerials of the Northern Amazon, Venezuela’s Gran Sabana, the Guajira Peninsula, Cuba and finally into Miami.

Venezuela will be in the news a lot over the foreseeable future, as the geopolitical power player decides its’ new direction. Caracas is only 2 hours from Miami. There used to be 15 very cheap flights every day, but with political tensions, the flights became few and expensive. ArcticTropic last visited there in late 2003,several years before the site launched. Above is the aerial approach to the Littoral – the incredible Caribbean coastline.

Even the common people have an ocean view.

We stayed at the Circulo Militar – a military hotel on an officer’s base. Upon entry I saw Comrade Hugo himself !

A 45 minute flight from CCS to Margarita Island brings one to the cheapest island in the Caribbean. One resort is $ 50 a day – including a nice room, beach,tennis,windsurfing,unlimited food ( lots of meat and fish ) and unlimited Venezuelan Rum and Beer.

A lonely lighthouse on the empty island.

Margarita Island has a total desert climate, so it has the most sunshine in the Caribbean – 350 days a year.

Margarita Island is about 40 miles off the coast of mainland Venezuela. The desert climate and rugged landscape reminds one of Arizona,surrounded by the translucent Caribbean. Constant winds in the 30 mph range every afternoon create some of the world’s best windsurfing and kiteboarding conditions.

The current political climate has slowed foreign travel to a trickle – meaning great prices for those who do go. Recently the price for a beach front resort – including double room, windsurfing,sailing,tennis,all meals and Venezuelan rum and beer was $50 a night.ArcticTropic already has several Venezuela adventure travel providers – go now !