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Resorts: San Salvador.
· Native communities:
Waraos.
· Buildings:
Yakariyene native
house.
· Churches: Cathedral
of the Divine Pastor.
Church of San José of
Tucupita.
· Islands: Cocuina.
Manamito. Mariusa.
· Parks: Mariusa
National Park.
· Walks: Malecón
Mánamo.
· Squares: Bolívar.
Los Fundadores.
· Rivers and Lakes:
Consejo Lake. El
Encanto Lake.
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The second
largest delta in the hemisphere, after that of
the Amazon, the Orinoco Delta covers an area
of approximately 25,000 km2. The river is 20
km long and subdivides into 40 main channels
that flow toward the Atlantic Ocean.
The region is fascinating and its fauna and
flora are unique. With the exception of
Tucupita, its most populated center, the area
is covered entirely by jungle and water.
It has some 300 known rivers forming waterways
that intertwine like a labyrinth. The
region is inhabited by the Warao Indians,
Venezuela’s second largest native population
group.
The Orinoco Delta, now known as Amacuro Delta
State, is a land of waters, with a humid green
landscape crisscrossed by multiple blue
veins. The relief does not rise higher
than 600 meters above sea level and most of
the land is subject to large fluctuations in
water level due to the Orinoco River flow
regime.
Amacuro Delta offers tourists a countless
number of attractions that are possible only
in this part of the world. There is a
good organized camp infrastructure that offers
the necessary facilities to allow tourists to
enter this still virgin land in comfort and
without any problem.
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Points
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Tucupita
Tucupita is the capital of Amacuro Delta
state. It has a population of 80,000
inhabitants and is the region’s commercial
center. The small town grew up around a
Capuchin mission established on the Mánamo
River in the 1920s. The dock on the
Mánamo 20 km. upstream from Tucupita is the
only land link with the west. The town
is a good place for organizing a visit to the
delta and has several hotels and
restaurants. Bus routes link up Tucupita
with the most important towns and some cities
and there is also a private landing field.
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The
Warao Indians
The Warao Indians, or 'Canoe People' are
native to the delta. With a population
of 24,000 inhabitants, the Warao are Venezuela’s
second largest native population. The
family groups live in palafitos (wooden
houses resting on stilts in the water) on the
riverbanks and spend a large part of their
time in canoes fishing in the nearby rivers
and hunting in the jungle. They are
skilled craftsmen and because of their growing
contact with tourists have begun to carve
figures from balsa wood and to make necklaces,
baskets and hammocks from the branches and
seeds of the ever-present moriche palm.
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Fauna
The animal life in the delta is extremely
varied and abundant. Jaguars, pumas,
ocelots, capuchin and howling monkeys,
capybaras, agoutis, otters, manatees and
dolphins are only a few of the numerous
species of mammals that can be seen in their
natural habitat. Among the huge
population of birds are macaws, parakeets,
toucans, tropical orioles, cormorants, herons,
hawks, eagles and multihued
hummingbirds. There are also a large
number of amphibians, reptiles and fish,
including anacondas, boas, vipers, coral
snakes, iguanas, caymans, turtles, pirañas,
manta rays and catfish.
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