To the northwest, along the Caribbean Sea, lies a dry, hilly region. Here, the vegetation is tough and thorny, like cactus and tuna (prickly pear). This region gives way to beautiful sandy beaches and small fishing villages. It is the land of goats, salt flats, and a sun that shines fiercely. It feels like a true Caribbean paradise, but wilder and drier than the islands.
Our story begins in the west, where the mighty Andes Mountains enter Venezuela. Here, the air is cold and thin. Snow-capped peaks touch the sky, and in the high valleys, misty páramos (unique high-altitude ecosystems) are home to strange, spongy plants called frailejones . The people here live in small towns with red-tiled roofs, growing potatoes and wheat. It feels like a different continent, high above the clouds. regiones naturales de venezuela
South of the Orinoco, the land begins to rise. Here, the Earth is incredibly old—over 2 billion years old. This region is famous for tepuis , the massive, flat-topped mountains that rise like giant tables out of the jungle. These tepuis are "lost worlds" themselves. Their tops are so isolated that unique plants and animals have evolved there, found nowhere else on Earth. Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world, pours from one of these tepuis. To the northwest, along the Caribbean Sea, lies