Only a small fraction can be visited by tourists, but that fraction includes the Maipures rapids , the Orinoco River, indigenous villages, ancient rock formations, hidden waterfalls and rivers and much more. Yet, remarkably I actually had to ask them to check these numbers before I took them seriously , Tuparro saw just tourists in the whole of , and I was number 61 for in June!
The trip began in the small riverside city of Puerto Carreno , on the banks of the Orinoco and Meta rivers, and just across from the Venezuelan border. The journey to Garcitas took a good four hours, involved a couple of river crossings on old metal barges, and during the entire journey we never passed another vehicle going in either direction. Suffice it to say, where we were headed was fairly isolated.
Bordered by the Tomo River to the north, the Tuparro River to the south, and the Orinoco to the east, El Tuparro National Natural Park was created almost 50 years ago and covers an area of , hectares.
Giant rocky outcrops, remnants of the ancient Guiana Shield , punctuate the jungles and plains, overlooking the mighty rivers snaking through the park.
A tiny percentage of this vast ecosystem has been properly explored and only a fraction is open to tourists.
