Humanitarian tourism
in the jungle of the
Ikabaru River
Pierre Clauteaux, a young French MD, is established in the far-away frontier town of Ikabarú. He covers a vast territory from El Paují in the Gran Sabana to the mouth of the Ikabarú River, where it flows into the Caroni River.
He tries to do a monthly visit to the mining settlements and Indian villages along the Ikabarú River, but his intent is often frustrated, for lack of money.
By accompanying Pierre, you will actually finance his journey and will be able to observe first hand the tough living conditions of the miners living in improvised shacks in the jungle, and working more than 10 hours daily in water and mud, destroying the environment, in search of the big diamond or gold nugget. You will have the opportunity to try by yourself that hard work. This will also allow you to integrate easily with the Pemon Indians, who will not consider yourself as a tourist anymore.
Dates and planning of that expedition will depend on the actual work requirements of the doctor along the river. But you can determine the length according to your stay in Venezuela. Calculate an average of between three to five days.
If you decide to reach Ikabarú by road from Santa. Elena, you can see various waterfalls and interesting touristic attractions along the way.
If you want to contribute a bit more, you can also bring some medication with you: antibiotics, fever and parasite treatments will be put to good use...