tudy, and have all the required papers on you, and all is OK, without any charges for Brazilian citizens.Day 2 - Boa Vista - Upata:
Fact Sheet: 799 Km
Boa Vista - Pacaraima - Sta. Elena - Gran Sabana - Upata
Hotel Andrea (Upata) - twin, std: aprox. USD 15
After a good breakfast, and having filled our tanks, we hit the road headed for the border and Venezuela. The grassy plains recede, and it gets rocky and steeper: the last 30 Km or so of the brazilian side are a winding road up to the Gran Sabana. At 09:40, and 229Km on, we are in Pacaraima, Brazil's border town. The hassles of getting through the Venezuelan border post delay us by some time - not that it is difficult - just very bureaucratic, show papers, return to Brazil and make photocopies, return with the copies, etc. By noon we are finally through, and in Sta. Elena de Uairén, 13Km into the Venezuelan side. Here we have our first coffee-break at one of the endless amounts of great "Panaderias" we find all over the country: pastries, cakes, tarts and fantastic coffee! In Sta. Elena we also change our local Brazilian Reais into Venezuelan Bolivars, before heading on to the breathtaking Gran Sabana National Park. This is definitely a "must" for anyone that loves the outdoors and nature: a huge plateau at over 1,000 metres altitude, covered with lots of other "Tepuis", ranging up to 2,800 metres, such as the Mt. Roraima. We stopped alot, took plenty of pictures, and had fun as long as the day lasted, heading down past the "Piedra de la Virgen" on the other side of the Gran Sabana, where we managed to pump up some urgently needed fuel at San Izidoro. For the engines, it was a blessing: a first-time experience with good petrol: the Brazilian petrol is terrible - low octanage, and containg at least 25% alcohol, as opposed to the top quality 98% Venezuelan petrol - a real treat! Well, after that, it started getting dark, and the worst stretch of road in Venezuelan soil during our trip had to be handled in the dark. We were very tired, but still very fresh and excited, and pushed on until Upata, where we rested at the Andrea Hotel.
Events:
| The
border was not exactly a piece of cake, but also nothing impossible. It took some time, as the Venezuelan authorities required photostat copies of the Brazilian rubber-stampings in our passports, and they in turn, had to be made back in Pacaraima, Brazil, so it took two trips back and forth, until all was in order. The trick
is to do your
desk-study, and have all the required papers on you, and all is OK, without any charges for Brazilian citizens. |
Pictures:
