The vast Llanos region lie at the heart of Venezuela and cover an area of 300,000 sq km. It is an area of wide skies, slow rivers and plains stretching to every horizon.
This is Venezuela's Wild West - a land of hardy llanero cowboys driving massive herds of cattle across huge ranches. Cattle literally outnumber people here and English is rarely spoken.
Llaneros heritage
The llaneros were originally the product of the racial mix of Spanish frontiersmen and local Indians, as well as escaped black slaves. They are fiercely proud of their hard lives and their rich folklore is revealed in legends and stories often told through songs accompanied by the cuatro guitar and the Venezuelan harp.
Wildlife in the Llanos
The Llanos are an incredible place to view wildlife and for anyone remotely interested in seeing animals in their natural habitats it is an absolute must.
It is a true nature paradise full of capybara, caiman, howler monkeys, anacondas, river dolphins, anteaters, the orinoco crocodile, armadillos, deer, burrowing owls, foxes, iguanas, big cats, turtles, piranha fish and over 300 species of birds.
Hato Cedral
Hato Cedral lies within the Llanos. It is a beautiful working cattle ranch covering over 50,000 hectares of land, 3 hours by road from Barinas.
It has been protecting it's wildlife for over 25 years and is teaming with huge numbers of animals and birds so much so you often find iguanas outside your bedroom door, red howler monkeys in the trees above and capybaras munching grass at the poolside.
Excursions from Hato Cedral
Excursions are taken for three to four hours at a time with experienced guides around the property by either motor boat or safari style truck.
More in Hato El Cedral, Venezuela