One of the best kept secrets in Venezuela
Welcome to one of the most biodiverse places on Earth.
The Orinoco Delta is a vast labyrinth of waterways, mangroves, and rainforests in northeastern Venezuela. Covering over 40,000 km², it is home to the Warao indigenous people and thousands of unique species.
Our Orinoco Eco Camp is built with sustainability at its core. We offer authentic eco-tourism experiences that respect the local culture and protect this fragile paradise. From spotting scarlet ibises to canoeing through silent canals, every moment here connects you to the wild.
Mission: Conservation, community support, and unforgettable adventures.
Your journey to the heart of the Orinoco Delta begins here.
Car Parking: If you come with your own vehicle, we have a safe, secure garage in San José de Buja where you can park during your stay.
Boat Transfer: From San José de Buja, our boat will take you on a 40-minute ride down the river to the camp, passing through floating beds of purple hyacinth and along the waterways of the Gran Morichal Wildlife Reserve.
During the boat ride, keep your eyes open for capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, toucans, macaws, and if you're lucky — a pink river dolphin 🐬
Authentic, comfortable, and deeply connected to nature.
The Orinoco Eco Camp is a small, cozy camp with just 5 private cabins, each with its own bathroom. It is run by the Tahboub family, who bring over 30 years of experience navigating the jungles and waterways of the Orinoco Delta.
We aspire to offer a better alternative to the larger resorts already existing in the region. Many resorts focus on large groups, which has unfortunately resulted in commercialization of parts of the delta without regard to the ecosystem and the indigenous people. The Orinoco Eco Camp offers a more environmentally friendly way to visit the delta. Tucked away on a quiet river, it gives guests a more intimate and natural experience of the surrounding jungle.
Our Philosophy
We employ the local Warao natives, thereby providing them with an alternative income to that derived from illegal trafficking of wild animals, birds, and trees. Guests can visit local Warao families and buy their art and handicrafts, thus directly benefiting the community. Camp excursions are carefully planned to minimize damage to the forest ecosystem.
Your Stay
Your accommodation is in private cabins, built in traditional Warao style, each with a wonderful view of the river, often garlanded with floating beds of bora and purple hyacinth. Sleeping is in single or double beds, or in hammocks if you prefer. Groups and the boats that carry them are kept as small as possible to minimize our carbon footprint and to let you see more wildlife and enjoy more intimate contact with the local Indians. With our solar system, we provide you with internet and charging outlets.
Wildlife & Nature
We make a point of caring for all the fauna and flora. Many of the animals and birds in the camp have been raised from infancy and treat the camp as their home.
The Warao Community
The Warao Indians still live in their traditional rainforest culture that has existed for thousands of years. For visitors coming from a modern consumer society, meeting them is an extraordinary experience which can stimulate and enhance your appreciation of life.
The heart and soul behind Orinoco Eco Camp.
Teacher & Camp Welcomer
Yoli is a pensioned teacher, a wife, and a mother with over 30 years of experience — most of it spent wrangling kids aged 4 to 6. If you can handle a class full of 5‑year‑olds, you can handle anything!
At the camp, she greets every guest with a smile, tells the best jungle stories, and runs the Orinoco Eco School — a floating classroom for eight Warao children. She retired, but couldn't stay away. She just traded her chalkboard for a canoe.
💬 "If you can't beat the heat, jump in the river — just bring a lesson plan and a paddle!"
Guide & Host
Geilyz is a 30‑year‑old law school graduate with more extra courses than she can count. But instead of chasing courtrooms, she chased her heart straight into the Orinoco jungle — and never looked back.
She is a fantastic, friendly guide who would spend her last penny just to make sure a guest has a smile on their face. Whether spotting dolphins, telling stories, or handing out cold drinks — she does it all with pure joy.
💬 "I traded my high heels for hiking boots — best decision I ever made!"
Warao Captain & Jungle Engineer
Leonardo is our Warao captain, jungle guide, mechanic, and engineer all rolled into one. If it floats, flies, or needs fixing — Leonardo can handle it. In fact, he built the entire camp with his own hands, from the cabins to the docks.
He knows every channel, tree, and animal in the delta like the back of his hand. A man of few words but incredible skill — when Leonardo speaks, you listen. And when he points, you look.
💬 "The jungle gives you everything — you just have to know where to look."
The Delta Warrior
Naciwaha is a dog with a résumé most humans would envy. For his first 3 years, he hunted alongside the Warao indigenous in the deep jungle. He's seen it all — from angry wasps to giant capybaras, and even a jaguar or two.
He can swim 4 kilometers non‑stop, patrols the camp like a furry general, and has a sixth sense for trouble. He's friendly with guests — but if you mess with him, you'll regret it. Just ask the caiman that tried to sneak in last year.
💬 "I didn't choose the jungle life — the jungle life chose me."
Choose your adventure in the Orinoco Delta. Click on each excursion to see the full itinerary.
Between 8–9 am: From San José de Buja to the Orinoco Eco Camp down river by motor boat. During the forty minute ride dodging patches of floating purple hyacinth, you will have the chance to spot capuchin and howler monkeys and the bright coloured parrots, toucans, and macaws.
On arrival at the camp coffee and soft drinks are served. The guide will give a talk on the Orinoco Delta and its indigenous inhabitants. Then we take a canoe ride through the small tributaries of the river to explore the fascinating surroundings and enjoy the wild nature of the jungle and discover the fauna and flora of this region.
At noon lunch is served at the Camp. After lunch we take a tour on the river by motor boat. During the excursion we visit the local Warao native people to get a closer look at the Warao culture and the traditional local life style of the indigenous people of this region. By the end of the day everybody will have had a chance to catch the ferocious little piranha fish.
Around 5 p.m. we return to the camp then go back up river to San José de Buja.
First Day
Canoe excursion: Our excursion starts in San José de Buja at the edge of the delta where our boat will be waiting for you on the river. The moment you step on the boat, you will get the first feel of the jungle. The half hour river cruise among the floating beds of bora, purple hyacinth, will bring you to the camp where you will check in and can have something to eat and drink. Afterwards you will go out in a canoe to get a first hand close-up look at the extraordinary surroundings.
Lunch & Relax.
In the afternoon we will take a boat to go through some of the small channels in the delta to the wet land, where you will see other varieties of fauna and flora: horned screamer birds, water buffalos, herons and – with lots and lots of luck – an anaconda.
Piranha fishing. We give you poles and bait the hooks with raw meat – and if you want we will gladly prepare your catch for dinner. Enjoy a beautiful sunset on the river with a "Cuba Libre".
There is the option of a night excursion before or after dinner to explore the nocturnal world of spectacled caiman crocodiles and snakes.
Dinner & chat.
Second Day
Early in the morning you will be woken by the calls of tropical birds twittering and howler monkeys screaming from the jungle. Coffee and tea will be served. Then you have the opportunity to go on the river in a hand crafted dug-out canoe. We will give you a paddle and a Warao pilot to accompany you in a short adventure to experience the dawning of a sunrise on the Orinoco Delta. This is the time when the denizens of the jungle prepare for the coming heat of the sun and is often the best time to observe the wildlife.
Breakfast.
For the morning excursion, we give you rubber boots and a Warao native guide who will lead you along jungle trails to get a feeling of life in this unforgiving environment and learn how the Waraos utilize this extraordinary flora for their every-day needs. This is an unforgettable experience for those who have never been in the jungle before.
The exotic perfume of flowers and orchids overlays the pungent smells of wet earth and rotting vegetation while giant trees and creeping plants scramble upwards competing for gulps of scarce sunlight.
You will also visit the Warao community and learn all about their ancient life style. You can buy beautiful hand crafted articles made of the fibres of the Moriche palm and dried seeds.
Lunch & Relax
Your choice; fish Piranhas, explore by canoe, or just relax in a hammock.
Later in the afternoon you will return to San José de Buja.
First Day
From the comfort of our boat you have the opportunity to observe a wide variety of flora and fauna – floating water hyacinth, pink dolphins, giant river otters, anacondas, and side neck turtles, for instance.
Along the riverbanks you will see native dwellings. On arrival at the camp you will be shown to your private rooms. After lunch you will explore the natural wild habitat of the virgin jungle in a small native dugout canoe.
When you return to the camp, you will be able to relax before dinner. You may take a swim in the river (in winter time when there are not so many piranhas) or just sit and observe one of the fabulous delta sunsets. After dinner you will enjoy the silence of the delta river and some days listen to the dolphins when they are playing in front of the camp.
Second Day
The next morning you will navigate the delta in search of the various species that live there - among the highlights are river dolphins and spectacled crocodile in the water, capuchin and red howler monkeys up in the dense foliage, villages of weaver bird nests hanging from the trees, and hummingbirds and kingfishers in the skies above.
After a picnic lunch in a beautiful spot in the delta, it's back into the boats for a trip to some of the Warao villages (palafitos) that line the riverbanks in this part of the Orinoco. Your guide will explain the Warao culture and the details of the community's daily life – a truly fascinating experience. In the afternoon before returning we will make a stop at a quiet spot in the river to pick up our dinner, fishing for Caribe (the Venezuelan name for piranhas).
After returning to camp and after another evening trip around the lagoon we will have a special dinner and wait for nightfall.
Third Day
At daybreak we will navigate the delta channels to watch and hear the jungle wake up. This is the time of day when the animals are most active and visible. After breakfast we make another round trip to places we have not seen before and to learn all about the flora of the delta.
After lunch we take the boat back to meet our land transport. The tour starts and ends in Ciudad Bolívar, Puerto Ordaz, Maturín, or Carúpano.
First Day
We will take you from Maturín, the capital of Monagas state, for an hour's drive by car over the alluvial plains through cattle and water buffalo farms to arrive at the port of San José de Buja. Here our tour enters the Orinoco Delta. We will navigate down river through the jungle on our journey to the Orinoco Eco Camp.
When we arrive, there will be a small tour of the camp to familiarize yourself with your surroundings and we will give a talk explaining the aims, goals and achievements of our ecological camp in the delta. After you have made yourselves at home, we can provide you with poles and raw meat bait to fish for piranha. If you catch any, our kitchen can prepare them for a tasty snack.
After lunch we take a boat and explore the surrounding jungle. We will take you through some of the small channels inside the delta where you can get a feel for the natural habitat. There will be many opportunities to observe the wildlife in the area. There are macaws, toucans, howler monkeys, dolphins and butterflies with a variety of colours. There is also a variety of tropical flora including flowering trees and orchids indigenous to the Orinoco delta.
Towards the end of this trip we will stop the boat at a scenic place and serve some refreshments while you enjoy the spectacular sun set of the Orinoco Delta. After sunset we take you back to the camp for dinner and chat. There will be an option for a night expedition to experience the nocturnal world of crocodiles and snakes. This will be available before or after dinner depending on river conditions.
Second Day
In the morning before breakfast we will take you out in an original native dugout canoe through small streams to enjoy the jungle dawn. After breakfast we will tour around the delta by boat, join the Manamo river, the main northern branch of the Orinoco, and follow it down towards the sea where mangroves border the channel and observe the changing variety of animals and plants from the primary jungle to the estuary swamps.
After a light lunch a Warao guide will lead you on a walk along a jungle trail where you will get a feeling for life in this unforgiving environment. You will inhale heavy tropical aromas coming from a lush tapestry of crawling plants and giant trees scrambling towards the sky for sunlight.
After sunset we will stay the night in the Warao community with the indigenous tribe whose origins in the Delta can be traced back for thousands of years.
Third Day
In the morning we will spend more time in the Warao village where we can learn more about the culture of these rain forest dwellers. After lunch while heading back to the camp we will stop to swim at a natural river beach before returning for dinner at the Ecocamp.
Fourth Day
Early in the morning we may be woken by the calls of howler monkeys screeching across the jungle. Now is a good time to go on the river in a hand crafted dugout canoe. We will give you oars and a pilot to guide you in a short venture where you can experience dawn and sunrise in the Orinoco delta. This is the time when the fauna prepares itself for the coming heat of the sun and is often the best time to observe the wildlife.
Our camp is the only camp located on a natural reserve and inside primal virgin jungle. In fact three quarters of the delta is savannah and gallery jungle.
After breakfast we will take you to see this savannah landscape. Here you will visit a small farm and gain an understanding of the delta environment. You will observe a different range of wildlife including egrets, water buffalo, horned screamer birds, black ibis, etc.
After lunch you take the boat back to meet the land transport.
Nestled in the heart of the Gran Morichal Wildlife Reserve.
The Orinoco Eco Camp is nestled deep within the Gran Morichal Wildlife Reserve (Reserva de Fauna Silvestre Gran Morichal), a protected Key Biodiversity Area in the heart of the Venezuelan Delta. Covering over 1,200 square kilometers, this reserve is a mosaic of flooded savannahs, Moriche palm forests, mangrove-lined rivers, and winding waterways.
The Gran Morichal Wildlife Reserve is one of the most biodiverse regions in Venezuela. The Morichal Largo River and Caño Buja flow through the reserve, providing the lifeblood for this extraordinary ecosystem.
The reserve is home to:
By staying with us, you are directly supporting the conservation of this fragile wilderness and the indigenous Warao communities that call it home.
GPS Coordinates: 9.544900, -62.655737 View on Map
Access Point: The reserve is accessed via the town of San José de Buja, located on the edge of the delta.
Distances from major cities:
Car Parking: If you come with your own vehicle, we have a safe, secure garage in San José de Buja where you can park during your stay.
Boat Transfer: From San José de Buja, our boat will take you on a 40-minute ride down the river to the camp, passing through floating beds of purple hyacinth and along the waterways of the Gran Morichal Wildlife Reserve.
Wildlife tip: During the boat ride, keep your eyes open for capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, toucans, macaws, and if you're lucky, a pink river dolphin!
Stories from the heart of the Orinoco Delta.
Every morning, as the sun rises over the Orinoco Delta, I hear the unmistakable sound of children's laughter echoing across the water. It's the sound of my students arriving for another day of learning at the Orinoco Eco School.
I'm Yoli, a pensioned teacher who traded the traditional classroom for a floating school in the heart of the Venezuelan jungle. I teach eight Warao children, between the ages of 5 and 8 years old. They come from families who live in scattered communities along the river, and their journey to school is unlike anything you've ever seen.
My students arrive in their dugout canoes – hand-carved from a single tree trunk, just like their ancestors have done for thousands of years. Some days, they arrive completely naked, having jumped into the river for a morning swim before class. I've learned to keep a towel and a spare shirt handy at all times!
One of the biggest challenges is keeping them out of the water. The river is an endless source of fascination – fish, pink dolphins, caimans, and the constant temptation to cool off in the heat. I spend a good part of each morning chasing them out of the river, laughing as they splash and giggle. It's challenging, but it's also the most rewarding teaching I've ever done.
Life here is simple and raw. The families in the surrounding communities have no electricity, no running water, and no medical attention. Everything is done by dugout canoe – shopping, visiting neighbors, even emergency trips to the nearest clinic, which is hours away by boat.
I teach them their letters and numbers, but I also teach them about the world beyond the delta. They learn about conservation, about the importance of protecting their home, and about the rich culture of the Warao people. In return, they teach me about resilience, joy, and the beauty of a life lived in harmony with nature.
Some days are tough. The heat can be overwhelming, the mosquitos relentless, and the lack of resources makes even simple lessons a challenge. But when I see the spark of understanding in their eyes – when they finally grasp a new word or solve a problem – it makes every struggle worth it.
The Orinoco Eco School is more than just a classroom. It's a symbol of hope, a bridge between tradition and the future. And it's the greatest adventure of my life.
Today was a beautiful day at the Orinoco Eco School, one of those days that reminds me why I traded my chalkboard for a canoe.
We started our morning with an art class. I gave each of the children a piece of paper and some colored pencils, and I asked them to draw whatever they saw in their hearts. The results were breathtaking. Some drew the pink river dolphins we see playing in front of the camp, their curved backs arcing out of the water. Others drew the giant Moriche palms that tower over their homes, their fronds reaching for the sky. A few drew their own dugout canoes, hand-carved from a single tree trunk, floating peacefully on the water.
Their skills are truly incredible. These are children who have grown up in the jungle, learning from their elders and observing the world around them with curious eyes. Their drawings are not just pictures—they are a window into their world. The jungle, the river, and the animals that share their home. Every stroke of the pencil tells a story.
As I watched them work, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride. I am not just teaching them their letters and numbers. I am giving them a way to express themselves, to share their culture, and to capture their dreams on paper.
Some of them are such strong swimmers—they move through the river like fish, diving under the surface and popping up with big grins on their faces. I jumped in too, and for a moment, I was a child again.
It was the perfect end to a perfect morning. Learning and creating, followed by the simple pleasure of cooling off in the river we call home.
Every day here is a gift. And every day, these children teach me something new about resilience, joy, and the beauty of a life lived in harmony with nature.
Explore the beauty of Orinoco Eco Camp through our photos and videos. Tap any video to play it full-screen with sound.
Quick answers for travelers planning their trip to the Orinoco Delta.
Drive to San José de Buja (about 1 hour from Maturín). We have a safe, secure garage for your car. From there, our boat takes you on a 40-minute ride down the river directly to the camp.
Yes. The camp is powered by a solar system. We provide charging outlets and internet access for our guests, allowing you to stay connected while enjoying the jungle.
You can spot pink river dolphins, howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, scarlet ibises, macaws, toucans, caimans, and piranhas. The Gran Morichal Reserve is home to 228 bird species and vulnerable mammals like the Amazonian manatee.
The camp is run by the Tahboub family, who bring over 30 years of experience in the delta. We employ local Warao natives as guides and staff, supporting the local community directly.
Ready to book your adventure? Reach out to us!
Orinoco Delta, Venezuela (Access via San Jose de Buja)
info@venezuela-orinocodelta.com
Open year-round (Best season: Nov – Apr)
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