Yesterday we packed our bags and checked our equipment. After we had packed the cameras, lenses, tripods, GoPros, water tests and measuring instruments, there wasn’t much space left for the clothes – we had to bear in mind that the baggage weight limit on the domestic flight to our second expedition destination would be only 15 kg. So we needed to pack two bags for the journey. No matter – we were in the water for half the time anyway. We’re going to spend the other half wading through the jungle to explore and document the animal kingdom. You will find the detailed itineraries of the journey here: Expédition 2016 au Vénézuela
In a few hours all the participants will be meeting at Frankfurt Airport and then we are all going to fly to Caracas via Madrid. At these two airports we’ll be joined by further people from all around the world. After Caracas 50 participants will be continuing their journey with a domestic flight to Maturin, and from there we’ll all be taking a 75 minute bus ride, followed by a 40 minute boat trip to the camp at the Orinoco.
In the middle of the jungle without light and electricity and of course without internet and mobile phone reception either. We’re sure to be in contact with indigenous people – we are really excited. Which animals will be there? We hope we’ll find some spiders, snakes and lots of lizards and birds. The biodiversity of the freshwater fish is a promising sign. Finding L number catfish and an abundance of cichlids are the two most popular reasons for most people to take part in the trip.
We’re going to document every day of the trip in words and pictures here on-site and then report in more detail afterwards. As soon as we have internet access at the airports we will publish short interim reports to allow you to share in this exciting journey.
Thanks to Heiko Blessin, who flew out and planned the journey two years ago, you can already access two exciting preliminary reports to learn more about this scientific adventure, which will bridge the gap between our hobby and the animals’ habitats and thus further our knowledge of both: Expédition JBL 2016 : Dans la forêt amazonienne du Vénézuéla – Partie 1 & Expédition JBL 2016 : dans la forêt amazonienne du Vénézuéla – Partie 2
