Nature and excursions
Driving to the Gran Sabana: why to spend the night in Ciudad Bolívar
· 8 min read
The Gran Sabana is reached overland, and Ciudad Bolívar is the last large city before the long hours begin. How to plan the route, and what to see on the stop.
The Gran Sabana is not a drive to do in one push. People who try arrive at the first tepui exhausted and miss the best of the road.
Ciudad Bolívar is the natural stop: the last large city before the route stretches out, and one that earns the night on its own merits.
Where the route runs
The Gran Sabana is reached overland heading south-east, towards Santa Elena de Uairén on the Brazilian border. Ciudad Bolívar is the link from the centre and west of the country: here you cross the Orinoco on the Angostura Bridge, and the road towards Guayana and the Gran Sabana begins.
Ciudad Guayana (Puerto Ordaz and San Félix) lies about 100 km east. From there onward, the distances stretch.
You can also arrive by air into Tomás de Heres National Airport, in the centre of the city, and continue overland from here.
Why break the journey here rather than pushing on
Three practical reasons:
1. Rest before the long stretch. Driving tired on roads you do not know, through an area with few services, is the real risk on this trip.
2. The last proper urban stop. Fuel, cash, pharmacy, spare parts, market. Further on, all of this thins out considerably.
3. The city deserves it. Ciudad Bolívar keeps one of the best-preserved historic quarters in Venezuela, and in 2003 it entered UNESCO's tentative World Heritage list. Driving past out of haste is a poor trade.
What to see with an afternoon and a morning
The afternoon you arrive. Go straight to the Paseo Orinoco and the Angostura Lookout. Sunset over the river, facing La Piedra del Medio, is the image people carry away from this city. Here the Orinoco narrows to around 800 metres — which is why the city was called Angostura for eighty years.
The next morning, before setting off. The Historic Quadrangle: Plaza Bolívar, the Cathedral, the Governors' House, the Royal Intendancy House and the Congress of Angostura House, where Simón Bolívar opened the Congress on 15 February 1819. It is all within walking distance.
If you have a spare hour, the Jesús Soto Museum of Modern Art — the first in the world devoted to kinetic art — or El Zamuro Fort, for one last panorama before you go.
Leave after breakfast, not at midday. Heat and late-afternoon light do not help on the road.
Before heading south
- Leave with a full tank and some reserve.
- Carry cash. Further south, not everywhere processes electronic payments.
- Water, sunscreen and light clothing: temperatures here stay between 23 °C and 37 °C all year.
- Confirm road conditions and current requirements before you set off. Our front desk will tell you what we know that day.
Where to spend the night
At Hotel Laja City, on Avenida Bolívar at Avenida Táchira, one of the main avenues, with easy access to the historic quarter and to the road continuing south-east.
For this trip specifically: parking included in the rate, a front desk staffed 24 hours if you arrive late after a long day driving, air conditioning in every room and complimentary afternoon coffee. Triple and quadruple rooms if you are travelling as a group, which is how this route is usually done.
Road conditions, available services and travel requirements change. Always confirm before setting off.
