1. camp by mountain road near Capacho -after border crossing
N7.86515 W72.26513
FREE
No facilities. We asked permission at the nearest house but it seems to be a public piece of land. The lady seemed a bit confused but once you understood the concept of camping overnight she said it was fine to park up. Quiet night with a very few motorbikes whizzing by.
We stayed here 1 night in May 2014. Cool day, chilly night, no bugs.

 

2. Camp at family restaurant near Mérida
N8.49489 W71.36276
FREE (few beers at the restaurant)
Toilet can be used at restaurant. Parking up on a large dirt lot (there’s a headed gate but we fitted in OK with our 3.6m height) The family is super nice. They are open till 10 PM-ish -they waited for us to finish our last drink at 9PM then packed up and locked the gate (the open the gate at 8AM in the morning). Music was on while restaurant is open but then it was quiet throughout the night.
We stayed here 1 night in May 2014. Hot day, warm night, some mozzies.

 

SUGGESTION FOR MERIDA
Parking
N8.60535 W71.14310
A 10-15 mins walk to the centre. The guard said it would be OK to park up here for the night as well. We didn’t check facilities or fee (but it looked like a public land)

 

3. Camp by the Nation Observatory
N8.78534 W70.87255
FREE
No facilities. The Observatory is only open from Wednesday to Saturday. When we were here there were closed. We checked with the guard if it was OK to park up by the dirt road that leads from the Observatory entrance. It was OK as it is a public road. We parked by the large water tank but there are few more opportunities with lovely view over the mountains. It is over 3600m and gorgeous cool fresh air. The road from Merida to here is very nice.
We stayed here for 1 night in May. Fresh cool days, chilly nights, no bugs.

 

4. Car park -Laguna de Mucubaji (ONE OF OUR FAVOURITES)
N8.79885 W70.82653
BsF 30 for park entry (paid once regardless how many nights staying)
BsF20/ night for camping -we didn’t think it was official but for a sake of 32p it was worth it.
There’s a cafe/restaurant with toilet.
Parking overnight is only by the lake on a gravel parking lot. Weekends can be very busy. We timed to arrive on Monday which was very peaceful and quiet with few visitors. Tuesdays the park is closed for vehicles but as we were already in it was no problem to stay for another night. We had the park to ourselves that day. Great hiking all over. High elevation, the temperature hardly went over 10C during the day and dropped to 2C over night. Gorgeous surrounding.
We stayed here 2 nights in May 2014. Chilly (windy) days, very cold nights, no bugs.

 

5. Rancho Grande -Los Llanos
N7.55441 W69.64556
BsF 3000 together for the two of us for a boat tour + an overland tour (+camp for 2 nights)
Shower, toilet.
This is one of the official ranches where the adventure agency takes visitors from Mérida (that costs BsF 8000/pers -though that includes transport, food, hammock) Usually they require pre-bookings so we took our chances but we weren’t turned away when we arrived. It took a while to find this place. Parking between to the small hammock huts, and the river packed with caimans. Also good place to observe water birds.
We stayed here 2 nights in May 2014. Very hot day, hot night, lots of bugs.

 

6. Los Llanos Boondocking
N7.64336 W69.73544
FREE
No facilities.
Parking by a dirt road with a view of the field with birds and horses.
We stayed here 1 night in May 2014. Very hot day, hot night, lots of bugs.

 

8. Sandy river beach camp
N7.02470 W67.55556
FREE
No facilities.
Parking on a sandy beach, access through a small town. Really lovely camp spot.
We stayed here 1 night in May 2014. Very hot day, hot night, not much bugs.

 

9. Boondocking by river (ONE OF OUR FAVOURITES)
N6.92040 W66.55174
FREE
No facilities though you can bath in the river. Very clear water.
Parking right next to a river, absolutely wonderful. One of our best found if not the. Peaceful and very quiet.
We stayed here 2 nights in May 2014. Hot day, breeze cooler night, no bugs.

 

 

10. Ciudad Bolívar -German Posada/Campsite
N8.09054 W63.48984
BsF350/person/night
All facilities; toilet, shower, electricity hook up, water, rooms with A/C, restaurant, swimming pool (wifi can be arranged with a data stick) Parking on the grassy area of the posada filled with mango trees. We found it a little pricey but it is a well organised place, perfect stop for a night or two after boon docking for weeks. Lovely, friendly and helpful hosts. Trips to Angel Falls can be arranged with the manager, Benjamin.
We stayed here 3 nights in May 2014. Hot days, warm but breezy nights, can be cooler when rains. Mozzies loads, especially during/after rain.

 

11. La Paragua airport
N6.83410 W63.34865
FREE
No facilities. Parked up at one of the pilots’ office. Pretty dodgy town, even the military people are dodgy. We only came here to see if we can arrange a flight to Angel Falls -no luck as it seems the pilots are in to more serious business with transporting gold and diamond, no interests in tourists apart from pre-arranged trips.
We stayed here 1 night in June 2014. Hot days, hot nights some bugs.

 

12. Guri -Hydroelectric company
N7.80154 W62.97074
FREE
No Facilities. Parked up on a dirt parking lot at the East security gate. Otherwise no public vehicle allowed to drive through the Hydroelectric company’s premises. Though as we visited the dam earlier the day (it was very good) from the West gate the security guards arranged us to stay over the other side for the night so we can have a short drive the following day to our next destination. It was very good.
We stayed here 1 night in June 2014. Hot day, warm night some bugs.

 

13. Swiss campsite/ posada near El Dorado
N6.71621 W61.60810
BsF100/person/night
Toilet, shower, restaurant/bar, couple of rooms (water and electricity hook up available)
Parking on a nice grassy area next to the river. It is an unusual, enjoyable place with a couple of Swiss and German expats besides the Swiss owner, Bruno. It is also a military river check point so there are a few friendly soldiers hanging around. A good stop on the way to Gran Sabana (and if you drop Bruno’s name at the upcoming checkpoints they flag you through with no problem)
We stayed here 1 night in June 2014. Hot day, warm night no bugs.

 

14. Edge of Gran Sabana -Telephone tower camp
N5.96133 W61.38254
FREE
No facilities. Great boon docking place off the main road. Parking on a dirt area behind a deserted telephone tower, off sight from the road. Very quiet and peaceful. It is around 1000m elevation, it is nice, cool and fresh.
We stayed here 1 night in June 2014. Fresh but hot days, cool night no bugs.

 

15. Bush Camp -Kavanayen
N5.62003 W61.77959
FREE
No facilities. Parked up at the side of the seldom used road with an amazing view. This road leads from Kavanayen to Karuay waterfall. Very difficult road, definitely need 4×4 vehicle. (22 km from town but took us 2.5 hours) Gorgeous area and very quiet peaceful night. Along this road you can park anywhere you fancy.
Stayed here for 1 night in June 2014. Warm/hot day, cool night lots of puri puri (biting flies) -they seem to be present all day long however they really only bite between the magic hours of 4PM-6PM(ish). This goes for the whole of the Gran Sabana.

 

Camp at Salto Karuay
N5.69072 W61.86151
FREE
There are toilets but haven’t check the water in them. The road here is difficult but this is a lovely spot right next to the river. The waterfall (Karuay) is just a short walk up-river from here and the other 2 waterfalls can be reached by boat (apparently there’s a trail to the first one but we didn’t find it) Very peaceful, quiet night. At 6 the biting flies disappear so can sit outside.
Stayed here for 1 night in June 2014. Warm/hot day when sun is out but rain cools the air, cool night. Lots of puri puri (biting flies) -they seem to be present all day long however they really only bite between the magic hours of 4PM-6PM(ish). This goes for the whole of the Gran Sabana.

 

Camp near Salto Tarotá
N5.78182 W61.39442
FREE
No facilities. Parked up at the side of the dirt road. We didn’t find the waterfall but it was a nice, quiet spot for the night.
We stayed here 1 night in June 2014. Warm day, cool night, puri puris until 6-6.30PM.

 

18. River camp at Rio Söröröpö (Suruape)
N5.14678 W61.13004
FREE
No facilities. Parked up right by the river. It was full of rubbish but we cleaned the campsite up -hope stays that way. Otherwise it is a lovely spot, you can have a dip in the river. Very peaceful, quiet camp for the night.
We stayed here 1 night in June 2014. Warm day, cool night, puri puris, loads, until 6-6.30PM.

 

19. Santa Elena, Posada Los Pinos
N4.60964 W61.10976
BsF 200/ pers/ night
All facilities; wifi, restaurant, swimming pool. . Parked up at the posada’s car park. Really nicely done place, run by a German guy, Eric and his wife with their staff. Very friendly place and walking distance to town. Eric also runs the Backpackers Hostel and tour office -in town where they offer trips to Roraima and the Gran Sabana in general. (They have 3 German shepherds so you might want to consider coming here if you are travelling with dogs)
We stayed here 2 nights in June 2014. Hot days, warm night, bugs.
(We returned here for 3 more nights after visiting Guyana (worth the trip if you want to fill up with cheap fuel and do some stock up shopping before returning to Brazil.)

 

Camp Sandy Lane towards Abismo                                                       N4.50568 W61.52502

FREE
No facilities. Parking by a sandy road off the main road. Quiet night.
Stayed here for 1 night in June 2014. Warm/hot day, cooler night, puri-puri and sand flies!

 

22. Kuyaima Campsite
N4.41495 W61.71330
BsF 50/pers/night
Toilet, shower, food can be arrange. Parking on a large grassy camp area with a gorgeous view. The Abyss trail starts at the family house and takes about an hour. It is spectacular. The walk is through a river (you can drink the water from it) and it’s gorgeous for a dip. The place is a family farm and run by a lovely, local English/German speaking family -we only met Tamara and her son, Ralek but the camp/posada is run by Tamara’s daughter and son-in-law who weren’t there at the time of our visit. (if you take a few packs of wheat flour Tamara will bake you wonders!)
We stayed here for 1 night in June 2014. Warm/hot day but the rain generally cools the air, cooler at night, some bugs.