Happy TravellerCiudad Guayana, also known as Guyana City, is a stunning city in Bolívar State, Venezuela. The city stretches for 40 kilometers along the south bank of the Orinoco river, where it meets its main tributary, the Caroní river. The Caroni river divides the city into two halves: the old town of San Félix in the east and the new town of Puerto Ordaz in the west. Officially founded in 1961, the city has a rich history dating back to 1724 when San Félix was established. Today, the city is home to around one million people and is renowned for its important iron, steel, aluminium, and hydroelectric industries. It is also one of the five most important ports in Venezuela, as many goods produced in the industry-rich Bolívar state are shipped through it.
Due to its planned nature, Ciudad Guayana has a unique feel compared to many other South American cities. The Alta Vista district towers recall Barranquilla, and many of the residential neighborhoods have architecture and landscaping that are similar to suburbs in the United States in the 1950s, 70s, and 80s, including cookie-cutter homes, sidewalks, and patterned lawns. This is due to the presence of US Steel, an American company with iron mining operations in the region during the 1960s and early 1970s. The company built housing for its American immigrant workers and families, who lived in Puerto Ordaz and other communities until the nationalization of the Venezuelan steel industry forced the company and its workers to leave.
Puerto Ordaz, one of the two best planned cities in all of South America, was designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Its internal forest parks look like a fully developed country, and its avenues are extraordinarily planned. The city has a strong trade presence, which helped create it, make it grow and give it an air very different from any city in South America since World War II.
Ciudad Guayana has a strong economic activity. Many of Venezuela’s prime industries are based in Puerto Ordaz, including Alcasa, Venalum, Bauxilum, Carbonorca, Ferrominera, and Sidor. The country’s main electricity producer, Corpoelec, and the regional development office, CVG, are also located in Puerto Ordaz. The city hosts the headquarters of CVG Electrificación del Caroní (CVG Edelca), Venezuela’s main electricity producer, which manages several hydroelectric power plants along the Caroní river basin. The area is also home to the fourth-biggest hydroelectric power station in the world in terms of generation capacity, the Guri reservoir, the second biggest lake in Venezuela.
In terms of transportation, Puerto Ordaz is crisscrossed from north to south and east to west by numerous avenues, including the main traffic avenue of the city, Guayana Avenue. Puerto Ordaz is served by Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport.
For tourists, there are several recreation centers to visit in Puerto Ordaz, including the Llovizna and Cachamay parks, which display their picturesque waterfalls. Other local attractions are the Caroní Ecomuseum located at the Macagua Dam. Near the city, from the Angosturita bridge to the San Félix port, the union of the Caroní and Orinoco rivers can be seen. The different colors of the water of both rivers create a distinct demarcation line. Taking Puerto Ordaz as a starting point, the Orinoco Delta can be visited as well as Canaimas National Park and Guris reservoirs. Other points of interest are the colonial castles at the Orinoco riverside and the Cerro del Elefante (Elephants hill) which can be reached in a 4×4 vehicle.
The city is home to two football clubs that play in the Venezuelan Primera División, namely LALA FC and Mineros de Guayana. Both clubs play their home games in the CTE Cachamay stadium, which also hosts games of the national team and numerous concerts.
Overall, Ciudad Guayana is an extraordinary city with a rich history, unique architecture, and breathtaking landscapes. It is undoubtedly a destination worth visiting for any traveler.
