{"id":48659,"date":"2024-03-20T13:56:32","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T11:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/?post_type=country&p=48659"},"modified":"2024-09-09T12:05:23","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T10:05:23","slug":"venezuela","status":"publish","type":"country","link":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/country\/venezuela\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From a nature perspective, South America might just be the most jaw-dropping continent in the world, and Venezuela is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this barely visited country has the added benefit that it\u2019s also very Venezuelan, extremely raw, culturally untouched and home to the most genuinely nice people in the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I backpacked solo all over Venezuela and while it\u2019s true that you might bump into a few foreign tourists in Canaima National Park or on the islands, I never saw any solo tourists roaming around the country. All of my insights and experiences were 100% Venezuelan, and that\u2019s what makes traveling here so incredible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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need to know for traveling in Venezuela<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Quick facts<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Capital<\/strong>: Caracas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Population<\/strong>: 28 million (41st)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language<\/strong>: Spanish<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Area<\/strong>: 916,445km\u00b2 (33rd largest country)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Visa<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Most nationalities can get a free 3-month visa on arrival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US citizens and Canadians will have to apply for a visa at the embassy. There\u2019s a consulate in Vancouver but there aren\u2019t any in the USA, so US passport holders will need to apply in Mexico City.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Getting in<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

There are daily flights from Madrid (Iberia and Air Europa), Istanbul (Turkish Airlines) and Lisbon (TAP Portugal). Other common connections are Panama and Colombia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Land borders with Colombia and Brazil are fully open and operational. There\u2019s no border crossing with Guayana so you need to go through Brazil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Travel Insurance<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

With its Backpacker plan, IATI Insurance<\/a><\/strong> is the best insurance for any kind of adventurous destination, like Venezuela<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GET A QUOTE<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Best time to visit<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Venezuela is a year-round destination, so the best time to visit will depend on what you want to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July to October is the rainy season. This is the best season for Canaima National Park, when the waterfalls will all be at their fastest-flowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

November to April is the dry season and the later you go, the less water you\u2019ll find in Canaima although this can be a good time to visit the islands, Caribbean coast and also Los Llanos, for a higher chance to spot anacondas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Safety<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Safety in Venezuela has drastically improved, for the following reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. The Government took action against local mafias by carrying out raids in specific shanty towns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Massive inflation: express kidnappings are not a profitable business anymore because wealthy Venezuelans have moved their wealth to foreign bank accounts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Mugging wasn\u2019t profitable anymore because the local Bol\u00edvar was worth nothing, so nobody had any money on them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Given the situation, the remaining thieves fled Venezuela to neighbouring countries.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    need to know about money in Venezuela<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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    The official currency in Venezuela is the Bol\u00edvar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1 USD = 36 VES<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After a massive devaluation, the Government decided to fix the exchange rate versus the US dollar, so the Bol\u00edvar has now stabilised by being in parity with the USD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Today, Venezuelans use dollars for all transactions, to the extent that you won\u2019t need to get any local currency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Remember that in many places you can pay by card although not everywhere, so do bring money in cash, especially because it\u2019s very difficult to withdraw money from an ATM, if not impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bring small denominations because there\u2019s a shortage of small change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Budget:<\/strong> it really depends on what you do but if you want to explore national parks, I think it would be upwards of $100 a day<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Top experiences in Venezuela<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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    Go on an anaconda safari<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Visit Los Llanos<\/strong><\/a> to spot up to anacondas of up to 7-metres<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Explore Caribbean towns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Venezuela’s coast has a very distinct culture which hasn\u2019t been spoiled by foreign tourism<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Enjoy Venezuela\u2019s outdoors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Canaima National Park<\/strong><\/a>, Roraima, Los Roques or Orinoco Delta, countryside in Venezuela is absolutely mind-blowing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Venezuelan people<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Venezuelans are eager to meet foreigners, and you\u2019ll notice how easy is to make friends compared to other neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    tips for Venezuela<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    Accommodation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    For Caracas, you can find a few expensive options at booking.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    CLICK HERE FOR HOTELS IN CARACAS<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    For the rest of the country, it\u2019s easy to find local posadas<\/em> (like a guesthouse). I just browsed hotels on Google Maps, and then called them to ask about prices and availability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Independent travel<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Many travelers fear backpacking in Venezuela but the truth is, it isn\u2019t much different from other Latin American countries, the only difference being that there\u2019s a shortage of information, and that you must bring all your money in cash. Other than that, getting around by public transportation is very easy, and you can find posadas<\/em> absolutely everywhere.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Transportation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    There are buses and minibuses connecting all towns and cities so it’s really easy: just go to the bus station, like you\u2019d do in Colombia or Ecuador.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Domestic flights aren\u2019t super convenient because you can\u2019t book tickets online; instead you have to purchase them at the respective airline office or travel agency. Check Conviasa<\/strong><\/a> or Laser Airlines<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    ALL MY ARTICLES ON VENEZUELA<\/h3>\n\n\n","protected":false},"featured_media":48660,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48659","country","type-country","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country\/48659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/country"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}