Venezuela

Understand

Venezuela is home to the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls and the second longest river in South America, the Orinoco. It also has the longest coastline to the Caribbean sea. Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil exporter and also has vast untapped reserves of natural gas. Ecologically, Venezuela is considered among the 20 Megadiverse countries of the planet; more than 40% of its national territory is covered by protected areas. Although geologically diverse, the effects of climate change have gravely affected Venezuela's ecodiversity. May 2024 marked the date of when the country became the first Andean country and one of the first in the modern world to lose all of its glaciers.

Terrain Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in the northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in the southeast. Nueva Esparta islands in the northeast

highest point Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m.

History Venezuela was inhabited by Pre-Columbian peoples when it was claimed as a possession of the Spanish Empire by Christopher Columbus during his third voyage in 1498. Venezuela was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Ecuador). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by military strongmen and the country was largely underdeveloped, depending mainly on agriculture.

Venezuela in the 20th century During World War I, large, massive, and plentiful oil and gas reserves were discovered in Lake Maracaibo. This proved to be pivotal for the country — standards of living markedly improved, the country became more industrialised, the country received a great deal of immigrants from all over the world, and it enjoyed an economic boom that lasted well over several decade

See

Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands and Canaima National Park Los Roques with its crystalline beaches. Los Llanos and its spectacular wildlife. Mérida and its breathtaking Andes scenery. Caracas, the true urban jungle.

Buy

Money

The country has been ongoing record breaking inflation and hyperinflation for more than 20 years, while

Getting there

Visa requirements Citizens of the following countries may not require a visa to visit Venezuela for tourist purposes only for up to 90 days (a tourist-card will be issued instead): Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominica, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Hong Kong, Iceland, Iran (max. 15 days), Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Nevis, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Russia, San Marino, Spain, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom, and Uruguay. Business travelers almost invariably require a visa to be issued before entry. In Caracas, passengers pass through immigration in the arrivals hall before going to baggage claim. Officers will check your passport and may ask questions. If a customs officer or anyone asks about your purpose of visit, tell them you are only there to visit, tourism. At baggage claim you will be required to match the baggage sticker on your flight ticket to the bar code on your bag before you hand over your tax form to customs officials. There will be many individuals who approach you after your arrival offering assistance with locating a taxi or trading currency. It is best to not interact with anyone who approaches you. Even airport officials with proper identification may attempt to lead you to other areas of the airport to trade currency on the black market. When taking a taxi from the airport, always settle on a price before getting into the cab, and only use taxis that have the official yellow oval seal.

Getting around

General Travelers in Venezuela are obliged to carry identification. There are military checkpoints on many roads, so while traveling by car or bus keep your passport handy, ideally you should keep a color photocopy of your passport. Should your passport be stolen, this will facilitate procedures with your local consulate. The military presence is constant, yet is not usually cause for concern. That having been said, there are corrupt officials. It is wise to keep a close eye on your belongings when, for instance, bags are being checked for drugs. A soldier of the Guardia Nacional (National Guard) sometimes plants drugs to solicit a bribe or steal valuables. Penalties for drug use are severe, and the burden of proof falls on the accused, the police may also demand bribes using the same modus operandi. There is only one rather short intercity rail line in Venezuela, which leaves three options for travel inside the country: car rental, using buses, and using cars-for-hire. Drivers in Venezuela are generally aggressive and unconcerned by traffic regulations. The traffic in Venezuela is very bad, the drivers are aggressive and all drivers want to be the first. Thus, car rental is not recommended in general. The very cheap fuel prices make this option fairly economical. The expensive part of renting a car will be the insurance. Fuel prices as of Aug 2018 remained fixed at 1 BsF per litre, which meant that a million Imperial gallons (4; 500; 000 L) was worth about US$1 at black-market currency exchange rates. The Venezuelan government is looking to eliminate these generous subsidies, but any change to the status quo will incur strong political backlash. Do not underestimate the sheer chaos of Venezuela's traffic. The often ignored road rules state that you must drive on the ri