South America - General information for Venezuela

Hi,

I would like to go to Venezuela next Summer. I need information about the recommanded flights and places to visit. Is a Visa required for Europeans?

Thank you

I have been there twice recently,
so can provide specific advice to non-generic questions.

Generate some specific questions first by reading a guidebook.
I found Lonely Planet's guidebook to be good enough.

I have been there twice recently,
so can provide specific advice to non-generic questions.
...

How red is it getting in Venezuela? Is private home ownership or private schooling in jeopordy?

Taanks for the link to your travel site.
Do you have any information about flights (from Europe)?

I have been there twice recently,
so can provide specific advice to non-generic questions.

Generate some specific questions first by reading a guidebook.
I found Lonely Planet's guidebook to be good enough.

I'm not sure about specific flight information from Europe to Caracas, but I can tell you that a friend flew from Paris to Caracas non-stop on Air France when we visited there a couple months ago.

Hugo is shutting down radio stations (who express opinions against him) and he is currently starting the process of consolidating all chavista political parties into a single unified party ... this is the first step of makjing Venezuela a single party state (with Hugo, of course, in full control of everything). Assuming the opposition's spirit and back isn't broken up till now, this could mean politcal unrest (marches, possibly violence, typical police state paranoid searching and privacy invasion, etc) in the near future.

Hugo is shutting down radio stations (who express opinions against him) and he is currently starting the process of consolidating all chavista political parties into a single unified party ... this is the first step of makjing Venezuela a single party state (with Hugo, of course, in full control of everything). Assuming the opposition's spirit and back isn't broken up till now, this could mean politcal unrest (marches, possibly violence, typical police state paranoid searching and privacy invasion, etc) in the near future.

have you ever been to venezuela? or are you just expressing what you heard on fox news?

just thought i'd ask.

have you ever been to venezuela? or are you just expressing what you heard on fox news?

just thought i'd ask.

I have, but its been awhile. I try to expose myself to very little North American media, so I'm not sure what Fox is saying. I heard this on a South American Spanish speaking radio channel.

Your point is well taken though, most of my post was conjecture on my part ... I don't live nor have I recently traveled extensively in Venezuela. The only fact that wouldnt be disputed in my previous post would probably be:

Hugo Chavez is shutting down radio stations (that he alleges to be "golpista") and he is currently starting the process of consolidating all chavista political parties into a single unified party.

One can look at the known facts and at history and draw their own conclusion.

Time will tell, I suppose ...

How red is it getting in Venezuela? Is private home ownership or private schooling in jeopordy?

My friends' children going to private schools there are finding their schools operating about the same as before. They don't express any concerns about their homes being seized either. Private businesses there are still raking in the money ... or at least their international travels and lifestyles haven't taken a big hit as of yet.

Hi,

I would like to go to Venezuela next Summer. I need information about the recommanded flights and places to visit. Is a Visa required for Europeans?

Thank you

For the EU nationals I know to have visited Venezuela last year as tourists, visas were not required in advance.

I have, but its been awhile. I try to expose myself to very little North American media, so I'm not sure what Fox is saying. I heard this on a South American Spanish speaking radio channel.

Your point is well taken though, most of my post was conjecture on my part ... I don't live nor have I recently traveled extensively in Venezuela. The only fact that wouldnt be disputed in my previous post would probably be:

Hugo Chavez is shutting down radio stations (that he alleges to be "golpista") and he is currently starting the process of consolidating all chavista political parties into a single unified party.

One can look at the known facts and at history and draw their own conclusion.

Time will tell, I suppose ...

muddy,

i was rather blunt in my previous post and i hope i didn't come across as rude.

i have heard that RCTV group's television license would not be renewed, which would if effected result in it being shut down. of course unsaid is that RCTV was one of the leaders in the coup against Chavez and actually didn't broadcast any of the widespread counter-protests that foiled the coup and ended up returning Chavez to power.

by the way, none of this is conjecture either, but verifiable fact. and despite our (since i share it) avoidance of american media, the thought of cnn plotting and bring down president bush, and then rerunning novelas while massive protests broke out in all of ourm major cities to return him to power, would be unthinkable.

i apologize for injecting politics into a site which should be apolitical. i myself am by no means a "chavista," but i have to tip my hat to the fact he has, overwhelming and with high turnout, won many, many elections and referendums that were supervised and certified by international observers. i do awknowledge that chavez is a very polarizing figure and many in venezuelan society, especially the upper classes, detest him. but anyone who has visited and toured through more of caracas than just providencia would agree that the poor and lower middle classes that make up the vast majority of the population support him. and as GUWonder stated earlier, private enterprise still exists and is indeed flourishing.

muddy,

i was rather blunt in my previous post and i hope i didn't come across as rude.

....

No, please ... you weren't rude at all.

Its hard to get reliabile information about either the US or Venzuela through any media, honestly. The press inside both countries is NOT a good source, IMO, and both leaders' (Bush's and Chavez's) meddling in the affairs of other countries seems to tend to steer reporting in other countries negative. Then there are the propoganda sites that are so ridiculously positively biased that it's laughable.

Where would someone go for honest, accurate, balanced information about Venezuela? Other than talking in person with folks that live there I honestly have no idea.

The initial reason was that airfare was about half the cost of most other South American destinations. But there is an awful lot of variety, including rainforest, Andean mountains, nature preserves, and Caribbean beaches. Here are a few photos of Angel Falls and other places:

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/jackneefus/album/576460762325866081

If you're interested in a travelogue, you can email me at jackneefus#yahoo.com (replace # with @).

Venezuela is cheap and relatively safe, better than Brazil or Argentina unless you're on the Columbian border. Local hotel rooms were less than $20 a night in some places. The cheap intercity buses are fun and put you very close to people's daily lives. Although if you like, four-star international hotels are not hard to find in big cities.

The chief problems were surprisingly few English speakers, limited ATM connections to international networks, and difficulty doing business by internet.

For the EU nationals I know to have visited Venezuela last year as tourists, visas were not required in advance.

What (non-)touristic places would you recommend? Is it a safe country?

It's been several years since I've been to Venezuela (pre-Chavez). Even then, it was my least favorite Latin American country to visit (and I've been to a lot of them). Admittedly, I spent all my time in and around Caracas.

Given the current political situation, I can't imagine why anyone would choose to visit Venezuela for vacation, unless perhaps they were a leftist wishing to show solidarity with Hugo.

I do have family that has just returned from Margarita Island, and that apparently is a different story. There are also some other, smaller Caribbean Islands owned by Venezuela that might be worth visiting. But Caracas -- I can't imagine.

...Is it a safe country?I don't know about Venezuela as a country, but if you use Buenos Aires, or Santiago, as a base point for comparison then Caracas is not safe.

I traveled to Caracas on business last year. Usually, I have no problem going out into the cities I visit and wandering around a little bit. However, I refused to do this in Caracas. Everywhere our group went, we had police escorts and armed guards. Even then, a few in the group decided to venture outside of the hotel a few blocks to a shopping area by themselves. They were held up at gun point. Also, another had money and a camera stolen out of his hotel room... this at a 5 star hotel. If you choose to or travel to Caracas, be smart about it and you will be fine. It is not a place I would ever want to vacation.

Thieves in 5-star hotels can happen in every country.
I don't understand about the lack of securit y in Caracas. Do you mean you cannot go out without any guns oder policemen at your side? Is it a city of 'backchich' as well?


I traveled to Caracas on business last year. Usually, I have no problem going out into the cities I visit and wandering around a little bit. However, I refused to do this in Caracas. Everywhere our group went, we had police escorts and armed guards. Even then, a few in the group decided to venture outside of the hotel a few blocks to a shopping area by themselves. They were held up at gun point. Also, another had money and a camera stolen out of his hotel room... this at a 5 star hotel. If you choose to or travel to Caracas, be smart about it and you will be fine. It is not a place I would ever want to vacation.