I know that this should be posted to the travel board but in over a week since I posted there in the South America forum, I have had no response. Surely some one on the Flytalk boards is travelling to Venezuela and can provide some info.

http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...ML/000008.html

Thanks in Advance

ummmmh... where to reply? Well, I read it here, so I will post here.

I grew up in Venezuela, and my family still lives there. Sadly to say, Venezuela is one of those places where I would say that the comments about personal safety are not overblown. It is one of the few places where almost every one has suffered first hand the consequences of a violent environment; at the very least everyone knows someone who has suffered violent attacks. A few examples close to home: 1. An uncle of mine was shot dead a couple of years back (we suspect a kidnap or robbery attempt -he was armed and tried to defend himself - ok, maybe carrying a gun was not a smart move...)2. My father was robbed of his watch at gun point. 3. One messenger from my office was shot dead. 4. 2 relatives of office colleagues were shot dead (ok one was a policeman, so maybe he was in a high risk group). 5. A friend of mine was shot while they stole his car (he survived).

In Venezuela you really have to follow the advices that we tend to disregard for many other places.

On the other hand, despite all its problems, Venezueala is one place where you can have lots of fun. People really like to party there.

I notice that you live in KL. I am in SIN. If you want we can exchange phones by email and I can perhaps give you a few tips.

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The trouble with resisting temptation is...that you may not get another chance :-)

If you want to post your question in a forum where many travelers familiar with South America are likely to see it and respond, try the newsgroup rec.travel.latin-america.
Good luck.



[This message has been edited by dogcanyon (edited 08-01-2001).]

I spent one week in Venezuela two years ago, and found the area very beautiful. Jungle is extraordinary, I went to the Salto Angel and was really impressed.

What annoyed me is that this country is very very poor, and the cost of life is higher then in most of the european and north american cities.
There is nothing in the supermarkets, because nobody would be able to buy it.

The consequence is that if you want to spend some days there as a tourist, you'll pay more than 100 US$ the night, and you are far from being in a hotel.

There must be some way to take benefit of this really very nice and beautiful country without paying so much, without being always suspicious about everybody everytime, but I do not have the clue for that.

May be somebody else...

Be sure to visit Angel Falls - it is worth every penny. Take the canoe back to the falls and the fly-by in the DC3. Air fare is not too bad and I would also suggest Merida in the Andes. Fly only in the AM since it is frequently rained or fogged in at the PM. It is a spectacular flight out, esp. You can see the little villages all up the Andes. Maybe, with luck, you will even get to ride part of the tram. Take no one's word for whether it is working or not. Even the Dept of Tourism in Caracas has no idea. Caracas has extremes of wealth and gated, guarded houses. Tells you something. We had no problems near the Hilton where we stayed though someone tried to scam us with our credit card. However, we were home when the person tried to use an old slip to charge about $500 worth of goods. Credit card company took care of it - no problem.

Thanks for the responses all. I still don't know exactly when this project will start but I promise to post a trip report when it does.
How come you always spot your own spelling mistake after you have clicked the submit button??

[This message has been edited by wilro (edited 08-03-2001).]

I agree with most of what has been written above.

I spent around 6 weeks in 4 different trips there, for work purposes (but took some week-ends visiting), in the Caracas/Barquisimeto area.
Regarding the personal safety I received a lot of advice from my Venezuelan colleagues, and read upsetting reports in the newspapers, but never saw any real incident.

Nevertheless, as Karen2, I had expenses charged on my Amex card, with which as this time I had paid only two bills (a 5 stars hotel near Caracas and Budget Rent a Car). The total expenses amounted to more than 8000 USD. (yes, thousands !).
Amex was very efficient and credited my account very quickly, but I have never been informed of the result of he enquiry (which should have been quite straightforward with only two tracks to follow, even though I had asked to know what happened. For my next trips I used my Visa.

I was also surprised by the cost of things, not in line with the level of income of most of the people. I am used to travel to Asia and in that part a of the world there is a connection between the general level of prices (except for luxury imported goods of course) and the average income of people. This is not the case in Venezuela, at least in the places I went to (restaurants and hotels were quite expensive, even if not of the higher quality level).

Anyway this is a pleasant place to take vacations, and I hope you will have a good time there.

This was the prettiest area I have been to. I also agree that you should get to Merida. My husband was there on business and I was not allowed to go out on my own. I hired a private guide directly from the hotel. There was a body guard/ guide and a driver. With both of them I felt fine going everywhere. If you like Murano Glass, one of the factories is not too far away. I found the food to be outstanding wherever we went. I knew in advance of the living conditions. I took nail polish and other cosmetics for the maids in the hotel (aside from their tips) and they were very appreciative. While many travelers say not to take gifts for the kids (that it encourages begging) this is one area that the kids' expressions were worth it. It was truly a treat for them to get candy or a small toy.

Caracas has extremes of wealth and gated, guarded houses. Tells you something.

Honestly, I feel safer having guards and walls sorrounding my villa. In the US very few resident areas are guarded and have walls similar to South American homes, as well as SE Asia homes. I've been reluctant to purchase a home in NYC/NJ because of this.
In my opinion, the crime rate in LA is no different than most cities in the US. Perhaps the danger is highly greater for foreigners, especially in Colombia but overall it's very safe.
I've been to Caracas a few times, just avoid the marginal areas, as you would avoid certain areas in the Bronx if visiting NYC.
Adios



[This message has been edited by eperaltaotero (edited 08-03-2001).]

I stayed at the Sheraton Macuto in Nov. '99. Unfortunately that area was involved in the major landslides which killed many thousands of people. As far as I know, the Sheraton is still closed and access to this area may be limited. My thoughts still go out to those families.

However, if you have time for an offshore fishing trip... the La Guiara Bank is one the best places in the world for billfish. Venezuela has some excellent experienced crews that will put even a first time fisherman into the middle of the action!

We felt very safe wandering the neighborhood near the hotel, even after dark. Everyone was friendly and helpful.

I have been to Venezuela about 8 or 9 times for business and personal travel including Caracas, Maracaibo, Merida and Canaima/Salto Angel.

Definately the trip to Salto Angel is spectacular, probably among (if not) the most fascinating scenery in the world. It is expensive, though and the monopoly of Hoturvensa makes getting there cheaply difficult. I did a canoe trip and also an overflight, I recommend both because the perspective you get from them both makes it better - it is difficult to fathom the size of a 3200 foot waterfall. Just know that you can only take the canoe trip in the wet season when the river's water level is sufficient.

Caracas can definately be unsafe, but I just took percautions, never having anything of value in sight, always walked with a purpose and paid attention to what was around me, never walked on the street at night, make sure you only get in legit taxis (there are guys who just make themselves taxi work, locally known as "piratas" - pirates - and these are considered unsafe), etc. If you do this, most likely you will have no problems - remember that most criminals would rather swipe something on the sneak than assult someone. I have many friends there and also can speak fluent Spanish which makes it easier to get around.

Around Caracas, some cool things to see are El Avila, the national park that is the mountain outside the city, and El Hatillo that is a quaint artsy town with a lot of things to buy and places to eat.

Merida is also a cool place, whose principal attraction is the teleferico, the longest and highest cable car in the world to the summit of Pico Espejo, at about 15,800 ft.

Maracaibo is the 2nd biggest city after Caracas and there is not a lot there to attract turists, I was there on business.

All in all, I have had all good experiences there and met a lot of great people. As far as costs go, Caracas and the trip to Salto Angel are expensive, but most other parts of the country are not. It is a beautiful country - very few places in the world of its size could boast the same number of different natural settings.

What about the orenoque and the other areas ?

Are they worth the visit ?