Introducing Venezuela
Travel Alert: The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommends against all travel to some areas, please check with your relevant national government.
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While other South American countries are romanticized for the tango, Machu Picchu or Carnaval, Venezuela’s international reputation swirls around oil, the brash political style of President Hugo Chávez and the occasional international beauty pageant winner. However, there is so much more to Venezuela than these typical headlining issues. As a matter of fact, Venezuela is a country of staggering variety and remains a land that is greatly undervisited by international travelers.
The country claims Andean peaks; the longest stretch of Caribbean coastline to be found in any single nation; tranquil offshore islands set amid turquoise seas; wetlands teeming with caimans, capybaras, piranhas and anacondas; the steamy Amazon; and rolling savanna punctuated by flat-topped mountains called tepuis. The world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls (Salto Ángel), plummets 979m from the top of a tepui in Parque Nacional Canaima. Those seeking adventure will find hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving, kitesurfing, windsurfing, paragliding and more. Even better, most of these attractions lie within a one-day bus trip or a short flight from each other. Those interested in culture can revel in the pulsating salsa clubs of the nation’s capital, Caracas, explore various regional festivals, look for arts and crafts in the bucolic towns of the interior, or check out some of the world’s best up-and-coming baseball players hit a few innings in a local stadium. Chávez himself, and his socialist ‘Bolivarian Revolution’ have become a national attraction and have started to draw spectators, aspiring documentarians and volunteers to the country.
Ready to go?
- Journey by river to the base of the Angel Falls
Last updated: Apr 3, 2012
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Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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Re: First time traveller
by bamemory 27 May 2012
Bear in mind that Venezuela and Argentina have the official rate of exchange (lower) and the black market rate of exchange which gives…
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RE: The infamous cable from Venezuela ?
by peloblanco 27 May 2012
I share your perspective about the Cuban 5 and Alan Gross being perceived by there govts as tit for tat, gres. I think they both dragged…
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RE: The infamous cable from Venezuela ?
by acanuck 27 May 2012
32. Definetely we don't have all the information that those in high level positions have. Often that is why their actions do not make…
Hotels & Hostels
Top cities in Venezuela
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Venezuela
Things to do
- All things to do (242)
- Activities (14)
- Entertainment (56)
- Restaurants (75)
- Shopping (34)
- Sights (62)
- Tours (1)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Venezuela
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1 Coro
Venezuela's colonial past endures in the gorgeous architecture of this coastal town
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2 Mérida State
A top area for outdoor adventure in South America, everything from trekking to mountain biking to whitewater rafting to paragliding is at one's fingertips
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3 Parque Nacional Henri Pittier
The country's first national park is still one of the best, with stunning beaches and excellent bird-watching opportunities
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4 Los Llanos
These grassy wetlands are Venezuela's prime wildlife-watching territory, teeming with giant anacondas, birds and caimans
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5 Amazonas
Explore some of the Amazon's least visited stretches in Venezuela's wild south
Fast Facts about Venezuela
- GDP growth rate (2006)
GDP growth rate (2006) : 8.8%
- Inflation (2006)
Inflation (2006) : 15.8%
- Unemployment (2006)
Unemployment (2006) : 8.9%
- Area
916, 050 sq km
- Population growth rate
1.9%
- Number of Miss Worlds won by Venezuelans
5
- Adult literacy
93%
Our favourite Venezuela Blogs (beta)
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Travel photo: Caracas skyline
Blog: Sophie's World - 13 April 2012
Caracas Today’s travel photo is of Venezuela’s busy capital. Rumour has it (or even statistics), this is one of the most crime-ridden cities anywhere. It’s even dubbed the world’s murder capital. In 1991, I walked all around a city with friendly people everywhere, with nothing remotely threatening or unpleasant happening to me. Would Caracas feel [...]Travel photo: Caracas skyline is a post from Sophie's World
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Must Adventure Equal Risk?
Blog: A Traveler's Library - 23 March 2012
Guidebook (Kind of) Digression Destination: The Amazon River Basin, Columbia and Venezuela Book: Along the River That Flows Uphill: From the Orinoco to the Amazon (2009), by Richard Starks and Miriam Murcutt Adventure travel competes with luxury travel in a daily race to stuff my mail box and Google Reader. An occasional luxury adventure trip–to [...]This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library.
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10 Unforgettable Destinations for 2011
Blog: GoBackpacking - 24 January 2011
Our top 10 picks for off-the-beaten path travel in 2010.---------Join Travel Blog Success today and learn to build a better travel blog.Membership includes 12 lessons, community forum, audio interviews, and a blog.
