Colombia to Venezuela - bus

Hey,

Me and a friend are travelling to Colombia and Venezuela next month. We want to pass over the border from Colombia to Venezuela but have been given very varied opinions about whether this is a good idea because of safety. Has anyone done this journey recently? I think we will probably be going from Cartagena or Santa Marta to Venezuela. We either need a bus to Merida or to Caracus... Is it safe, did the bus stop, what was the bus company?

Also, we haven't got that much time in Venezuela...is it better to spend the money and see Angel Falls (if so can anyone advise a cheap way to do this) or is Merida a better option?

Thanks :)

I am planning a South America trip, and I want to do the EXACT opposite of what you are trying to do. I would like to take a bus from Merida to Cartagena. Someone PLEEEEASE answer this post!!!

Just did a little looking around. Apparently the most popular (and safest) land route is between the Venezuelan city of San Antonio del Táchira and the Colombian city of Cucuta. Haven't been able to find out anything about buses, prices, etc. though. If you do please post on this thread.

Crossing the border is SAFE, however the bus will be subject to many checks as you are arriving from Colombia. Amerlujo does the route Cartagena-Santa Marta-Maracaibo (I think) Barquisimeto- Valencia and finally Caracas. There's no cheap way to do the Angel falls. However the cheapest flight you can get to Canaima has to be bought with Conviasa.

abreeujk put it perfectly right. The border is OK, just keep your eyes on your stuff at all times and bring some patience. (When leaving Venezuela you need to pay a exit tax, on entering you may have to present a Visa since you are not flying in). Be prepared for different standards in Venezuela than what you found in Colombia. In Colombia a military checkpoint will usually apologize for the inconvenience caused and be very polite. Not in Venezuela, they may have you strip for them and you may even have to pay for that haha. Just try to be very polite, especially when they are not. You don't want to mess around with the guardia.
I prefer taking the Porpuestos (big old US taxis that take 5 pax and you pay per seat). They go between Maicao (bus station), cross the border and go to Maracaibo (bus station). The drivers usually know the guardias and pay them off, which leads to much faster travel than the bus. The international buses cost about double and it takes for ever to get 40 people, with some not having there papers in order, across the border. And then you get stopped and again and again. Much easier, more comfortable, economic and faster with the porpuestos.
So it's Porpuesto from Maracaibo to Maicao (don't even think about leaving the busstation here unless you are looking for contraband goods). There are plenty of buses going from Maicao to Rio Hacha, Santa Marta, Cartagena. When traveling to Venezuela change your Pesos to Bolivares at Maicao bus terminal. Remember that using an ATM in Venezuela pays about half as much as the parallel market, so bring enough Pesos to change for Bolos in Maicao if you don't have cash Dollars or Euros. Once you have to start hitting ATMs in Venezuela everything becomes very expensive, think London or NYC prices. And if you plan to travel to Angel Falls etc. you will need a lot of Bolos. If possible I would start in Venezuela and then go to Colombia. Otherwise you may wish you had just stayed in Colombia.

Thank you all for your help :) Greatly appreciated.

The cheapest way to go to Angel Falls is to get a bus to Ciudad Bolivar then book the tour from there. I am in Caracas at the moment trying to work out the same thing!
There doesnt seem to be anywhere to book online and most of the websites are in Spanish, be warned that from my experience so far of the travel agents I have been into they do not speak any English - the same for most Venezuelans as there are not a lot of tourists here.
I have asked one of my Spanish speaking friends here to call a few tour companies to get more info on the Angel Falls tours for me, so if you are still looking into this then let me know and I will pass on my findings!!