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Venezuela Travel Blogs

Background: Venezuela was one of 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 generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Current concerns include: an embattled president, a divided military, drug-related conflicts along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.

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By Bluewater Cat
September 20th 2008

Margarita Island, Venezuela

South America » Venezuela » North-Eastern

Statue of Simon Bolivar

We sailed from Los Tostigos to Porlamar, Margarita Island, Venezuela. We took an island tour with our friends Val and Lloyd from S/V Puddle Jumper and our friends Dick and Jane from S/V Cheetah II. When we we're clearing customs the customs officer did not speak much English and we don't speak much Spanish. The customs officer asked what "Jumper" meant. All I could think of to do was jump up and down. The customs officer replied "Kangaroo", I replied "Yes" and then he stamped us as cleared in. [View Full Entry]

By EmmaRoundTheWorld
September 15th 2008

A weekend in paradise and my return to Caracas

South America » Venezuela » Capital » Caracas

The shouts of several dozens of fishermen woke me up and threw me right back into reality. A reality that I must admit was for once very pleasant - despite the fact that my sleeping bag was full to the limit with sand. Close by I could hear the waves hitting the shore and as I opened my eyes I could see the pink sun rising in the east. A flashback from the night before reminded me of rum, dancing to african drums, midnight swims and stars so clear I remeber thinking I must be dreaming. The weekend trip to Chuao [View Full Entry]

By Travelling Fraggles
September 12th 2008

116 days later...

South America » Venezuela » Capital » Caracas

Our route
(bit rough!)

We're here, we made it - overland from Buenos Aires to Caracas in 4 months, more or less on or following the world's largest mountain range. When we've been sat waiting for hours at bus terminals we devised a way to amuse ourselves and here are the results... We have: * Visited 8 countries * Been to the world's driest dessert * Been to the world's largest and highest salt flats * Visited one of the seven wonders of the world * Crossed the equator * Been from zero meters above sea level to 5,012m * Endured temperatures ranging from -15C [View Full Entry]

By Travelling Fraggles
September 11th 2008

Last stop - Caracas

South America » Venezuela » Capital » Caracas

Caracas
from our room

We said goodbye to the Andes via a 2 hour true winding mountain road through spectacular scenery - huge steep mountains dropping down into a deep gorge. With every metre we descended the temperature rose until eventually we were in hot, dry Barinas. We did the rounds of bus companies for the last time, looking for ones that go overnight to Caracas and secured our tickets for our last South American bus. With over 12 hours to kill we found somewhere to dump off our big rucksacks and caught a local bus into the town centre where we spent the rest [View Full Entry]

By Travelling Fraggles
September 10th 2008

Exploring the Venezuelan Andes

South America » Venezuela » Andean

Merida main plaza

Think Venezuela and you don't normally think of the Andes, but the last 400km of the Andes does indeed reside there. We're not talking little mountains either, these puppies are up to 5,000m high. From Maracaibo we took what should have been an 8 hour night bus to Merida. It was by far and away our crappiest night bus and had precisely zero leg room and the journey took 3 hours longer than it should because the bus kept breaking down. The biggest town in the Venezuelan Andes, Merida is used to seeing tourists and so was very welcoming. We soon [View Full Entry]

By Travelling Fraggles
September 4th 2008

Crossing the border - Maicao, Colombia to Maracaibo, Venezuela

South America » Venezuela » Zulian » Maracaibo

Our luxury transport into Venezuela (don't know who the dude leaning on the bonnet is)

Having flagged a bus just outside Tayrona National Park, which incidentally was the worst shed of a bus we have seen in Colombia we arrived at the border town of Maicao into chaos. There were several men greeting us off the bus shouting "Maricaibo, Maricaibo, Por Puesto, Por Puesto", traffic all over the place and no sight of a collectivo. We were closely followed and harassed as we tried to refuse to get in an unmarked bashed in shed of an old American Chevrolet as our Taxi and headed over to the Brasillia bus terminal to be reassured by the security [View Full Entry]

By BerLM
August 27th 2008

Venezuela

South America » Venezuela » Guayana » Canaima National Park

Ciudad Bolivar
Old Church accross our posada

Just to catch up from our last blog entry, we flew from Cusco to Lima, spent a day or two there to get Visas for Venezuela and Colombia. We found that we don't need visas for both countries, so we left for Caracas as soon as we could. Usually we use the internet to book hostels or hotels wherever we are going to be, so that we are guaranteed to have space. For some reason no hostels in Venezuela are available on the internet. The only place I could find was the Embassy Suites Hotel, a hotel of the Hilton group. [View Full Entry]

By Chona
August 21st 2008

Some of the moments I don´t want to forget...

South America » Venezuela » Guayana » Canaima National Park

Ok...so I never really explained what was so great about Canaima and what exactly happened on that crazy 2 day trek from middle of no where in southern Venezuela to the coastal city of Cartagena, Colombia. I couldn´t possibly be able to explain it all...sadly I have yet to develop my memory into one that remembers every detail that is worth remembering. There are so many worth remembering! So many striking and marvelous moments, thoughts, observations, experiences that enter my consiousness and within hours are gone...well, not gone...just receded and pushed back into my unconsiousness by new [View Full Entry]

By Chona
August 20th 2008

Added the rest of the Canaima photos!

South America » Venezuela » Guayana » Canaima National Park

So many of them are my favorites...which one is yours? [View Full Entry]

By Chona
August 19th 2008

Survival of the fittest via natural selection...Venezolano style

South America » Venezuela » Zulian

Wow...I made it through a very tough few days of travel on several very LONG bus trips. I now sit in an internet cafe in the barrio of Gestemani in Cartagena, Colombia...but didn´t get here easily. At this point I am too tired to go into detail...I will leave that till tomorrow. Lets just say that negative parts of the story include freezing and then sweltering buses, thunder storms, highway paralyzing car accidents, purse snatchers, unrelenting itty bitty gnats that bite like hell, corrupt as f--- policia at 10 different checkpoints at every damn kilometer approaching the border, credit cards [View Full Entry]

Links: Venezuela Travel Blogs (all) | Venezuela Travel Photos | Venezuela Travel Forum | Venezuela Facts | Map of Venezuela

Travel Blog » South America » Venezuela