Traveling to Venezuela: My Experience
Tropical paradises, life-saving tequeños and corrupt police…
When I first started planning my trip around Latin America on a map, everything was pretty smooth until my finger reached Venezuela.
One of the most dangerous countries on earth, it didn’t seem quite a good idea to head here. However my hunger to see Angel Falls, the beaches and other beauties that this country had to offer proved too seductive in the end.
Travelling to Venezuela
Having just finished up two months visiting most of the country, I’ve had my fair share of both amazing and, well, interesting events happen (to say the least).
In this article I’ll share all as we dive into the país loco of Venezuela.
Why Visit Venezuela?
Naturally, many reading will think I’m crazy for heading here. I even had some bets that I would be kidnapped within my first 24 hours too…
However the truth is, is that many beliefs about the reality of travel in Venezuela are utter bullshit. My actual experience here is a living testimony to that. After all, all of those big media companies most likely haven’t even stepped a foot in Venezuela, and yet still pick the worst events to make the news!
Venezuela has many incredible places worth visiting. Angel Falls and the Canaima National Park is like a different planet entirely. As well as seeing endemic wildlife and table-top mountains that you’ll find nowhere else, you’ll also have many thrills along the way to the highest waterfalls on earth. The beaches along the coast are another highlight, which would easily make my top 5 list in all of Latin America!
Lastly, the culture is very authentic and “in your face” here compared with other countries. Of course that’ll put many travellers off, and yes for those who are in this boat it’s probably best not to come here. However what we’ll find is a proud nation full of welcoming people, who are also very intelligent and helpful. And that’s without mentioning the tasty street food to munch on too…
Travel insurance for Venezuela
Are you planning to visit Venezuela soon? It can be difficult to find a reputable provider who will cover you in this country. SafetyWing is a solid choice who provide a monthly renewable plan, which includes medical cover and multiple home visits during your trip.
Traveling through Venezuela: My Experience
Now it’s time for the true grit of this article. Here I’ll now share my raw experience here, why I liked it, and also why I doubt I’ll be coming back for seconds anytime soon.
The Great
Angel Falls
I’m pretty experienced when it comes to travel in Latin America. I’ve seen most countries already, which includes some pretty incredible bucket-list landscapes too. And after a while you kind of get used to the feeling of seeing these and ticking them off (not bad at all – however not quite like when you see your first major bucket list destination).
However entering the Canaima National Park was different. Something felt much more raw and visceral here compared to anything I’d seen before. Once we got away from the crowds who were staying in jacuzzi hotels and headed up-stream, the lost world finally showed it’s secrets.
Incredible table-shaped Tepui mountains. Remote indigenous communities watching on alongside the river banks. Wild jungle teeming with fauna I had never seen in my life before.
And then we have the big boy himself – Angel Falls. We actually got incredibly lucky as we arrived during a dry patch (water flow was at 20%), and then overnight there was a big storm, which meant come the morning it was huge (80%).
Tequeños
This is the second time a Latin American country has made such an impact for me to write up something like this. And similarly, a certain food makes the highlight reel here too.
Let me start by saying – Tequeños are pretty fucking tasty. Although it’s simply bread filled with cheese, it’s made in a way that I certainly couldn’t get enough of. And they’re also super cheap too – something budget travellers will want to take note of. You can easily get 2-3 for just a dollar, where food stalls sell them virtually everywhere.
Aside from being delicious, these tequeños ended up saving me a couple of times too (quite literally). After getting robbed in Falcón, I had a day of bus travel with just a couple of dollars left for food. And yep you guessed it – this was the first thing I scoured the bus stations for.
The Interesting
Using Dollars vs Bolívares
In Venezuela, Bolívares are the (official) local currency and are used by everyone. However everyone detests having them, eager to trade them for precious dollars. And they’re right for that too – the value of Bolívares can fluctuate just as a fly can change direction, so it leaves things pretty uncertain financially to say the least.
Dollars are also used throughout Venezuela, although you can’t actually withdraw any from the ATM machines. This means you’ll need to arrive with them stashed away in your bag, and preferably in low denominations too such as $5, $10 and maximum $20 bills (anything more and locals won’t have change).
Whilst this might seem like a nuisance working things out (and it is), there are advantages of carrying both currencies with you. Dollars are ideal for paying for more expensive things, such as a bus ticket or fancy dinner. This is because you’ll otherwise need to hand over a fat wad of Bolívares to cover it – 1 Dollar more or less equates to 25 Bolívares. That’s a lot of paper to handle.
Bolívares are best used for things like buying street food, metro tickets or other small daily things. It’s best to always have both currencies on you when out, in case they don’t have change for dollars and you’re caught out (it will happen at least a couple of times).
The Diversity of Venezuelans
Out of all the countries I’ve visited in South America, I was most surprised with just how varied the Venezuelan people can be. Those who know their history will know that they were once one of the most affluent countries on earth (and not that long ago either). As a result many travelled, immigrated and lived here – and it shows too.
Italians, Lebanese, Africans, Syrians, Chinese, Spanish… and even a group of Germans who settled in the mountains of Aragua.
What this means is you’ll probably stand out a lot less than you’d otherwise imagine. In Caracas many actually thought I was Venezuelan (of course before I opened my mouth – their awesome dialect is too difficult for me to copy). This works in your favour as you are less likely to be focused on by criminals, although you’ll still want to follow specific safety precautions.
Overall what I can say about the people is that they are some of the most open, welcoming and fun I met in South America. You may find they can be somewhat mistrusting at first, however this is well-understood given the nature and recent history of Venezuela.
Lack of Affordable Accommodation
Having already been to cheap countries in South America such as Bolivia and Peru, I had already guessed that prices here were going to be more expensive.
However even with that in mind, trying to find decent budget accommodation here is still difficult, especially if you’re used to using apps (you can forget Hostelworld). This only leaves AirBnb and Booking, which can be hit or miss in certain cities. Mérida is the only exception, which I feel is great for those on all budgets.
As a tourist you’re (probably) going to want to stay in a decent area, for both safety reasons as well as with things to see and do nearby. Unfortunately most places were priced more expensive, and the budget options were located pretty far away.
Whilst this is completely fine for most travellers who can spend more, it was something that pissed me off since I love keeping costs low, being near the main plaza or beach and not having to take multiples local buses everyday.
Overall travellers will want to budget more for travelling Venezuela. For those heading here, I would say a daily budget of $25-35 is a good starting figure.
The Ugly / “Better Forgotten”
Corrupt Police
When I was in Panama, I previously met a traveller who told me how he got robbed by police when crossing the Brazilian-Venezuelan border, however I thought it was more bad luck than anything else. Quickly into my trip I also learnt (the hard way) that the police make up the rules as they go along.
When I was in Mérida, I decided to visit Lake Maracaibo from the south, a decision that could have ended up costing me dearly in hindsight. Crossing into Zulia, the regional police took me off the bus and handcuffed me as they weren’t satisfied with my documentation. After an hour of interrogation and empty threats they then suggested that money could help move things along. I firmly said that wasn’t going to happen, so they let me go, and even gave me a banana as a gesture. The same happened the day coming back too, although without a free piece of fruit this time unfortunately…
That wasn’t the only case though. Leaving Venezuela the border patrol decided to hold my passport for no real, valid reason (apparently leaving for a new country for 2 weeks and then moving on – with all tickets provided – wasn’t acceptable for them). After some urgent pushing they finally let me go, even though no extra checks were actually made on my immigration status.
Whether these incidents were just psychological games or mistrust of foreigners, I will never know.
Financial Difficulties
Oh boy here we go. Anyone heading to Venezuela (or is planning it) will know that you’ll need to bring dollars with you. From there you can exchange some for boívares and then use both to get around freely.
This is my fault for not checking regulations before, however my bank (Santander) blocked any access to my accounts upon arriving, so I had to spend two months 100% relying upon money stashed in my backpack.
This was all fine until the last week, when the easy-to-guess happened. Thankfully whoever robbed me when I was out didn’t find the extra $30 I hid elsewhere, which was enough to get me buses to where I had to go.
So if you’re planning on going, please check that your bank allows access from Venezuela. It’s also worth stashing different piles of money in different areas/bags, and also having Western Union ready as a last resort.
Traveling to Venezuela
Forever on my travel bucket list, I’m very happy to have finally travelled Venezuela.
Whilst it’s not my absolute favourite country in Latin America, it certainly opened my eyes and I definitely feel different after visiting here than other countries (god-bless flushing toilets and well-located apartments!).
Many will be wondering if they should visit, and I hope this article will have given you some more guidance and insight into the reality here. Is Venezuela the safest country on the continent? Nope – however you’d be surprised how cities here feel similar to those in other countries like Colombia and Brazil. You’ll still need to plan well before coming though.
The landscapes will forever be etched into my mind, and if you travel here you’ll probably agree after. There’s something about the jungle and beaches here that felt more real than those in other countries – perhaps because tourism is still miles behind?
See this guide to backpacking Venezuela for more travel tips.
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