VENEZUELA

One of the richest nations in South America, Venezuela can never be a disappointing experience for its variety of breathtaking landscapes. The most interesting of these are the “Tepuis”, flat-topped mountains with vertical flanks that stand 1000m above the sprawling savannas. From one such mountain gushes the Angel Falls – the world’s highest waterfall (979m).

Venezuela has invested in good road networks and tourist infrastructure. One of the world’s leading exporters of petroleum, Venezuela ploughs back its funds into modernization. Despite embracing modernity, many of its people still lead traditional lives. Current developments have had fallouts – population migration to the cities has harmed farming. Importing food has become a necessity with the land not being used fully for food production.

Capital: Caracas

Best Time of Visit:

  1. Venezuela is good to visit any time of the year as the country experiences a pleasant climate year round with the average temperature never exceeding 30 degree Celsius.
  2. Having said that, the best time to visit Venezuela is during the dry season that runs through December to April.
  3. The much-awaited Carnival with the Procession of the Holy Shepherdess is celebrated during February. Venezuela holidays over Christmas and Holy Week (week before Easter Sunday), so if you plan your trip during this time make sure to book your accommodation, flights etc well in advance as a huge crowd visits the country for the Carnival and other festivities.
  4. This is the time when Venezuela comes alive and the real action takes place.

Min Days Required: 6 days

Places of Interest: 

  1. Angel Falls and tepuis of Canaima National Park
  2. Los Roques Archipelago National Park
  3. Coro & Sand Dunes
  4. The Orinico Delta
  5. Margarita Island
  6. The Plains – Los Llanos
  7. Caracas and El Avila

Climate:

  1. Due to its topography and altitude Venezuela experiences a lot of variation in its climate.
  2.  The climate of the country ranges from alpine to tropical humid.
  3. Widely there are two seasons in the country; the rainy season in which starts from May till November, and the dry season which extends from December till April.
  4. Venezuela is close to the equator, so temperatures vary little through the year.
  5. The temperature varies with latitude and drops about 6 degree Celsius with every 1000 m increase.
  6. More than 90% of the country lies below 1000 m, so temperatures remain between 22°C and 30°C.
  7. It rains seasonally, as mentioned above the rainy season included the months from May till October.

Currency: Venezuelan Bolívar

Things to carry:

  1. Bring out all your cotton casuals if you are on a holiday.
  2.  The temperatures do not require you to pack woollies and cozy knits.
  3. Sometimes the grass in the National Parks can scrape your legs as you walk about, so pack in a couple of cotton trousers apart from the shorts and minis.
  4. The camera is an absolute must for the spectacular Angel Falls.
  5. Take some mosquito repellent with you. In case you forget, there is plenty available in Venezuela.

How to get there:

Air:

  1. Caracas is the international airport and is well connected to the major cities of the world.
  2. You can rent a car at the airport to get to the city. Taxis also connect the city to the airport and buses leave from the airport for the city every five minutes.
  3. The airfare to Venezuela from Europe is very low. In fact, a lot of people use it as an inexpensive gateway to South America.