Trip Report: Venezuela
Visited in September 2024
Venezuela is a country that until recently was considered the most dangerous of all countries among those not at war. The country, led by Nicolás Maduro, has experienced a severe economic, social and humanitarian crisis over the last ten to fifteen years. The capital, Caracas, has the highest murder rate in the world. Seven million Venezuelans have left the country in the mean time, which is a fifth of the population.
Even I, who have visited some questionable destinations, have always looked at Venezuela with a certain unease because of the insane crime rate. However, it was clear that I would have to go there someday in order to visit every country in the world, but I wasn’t particularly comfortable with the idea.
In recent years, several travellers have proved that it was possible to travel through Venezuela without being harmed. The general consensus was that the country was incredible and that they didn’t feel any less safe than in other South American countries. In fact, it seemed that the worst of the crisis in Venezuela was slowly but surely over and that the security situation had improved massively.
For these reasons, I was quite relaxed when I finally traveled to Venezuela in September 2024. Since the presidential elections had taken place a few weeks earlier and Maduro had secured re-election through massive fraud, according to the international media, my biggest risk was that the violent protests would continue until my trip. But that didn’t happen. Maduro crushed the protests just as violently, and a few weeks later everything was back to normal.
And so I traveled to my last country in South America. This also made South America the first continent on which I have visited every country. A worthy conclusion? That was the question.
Air Europa, the Spanish low-cost carrier, which is not that much worse than mother airline Iberia (or other European airlines such as TAP), took my buddy Matt and me from Zurich via Madrid to Venezuela’s capital Caracas, our first destination in Venezuela. The fare was around €600, so quite cheap compared to current airfares around the world.
3 nights in Caracas
We landed on a Friday evening at the Aeropuerto Internacional de Simón Bolívar in Maiquetía, 37km from Caracas. Immigration took forever. The system seemed to work as follows: locals queue on one side and foreigners on the other. We were then asked questions about our profession, the reason for the trip and so on. The usual stuff. Nevertheless, the queue of foreigners was only allowed through when all the locals had already passed through passport control. We easily waited for over an hour.
The trip from Maiquetía to Caracas takes about 40 minutes. With the two Venezuelan versions of Uber, Ridery and Yummy Rides, the trip would cost about $28. To save us the hassle after the very long trip, we simply got picked up by our hotel, the Continental Altamira, for $40. And before you ask, yes, you can pay for everything in Venezuela with US dollars.
Venezuela has the Bolívar as its currency, but hardly anyone uses it. Anyway, hyperinflation means that the Bolívar sometimes loses 5% of its value overnight. That is why they use the currency of the archenemy, the USA. Since many international credit cards (but not all!) do not work in Venezuela, you should bring a large stack of US dollars. A large stack because you will need a large number of $1 and $5 bills. It is often not possible to give the correct change in Venezuela, so it is best to pay the correct amount.
We chose the Hotel Continental in Altamira partly because of its location. Altamira is considered to be a posh neighborhood in Caracas that is, above all, safe. The hotel receptionist told us that it was even safe to walk around Altamira at night. We did just that and never had any problems. On the other hand, at $120 per night, the Continental was not that expensive compared to other hotels in Caracas. For decent hotels, of which there are not that many, you can easily pay $200 or more per night.
We then spent the next three nights in the Venezuelan capital. Caracas is a vibrant city of contrasts. Nestled in a valley surrounded by lush mountains, including the iconic Ávila Mountain, it offers a mix of bustling urban life and easy access to natural beauty. The city has a main square typical of Latin America, Plaza Bolívar, boasts several skyscrapers and is, thanks to the many trees and murals in the city center, a colorful city. Caracas also offers a number of sights and amazing nightlife, so you can easily spend 2-3 days there.
Our first day was like this: From Altamira we took a Yummy Rides taxi to the center to Plaza Bolívar, where we visited the sights (Palacio Municipal, Catedral de Caracas, …) and picked up a SIM card. The SIM card from Movilnet cost $8 and included 40 GB and 100 minutes of phone calls. With the exception of the Canaima National Park, reception was good all over the country.
The downtown area around Plaza Bolívar was quite lively with lots of people on the streets, it was a Saturday afternoon after all. There are quite a few street vendors selling all kinds of things. As expected, we didn’t see any stores selling major international brands. The odd shop sells Nike or Adidas shoes, but whether they are real or fake is questionable.
“On a scale of 1-10, how safe do you feel?” I asked Matt after a few hours, to which he replied 8. I would agree. I found Caracas no less dangerous than other South American cities, both during the day and at night. On the contrary, I found that in Bogota, for example, which is generally considered to be a more or less safe city for tourists, there were definitely more shady people trying to take advantage of you as a tourist. In Caracas, the locals left us in peace.
In the afternoon we took the cable car to the Parque Nacional El Ávila, which is often described by Caracas residents as the most beautiful place near the capital. For foreigners, the ride costs an outrageous $30; locals, as far as I know, pay $5. After only one day it was clear that Venezuela is the most expensive country in South America. The prices in the restaurants were also on a Western European level.
A few words about the National Park… once we arrived up there, it was foggy and we could not see Caracas. There are a few “attractions” at the top, such as a ice skating field, but all in all I didn’t think this place was worth $30. However, according to some Venezuelans, we also missed the highlight, namely the beautiful Hotel Humboldt, which also offers a very nice view. I doubt that would have made a difference on this foggy day.
We visited a few other places, such as the Plaza Francia or the 360 Rooftop bar, which offers a fantastic view over Caracas (there are good parties there in the evening, by the way). Final verdict on Caracas? Not a bad city and much safer than expected. In terms of sightseeing alone, two days are enough. During this time, you can even make a half-day excursion to another interesting place nearby.
The German town of Colonia Tovar
Colonia Tovar is a small, picturesque village in the Venezuelan mountains that is best known for its unique German character. Founded in the 19th century (i.e. before the two World Wars…) by German immigrants from the Black Forest, the village exudes a charming European flair with its half-timbered houses, traditional German restaurants and breweries.
Tourists come to Colonia Tovar to enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery, buy fresh fruit and handmade products at the weekly markets, and participate in cultural festivals that combine German and Venezuelan traditions. A visit here feels like a little trip to Europe – in the middle of the Venezuelan tropics.
A tour company called Kairos Travel Aventure (+584145942058) organized our round-trip transportation for $90. Note: Some drivers wanted over $200 for these two rides, which took just under two hours each way. Kairos also offered us a two-hour walking tour in the town, but we decided not to take it. We didn’t think Colonia Tovar needed a tour.
And so we spent about two hours in this German town, enjoying the 19th century German architecture and visiting several restaurants that not only have German names but also serve German food. Of course, the Venezuelan waitresses were wearing old-fashioned German costumes. The town was a rather bizarre but wonderful place.
We thought two hours was a long time for this village. Actually, you can see the center of Colonia Tovar in about 15 minutes, since it is not more than a few streets. If you feel like it, you can visit other places on the outskirts of the village, but for us, staying in the center was enough. Nevertheless, it was definitely a worthwhile trip.
Los Roques – Venezuela’s prime beach destination
To make our trip as varied as possible, we wanted to spend a few days at the beach before heading to Canaima National Park, home to Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world.
Venezuela is located on the Caribbean coast and therefore offers some very good beach destinations, of which the Los Roques archipelago is considered to be the best. We thought about whether to go to Los Roques or to Morrocoy National Park instead. After all, Morrocoy is only a four hour drive from Caracas, whereas you have to fly to Los Roques.
In the end we decided to go to Los Roques, which looked nicer in the pictures than the other beach destinations in Venezuela. A small propeller plane with room for twelve passengers took us from Caracas to Isla Gran Roque in 30 minutes. This is the main island where all the accommodations of Los Roques are located.
By the way, we didn’t book anything ourselves, but through our posada. Posadas are guesthouses and there are about 15-20 of them on Los Roques. They usually offer all-inclusive packages. That means: accommodation, three meals a day, two free transfers to the nearby cayos Francisqui and Madriski, airport transfers and flights if you don’t want to book them yourself. There are no resorts on Los Roques by the way.
Since it is not possible to book flights from abroad with the Venezuelan airline Conviasa, the posada took care of this for us. I wrote to about 6-7 posadas a few weeks before the trip and the cheapest offer came from Posada Eva. Their offer was $390 for three days and two nights in a single room (in Venezuela there is a 30% surcharge for single rooms, at least in Los Roques and Canaima), plus the flights for $258. Other posadas wanted $700 for the package plus $350 for the flights, so it’s worth comparing.
On our first day we landed at 11am and were taken straight to our posada and then a short time later to Cayo Francisqui. There we spent the afternoon on an incredible, typical Caribbean beach with fine, white sand and water in various shades of turquoise to blue. Plus sunshine and blue skies, warm ocean water – what more could you want?
The cool thing about Los Roques is that the transfer to the cayos always includes a parasol, sun loungers and a cool box. The cooler contains fruit and cold drinks. On the way to the port there is also a small store where you can buy beer or other snacks. This gives you a pretty exclusive experience as you have both private transportation and people to set up everything for you on the beach and take it down on the way back.
Since we were flying back to Caracas at 12 noon on our third day, we had the following choice. Either Francisqui on the first afternoon and Madriski on the second day. Or both Cayos on the first afternoon and a tour on the second day. The best or most famous beach in Los Roques is on Cayo Agua, so we booked an additional tour there for $85.
Looking back, I’m glad we did. Francisqui and Madriski were already breathtaking, but Cayo Agua was unbelievable. There, you have another dream beach about two hundred meters long, which you only have to share with about 20 other tourists. In addition, a sandbar connects two islands, which makes for an incredible picture. This is probably the most famous and beautiful place in Los Roques.
I have seen many beautiful beach destinations in the world, but after this visit, Los Roques is my number one. And why is that? On the one hand because of the dream beaches, which can definitely compete with the best beaches in the world.
On the other hand, because of the lack of tourists. You practically have these beaches to yourself. And there are other reasons as well. Here you get an exclusive experience with the transportation of your own sunbeds, cooler and so on. This is certainly possible in the Seychelles, but probably at a price that would be more expensive than our entire all-inclusive package for three days.
All in all, I thought three days was okay, even though we only went swimming for 1.5 days. I wouldn’t have minded if we had taken the evening flight back to Caracas at 5pm on our last day. Then we would have had another half day for swimming. But in the end it was fine the way it was. Personally, I think more than three days would have been too much.
Since we flew back to Caracas from Los Roques on Wednesday and had to get up at 5 am on Thursday to fly to Canaima National Park, we decided not to drive from Maiquetía to the city center of Caracas and back. So we stayed at a hotel near the airport, the Eurobuilding Express. The free airport shuttle and the five minute drive to the airport convinced us. The hotel is absolutely fine and I can recommend it.
Canaima – let’s see the world’s tallest waterfall
Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world at 979 meters and a must see for me on our Venezuela itinerary. The falls are located in the Canaima National Park, which has flights from Caracas twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays. So you have the choice of going for three days and two nights or four days and three nights. Which is the better option? I’ll tell you at the end. In any case, we chose the short option from Thursday to Sunday.
For the trip to the national park, you normally book an accommodation, like in Los Roques, which then organizes the rest for you. In other words, flights, the tour to Angel Falls, etc. Probably the most famous accommodation in Venezuela is the Wakü Lodge, a luxury lodge in the middle of the jungle, which also has a very high price of $1499 per person for the three-day tour. Fortunately, the price includes airfare, tour to the falls, all meals and snacks, and more.
There are cheaper places to stay, but I really wanted to stay at the Wakü Lodge because of its reputation, so we ended up booking there. The lodge is perfectly located, about a five minute drive from the airport, right on the Canaima Lagoon, across from some waterfalls that you can see up close on your first day.
The bungalows and the whole complex are absolutely fantastic and the food is of a very high standard. In addition to three meals a day, there is also coffee and cake in the afternoon. There are also a variety of animals (parrots, a monkey, dogs, two tapirs and more) that live on the property. I would recommend everyone to bite the bullet and pay the steep price. You will not regret it.
So, what do you do for three days in Canaima National Park? The program looks like this:
- day: Arrival at the lodge, welcome drink, etc. In the afternoon you will go to the waterfalls Ucaima, Wadaima, Las Golondrinas and Hacha, which can be seen from the hotel.
- day: Early morning departure for Angel Falls, arriving at noon. In the afternoon there is a hike to an overlook of the falls.
- day: Return to the lodge. There is another optional tour in the afternoon, where you can experience life in the village.
You can also visit Angel Falls in one day, but it will be a long day. It takes about four hours by boat from Wakü Lodge to the falls. I would not recommend it.
The first day at Wakü Lodge was pretty epic. In the afternoon we got on a boat, went past the waterfalls and then docked on an island where a real adventure awaited us. We walked behind a waterfall, which was pretty easy at first. After a while we had to fight our way through the falling masses of water, which was quite exciting.
You also stand on top of a waterfall with a panoramic view of the savannah. Another place where you can see what a beautiful country Venezuela is. In any case, this afternoon tour was a good start for the three day stay at the Wakü Lodge and by no means a filler.
The next day the tour to the Angel Falls started early at 5am. Most of the way to the highest waterfall is by boat. And in between, you walk for about half an hour, because the rapids are too strong to get a boat with 15 people through without causing damage. All in all, the trip to the waterfall is an experience, but not a comfortable one.
At some point, however, the moment comes when you suddenly see Angel Falls from the boat. Even though it was still partially covered by clouds, it was a magical moment.
The camp is very basic and opposite the falls. You sleep in hammocks, which doesn’t make for a very pleasant night. But again… part of the experience. At least, there are proper toilets and a shower.
In the afternoon we left for the viewpoint. The hike there takes about an hour and goes mostly through the forest. The hike is not particularly challenging, so a high level of fitness is not required. The only problem might be the high humidity.
Finally, you arrive at the viewpoint where everyone takes the photo. This photo spot is absolutely epic, even if it means that everyone has the same photo of the waterfall (and themselves).
There are no other viewpoints. At most the one from the camp on the other side of the river. This is perhaps where Angel Falls falls a little short compared to waterfalls like Iguazu or Victoria Falls. At these falls there are a number of viewpoints where you can see the falls from a different perspective.
But the advantage of Angel Falls is obvious: there are no tour buses that bring thousands of people here every day. Here you are in a small group of people in the middle of nature. Angel Falls is definitely a more adventurous destination than the aforementioned waterfalls. It is a real jungle adventure.
We arrived at the lodge around noon on the last day. We didn’t do another tour because the Wakü Lodge was good enough for us to relax and enjoy the afternoon.
Now to the question: three or four days in Canaima? I think three is perfect. According to one of our guides, you don’t see any more on a four-day tour. You just do it at a slower pace. And I thought the pace of our three-day tour was okay, not too fast.
Adios Venezuela – hope to see you again soon
When we flew back from Canaima to Maiquetía, we landed in the morning and flew back to Europe late in the evening. We booked a room at Eurobuilding Express for a day rate (from 9am to 5pm). This meant we had a room again and could use the gym, pool and restaurant. We thought it is not worth paying 2x 28 dollars to go to the city center again with our luggage.
If you are flying out of Venezuela, it is recommended to be at the airport four to five hours before departure. There are no electronic boarding passes in Venezuela and check-in closes two hours before departure. This has caused many a tourist to miss their return flight. We actually arrived at the airport 4.5 hours before departure and the longest line I have ever seen at an airport was at the check-in counter. We then stood in line for about 1.5 hours until we finally got our boarding pass.
It’s things like this that make Venezuela less than perfect and sometimes a bit of a hassle. The political instability also contributes to this. On the one hand, this is reflected in the fact that you have to bring large amounts of cash into the country. On the other hand, we kept hearing threats that the government would cancel flights to “hostile” Spain. Just like they did with Panama and the Dominican Republic.
But that, and perhaps the comparatively high prices, are the only things I can criticize about Venezuela. I absolutely loved the country. All the places we visited were good to awesome. Los Roques is my new #1 beach destination in the world and Angel Falls is one of the best sights in South America.
I also have to say that we were incredibly lucky with the weather. September seems to be perfect for Venezuela. It is the end of the rainy season. This means that it can still rain, but for us it was mostly dry and only rained in the late evenings. Angel Falls also had plenty of water. If you go there in February, for example, the river might be dry and you might have to turn back. Or only a small trickle of water comes down the waterfall.
What I liked most, besides the nature, were the people. The Venezuelans were perfect hosts who did everything they could to make our stay as perfect as possible. I think most of them were just happy to see international tourists after international tourism has dropped by about 70% in the last few years. Apart from us, we hardly saw any other international tourists. Most of them were local tourists or Venezuelans who now live abroad.
For this reason, it has to be said that we lived in a kind of bubble. In Caracas we were in the posh Altamira district, and in Los Roques and Canaima we met either Venezuela’s upper class or Venezuelans who now earn a good income in another country. So our encounters with Venezuelans certainly did not represent the entire population.
Venezuela also seemed like a functioning country and not a failed state – despite the massive problems it has. And I often wondered how people can afford things that are as expensive as in Western Europe. According to a Venezuelan we met, a large part of the population is happy to get three meals a day. Ultimately, however, Nicolás Maduro’s system ensures that enough people benefit from it to keep this upper class in place…
To conclude this article, I would like to say that for me Venezuela is among the three best countries in South America and I can’t wait to go back. Fortunately, there are still plenty of places in the country that I haven’t seen yet, so a second trip would be just as varied. In my opinion, Venezuela is an absolute hidden gem that no traveler should miss.
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