Venezuela Travel Blogs

Devil's Canyon thin ribbon.
Feb 27, 2005 (19 photos)

So the ten day all-inclusive starts with an uppercut. I've just been told that there's no flight from Canaima back to Santa Elena on the planned return day from Angel Falls. So my option is to stay another day in Canaima and miss the day tour to Gran ...

Walking on Water by Steve Dominey
Jul 31, 2007 (40 photos)

... another whole day in a friggin´ jeep. I know, ouch.   This time, our guide`s Cesar, a Spaniard who hates Venezuela´s food, music and litter problem. He´s also discovered over 70 species of frog and knew the Crocodile Hunter, Steve ...

El Playon.
Sep 21, 2008

El Playon.

Terribly lost in the Lost World.
Mar 6, 2005 (27 photos)

... the six days round trip hike to the top of Roraima (2810m), a table mountain (tepui) that are shared between three countries, Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. The major part of the mountain is in Venezuela, and this is also the spot where most people hike the ...

Chilling on the Caribbean coast
May 29, 2006 (13 photos)

... hardened to it. It is unfortunate that Chavez, the president, seems to be increasing military and police numbers, and using Venezuela's abundant oil wealth to bolster his weakening position. It is a shame that he does not invest the money in education ...

Bush camping and amphibious vehicles!
Jul 20, 2006 (2 photos)

Today start our several day drive towards Brazil through the beautiful Gran Sabana - miles of grasslands with loads of waterfalls and hardly any tourists. Today we had to drive east first and then get on the only road south towards the Gran Sabana. ...

Chilling in Ciudad Bolivar again
Jul 19, 2006 (3 photos)

Go into town today to do group shop before we head for the middle of nowhere. After lunch we sit by the pool for a few hours and watch the pet toucan sit on my sun lounger for a while and then the pet monkey steal a packet of cigarettes off Ian in our ...

Relaxing on the beach
Jul 5, 2006 (3 photos)

... and are joining the next leg of ours (from Caracas to Manaus). They are also Brits and have had a pretty tough time in Venezuela on their own apparently being overcharged for example. They are going to travel back with us to Caracas. We have spag bol ...

Mysterious Lightning in Catocumbo
Jun 29, 2006 (12 photos)

... a lot of roads have collapsed and landslides. Now realise what all the tyres and fires were when we first drove into Venezuela at night - is their version of roadworks. In another small village see the tobacco ¨factory¨ with raw nicotine bubbling or ...

Anticipating the great falls
Jul 15, 2006

Yesterday had a very bumpy and fast boat trip back towards Tucupita although we decided not to stay there another night as planned as we had probably seen the highlights already. We then got on the road for another longish driver through more savannah. ...

final destination
Jun 7, 2006 (16 photos)

... park. Once safely inside the driver tells us its now OK to get out. This kind of security certainly gives the perception that Venezuela is dangerous. In the hotel we find that the rooms have risen to 90,000 Bolivares (GBP22.00) per night. The most we' ...

Show us the money!
Jun 27, 2006 (1 photos)

Slept v well and had a great brekkie at the bakery near our hotel. Have a group meeting to discuss the plan of action. Have a few days here to do whatever before we go onto Los Llanos in the jungle. Some of us are going to Lake Maracaibo tomorrow to ...

More falls to the border!
Jul 23, 2006

Up early again and heading south via a few more waterfalls. Stop at Jasper Falls which is about 15 mins walk from the road. The bedrock is red and orange and looks like a pavement almost with all the erosion. Go for a paddle and the falls are lovely ...

Death in the city
Jul 11, 2008

Yesterday evening, a student was shot and killed at a protest in town. Just few hours before that I walked past the barricades and the burning trash piles in the middle of the street on my way to a Symphony concert. I didn't imagine it was quite that ...

Touch and Go
Jul 19, 2008

Caracas has the most beautiful slums. Sprawling for miles and miles are identical square brick houses with frameless, barred windows. Here and there, there is a house painted in baby blue or baby pink. Occasionally white. As we get closer to the airport, ...

Magnificent Angel Falls
Jul 17, 2006 (3 photos)

After much tossing and turning we slept ok but apparently I was kicking someone in the head with my feet as the hammocks were hung so close together. Fortunately he wasnt concussed. Woke up early and watched the light change on the falls and yet more ...

Welcome to Venezuela
May 12, 2006

... next to him and eventually he moves off elsewhere. Not one person on the bus intervenes on my behalf. Rachel decides that Venezuela is a bad place. Once in my seat the journey is a comfortable one and we reach our destination of Cuidad Bolivar early in ...

You never know who you might meet
Jun 3, 2006 (8 photos)

... . In the heat of the afternoon, the locals come down to the water to cool off. Many of the men bring their dogs too. In Venezuela the most important characteristic of a dog is that it has to be large. A man with a rottweiler the size of a small cow ...

Trekking on Roraima
May 20, 2006 (29 photos)

Roraima is a a 2700 metre flat topped mountain (or tepui) straddling the border between Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana. Its abrupt rise out of the surrounding savannah, which is 1800m lower in altitude, means that it has a unusual ecosystem on the summit. ...

Angel Falls
Sep 13, 2005 (7 photos)

Our trip to Parque National Canaima began at the small airport in Cuidad Bolivar, we had to split up the group to take the houre flight as each plane only held 5 persons. The planes looked really old and it was a little disconcerting to see the pilot ...

Will I never learn my lesson?
Nov 20, 2006

Those darn busses...always taking longer than you think they will. Anyway, I didn´t bring any food on the bus...again. So I was starving, tired and generally pretty unhappy when I got off, despite it being a pretty good trip. The lady next to me had a ...

In the middle of the Gran Sabana
Jul 21, 2006 (2 photos)

My cook group scores brownie points today by cooking bacon sandwiches for all before we set off further south. First we go through a couple of towns and past another security checkpoint where we show our passports again. Fortunately the number of times ...

Close to trilingual!!
Nov 23, 2006 (2 photos)

... I´m speaking a foreign language....just like I´ve got the mother of all weird accents. I had the BEST meal thus far in Venezuela today. It was this yummy chicken leg on a bed of mashed potatoes with a red pepper sauce....soooo good. The chicken was so ...

The bad side of chicken.
Nov 24, 2006 (2 photos)

Today is my last day in Merida. Tonight I´m heading back to Caracas on the overnight bus. Should be lots of fun, although I have my sweater ready to counter the freezing conditions I expect to be subjected to on the bus. I´m sad to be finishing my ...

How to blow your travel budget.
Nov 5, 2005 (18 photos)

... Cartagena to Caracas (at least to Marcaibo close to the border with Colombia) and then taken a domestic flight in Venezuela instead. Domestic flights are typically much cheaper than international flights (not just because of the taxes), especially in this ...

Crackers in Caracas
Sep 6, 2005

Before even arriving in Caracas I was given a flavour of what to expect, I sat on the plane next to a diplomat from Isreal who worked in the Embassy in Caracas. He advised me to take off all my jewellery before leaving the airport and that the area in ...

Oh, sweet Venezuela
Jul 9, 2008

... even for a foreigner. After the initial shock of paying $70 for a taxi from the airport, I discovered that the prices in Venezuela (based on the official exchange rate of 2.2bolivares=$1) are indeed higher than in the US. But wait, there is a black market. ...

Relaxing again on the NE coast
Jul 11, 2006 (5 photos)

Friday night we had our farewell meal in Caracas and headed off early next day further NE to the coast. Quite a long drive day on the potholey roads. Keep forgetting to mention that its like being on the set of Starsky and Hutch here with all the bashed ...

My teacher is a Chavista...what luck!!
Nov 21, 2006 (2 photos)

... , according to her...and I tend to agree...even if he doesn't actually get more votes, he'll still be the next President of Venezuela). Then we did the usual back in time stuff. Damn past tense!! These next few entries might be a little dry, as I´m ...

Angel Falls - Canaima
Mar 18, 2006 (17 photos)

Salto Angel!!! The majestic Angel Falls :o)