Venezuela is a country
of epic proportions. It has South America's largest
lake and third-longest river, the highest waterfall
in the world, and the longest of all snakes. It also
has jaguars, armadillos and some of the most spectacular
landscapes you will ever see.
There are the snowcapped peaks of the Andes in the
west; steamy Amazonian jungles in the south; the hauntingly
beautiful Gran Sabana plateau, the 'Lost World' tableland
with its strange flat-topped mountains and miles of
white-sand beaches fringed with coconut palms on the
Caribbean coast
Its history has been chequered with periods of political
turbulence and (oil-generated) extreme opulence. The
legacy of the oil-boom years includes an infrastructure
that makes Venezuela an easy country to get around.
A network of fast (if increasingly pot-holed) roads,
and frequent flights means that within a relatively
short stay a visitor can enjoy a wide variety of activities.
Venezuela’s culture is largely influenced by
its North American neighbour - there is a passion
for baseball and beauty pageants, fast-food and shopping
malls. But in the countryside life has scarcely changed
in centuries, and the people are friendly and very
welcoming.
Electricity: 110V, 60Hz
Time Zone: GMT/UTC -4
Dialling Code: 58
Climate
Typically, the dry season (summer) falls between December
and May while the wet season (winter) runs from June
to November.
Festival Calendar
February 1st - Danceros de la Candelaria - (Merida
State)
February/March - Carnival - Probably the largest celebration
in the country,
Carnival falls on the Monday and Thursday prior to
Ash Wednesday. The celebrations vary from region to
region but you can be sure to see parades, dancing
and masquerades to honour this holiday
March/April- Semana Santa
April - International Theatre Festival in Caracas
(every even year)
May 3rd - Velorio de las Cruz de Mayo, celebrated
with dancing and parties
May/June - Los Diablos Danzantes (Devil Dancers) is
Venezuela’s most
colourful event and takes place in San Francisco de
Yare (60 km outside of Caracas) – the actual
date changes every year.
June 24th - Battle of Carabobo
June 23rd – 28th- Fiesta de San Juan - (Miranda
State) – A holiday with a lot of African flavour
in the music and the food
July 5th - Independence Day
Currency
The local currency is the Venezuelan Bolívar.
However, the best way to travel in Venezuela is with
a credit card. American Express, Visa and MasterCard
are all widely accepted. The odd thing about Venezuela
is that while the banks are generally open from 8:30am
to 11:30am and 2pm to 4:30pm from Monday to Friday,
the hours when they are willing to
exchange money are infrequent. Some banks claim that
they won’t do it at all but they seem to be
happy to issue cash advances in Bolivares from credit
cards. If you should be told by a bank teller that
foreign exchange is not offered, don’t just
leave it at that. Be sure to ask another teller to
reconfirm
this policy. In some of the less touristy regions,
some tellers may not even be aware that their bank
offers this service. In larger cities, banks offer
better exchange rates than casas de cambio. The advantage
to the casas de cambio is that transactions there
are often quicker.
Visas
Most foreigners do not require a visa for travel in
Venezuela, provided that they arrive by air. Tourist
cards are required but can be issued at the airport
free of charge and allow stays of up to 60 days.
Tourists arriving overland require a visa, and this
should be obtained in their country of residence as
they are difficult to arrange whilst en route. These
visas are usually valid for up to 1 year from date
of issue. Reconfirm current entry requirements prior
to departure.
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