Is Venezuela safe to go for holiday?

Question

I'm going to Venezuela in june and i was wondering if it was safe for tourists?

Answer 1

Hey!  How's it going?  I'm actually an American citizen living in Venezuela right now!!  I've been here for abt 9 months now and i don't completely agree with all the other answerers.  Some had good points... but they all painted an amazingly bleek picture of this country.  First of all let me say that despite my name i have absolutley no spanish heritage and am just a visitor to this country, but i've had a great time here.

I agree that Caracas is probably one of the busiest & most dangerous cities here and it would help if u know Spanish.... but it's not necessary!!  B4 i came here the only Spanish that i knew was "Como estas"  and that definetly a beginner llevel.  But if u come here with some one u shouldn't have any big problems.  Any where in the world could be considered dangerous, but u have to excercise "common-sense"  when u're here.  Don't just leave with some one u don't know!  Don't go wandering around dark alleys or bad neighborhoods at night!  If u feel uncomfortable somewhere....LEAVE!!  Simple common sense will take u a long way!

Secondly to address to "protesting".  Recently a tv station that was on the air and free for everyone to watch was forced to change it's status by the government.  The tv station was not SHUT DOWN, but now if people want 2 watch it they have to pay.  Many people disagree with this action by the government so they are having marches (kinda like they do in the states).  But the main city that's feeling the effects of this is Caracas.  It's the capitol so obviously people have strong political views there.  Rule of thumb if u don't want to be invovled in a march or something like that..... just don't go to the area where they are doing that.  And trust me it won't be hard to figure where they are doing that.  

My suggestion would be to go to more touristic places like Maragarita Island (Crystal blue water), Merida (Highest Cable Car in the World), or Angel falls(Highest Waterfall in the World).   By doing this u can avoid all the political stuff and u won't stick out like a "sore-thumb" cause there will be people from all around the world there.... and most of them will be able to speak English.  And u can fly into Caracas airport without any problem, cause if u're just gonna catch another flight to another location from there...u won't encounter any problems.  

But to sum everything up, stay with the group that u came with, visit well populated, nice looking areas; don't leave with people that u don't know, and exercise common sense and u should have a great time!!  There are a lot of customes that are different here so if u have questions abt them u can email me and i'll answer ur questions as best i can.  Have a great trip and ¡cuidate!

Answer 2

Venezuela is a beautiful country and if you take the usual precautions (no flashy jewelry or clothing, don't wander around alone late at night, etc.) you shouldn't have any problems.  I am a US citizen living in Caracas and while I have heard all of the horror stories about crime here, I have never felt threatened or unsafe (and I live in a sort-of sketchy area of the city).  

There have been protests and marches for the last couple of weeks but it has been relatively easy to stay informed as to the current situation and avoid areas of the city that might be experiencing unrest.  The websites www.el-nacional.com and www.eud.com have up-date-information on planned marches and demonstrations.  (I believe the www.eud.com website can also be accessed in English.)

I hope you enjoy your time here--It's an amazing country!!

Answer 3

I'm usually not one to get all pessimistic about travel, but Venezuela is on the brink of becoming chaotic.  The government is pretty much becoming socialist/communist and I think it could become a disaster really fast!

Answer 4

I would say no!  The ruler of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is not a big fan of the U.S. or Americans.  You can contact the State Department for exact precautions, but I would go somewhere else.  The Bahamas are nice!!

Answer 5

The short answer is NO. Why do you think the US government has posted in their travel web page that it is NOT secured for americans to go there? Chavez hates anything american but besides that, the venezuelans are in a sort of civil war right now due to the lack of freedom and everyday there are street protests which can ruin your holiday.

If you have to go, then try and blend in and not flash around that you are an american tourist that can go back to the US anytime you want as there are thousand of people who would like to leave the country but can't. Take care of your passport, people are stealing american passports or passports with american visas as they are worth millions in the black market.

Answer 6

Venezuela is not the most stable place to be traveling right now, at least not the Capital. Tension may erupt at any moment. It is a beautiful Carribean country and the beaches and all are very appealing, so if you must go I would recommend going somewhere on the Anzoátegui coast and trying to fly into an airport other than the Caracas one; try Barcelona, Valencia or Maracaibo airlines if you really want to go.

KNOW HOW TO SPEAK SPANISH! Please be very careful! I have several Venezuelan friends and I myself am of Hispanic origin, so the language, for heritage or native speakers, is a MUST. You must be very careful.

Don't take too many pictures of unnecessary things. I would go with a disposable camera.

Again, try to stay out of Caracas. Santa Bárbara airlines as well as Avisor and Aeropostal offer flights between the three airports I mentioned above and other ones in Porlamar, Mérida and other places.

Please review your itinerary and make sure you are going to safe places. Bring a guide if you need to.

Take care! If you decide to go, enjoy it, but use common sense!

Answer 7

Visit Zulia state--where Lake Maracaibo is, and where Maracaibo is.  That should be OK.  But not in the summer, which is very hot. Maracaibo is in an arid zone.

Answer 8

Not really. You should wait while the student protests have calmed down. An American has already been arrested by mistake. The government is blaming the US for the protest so be careful.

Answer 9

I would opt against. Right now there's a lot of protesting going on over the closing of a TV station, and, unless that's a reason why you would go, tourists should probably avoid the country until things settle down. It definitely won't provide a "calming" holiday if that's what you're looking for.

Answer 10

I just got back from a vacation there and I didn't like it. Bring lots of cash because if you just use ATM to get money it is at the official exchange rate. You can't get dollars from a bank once you're there. On the black market a dollar is 3000 to 3600 Bolivares compared with official exchange rate of 2150. Everything is expensive for a 3rd world country. Stay away from Caracas.