VENEZUELa Si?

Question

Im going to backpack Venezuela, Any one suggest any books, sites, travel guides, forums, or anythign related to what i need to know and where i need to go, or even a site that helps tell me whos travelling at the same time?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Dont do it!

I am from venezuela and that place is horrible.

The street beggars will take your shoes, watch, backpack, cellphone, shirt...and pretty much anything they can rip off.

Please dont do it. Chavez has turned that place into a motha fuking pig stye....

Come to Florida and visit Disney World or something!

Answer 2

Don't listen to the haters from Venezuela.  I've been there over 8 times plus my wife is from there.  Yea, Chavez is crazy but you can have fun without getting involved with the political ****.  Go to venezuelatuya.com and that'll be a great starting point.  I'd start in Caracas and go from there.  While in Caracas, make sure to stay in the nicer areas of town like Chacao, Las Mercedes or San Ignacio.  San Ignacio is a great place to party, people watch and to chill.  

Have fun y ojala que hables castellano!

Answer 3

Silvia is absolutelly right, I wouldn't say don't go, I would say be VERY VERY CAREFUL , I lived there 27 years, NOT GOING BACK! is a war zone, people is desperate and they will do anything to get out of misery, that's the reality, really really sad because it used to be a great country.

Answer 4

are you a first time backpacker?  if so i would highly recommend you backpack argentina, peru, or bolivia.  Venezuela does not have any of the ackpacker infrastructure, so there are few hostels etc.  secondly, although i love going there, many people do not like the intense traffic, the crime, and the levels of violence.  the lonelyplanet  thorntree should help you though.  if you go be careful and pay attention to your surroundings.  dont take unofficial taxis as even though they cost so much less there are often cases of the drivers robbing or worse kidnapping you.

Answer 5

Hey! i am from Venezuela and i disagree with Sylvia, no one should EVER talk about their country like that. Yes, there is alot of bad things going on with Chavez but its not everywhere. With that cleared...as far as a good book, Valentina Quintero's guide would probably be like a bible! My dad likes going to "El caura" , "la Gran Sabana" and "Canaima", the last one is more tourist oriented, u get to see EL Salto Angel and such, the other two are more of camping and fishing and truly enjoying what the earth has to offer (you can take food and such though, its not completely raw). they are all great "get aways" You do need to be aware that it can be a very dangerous place, specially in the lower class parts of the cities, just make sure you have a good guide that can translate well in both languages and i recommend taking a buddy...

It is a beautiful country and it will take your breath away, just make sure you dont leave your common sense at home.

Be safe!!

Answer 6

Silvia is lying, Im sure. How can she say those things about her own country? Yes, Chavez is crazy and we hate him, but that doesnt mean that we have to hate our own country, dont listen to her. Venezuela have many beautiful places to go to. If you can, you should go to Merida, because the weather is very nice (cold for me, maybe normal for you) and it is not a dangerous place. It is very beautiful, the mountains with snow, the nature, and there is an ice cream bar that has the record guinnes for the flavors of ice creams they offer (anything you can possibly imagine, I had one made of roses and my bro had one of "miss venezuela"). The food is cheap and also the places to stay.

If you want something hot, there is Falcon State. It has beautiful beaches and its capital (Coro) has a nice architecture, from colonial times, and museums and interesting places. There is also a big desert (dunes) called "medanos", I went there with a german friend and he loooved it. I dont think it is that great but for some reason, people from other countries love los medanos. Coro is also a cheap city and many backpackers visit it, but you should now that it is very hot (30C) so you need light clothing. Ah! and if you go to Falcon state, you have to eat "arepa jojota", its a sweet arepa, very tasty.

Margarita is the most commercial place you'll find, it is a beautiful island but it is dangerous because that is the place that tourist use to visit, and everybody knows it.

Caracas is the main city, it is full of culture and you can do anything you want there, but it is a dangerous place, and it is expensive.

If you dont do anything stupid, you will be fine, yoou know...dont carry an expensive camera hanging from your neck, dont count money in the middle of the street...

Venezuela has maaaaaaany gorgeous places, but I would have to write too much.

Enjoy your trip!!!

Answer 7

You will be bound to come across lots of the Beautiful ladies of Venezuela!

Be sure to take lots of "protection" along with you!

Buena Suerte!

Answer 8

Wow. That's brave of you. First of all, watch your back! Venezuela is quite an insecure place.

That said, it's also a splendidly beautiful country, well worth exploring.. You'll see for yourself.

I suggest you get somehow the most recent edition of Valentina Quintero's guide. Its quite a famous book with all the necessary info on travelling across every corner of Venezuela. You should easily get this at the airport. I believe you have to know some spanish to understand it, but hey! a bit of spanish is a must if you want to move around here.

Good luck!