ℹ️ Basic Information
☁️: January dry season 21-28°C
💱: The local currency, the Bolivar, is almost unused (¥1 = 730,000 Bs). From San Antonio to San Cristobal, Colombian Pesos and US Dollars are commonly used. In other cities, use US Dollars. In the capital, you can use Visa for transactions in Bs.
💰: Meat and rice set meal 7-8 USD, 🍕 7-8 USD, 🥪 5 USD, ☕ 3-4 USD, 20-30 USD for a single room, 20-30 USD for a taxi (expensive).
📶: SIM card Movilnet 600 minutes 4G 15 USD, Digital 4G 10 USD, Mobile ¥60/day but cannot receive verification codes.
🧍♀️: Mestizo, Indigenous
⛪️: Catholic
⚓ Transportation
【International】: Common entry methods include flying into the capital or entering by land from Cucuta, Colombia. All foreigners need to undergo an entry interview. Check my homepage for travel guides on Venezuela.
【Inter-city】: Domestic flight prices are about twice that of bus fares.
A round trip taxi to the airport costs 20-30 USD. For buses, search for the Bus terminal corresponding to the city (La Bandera for Caracas). Ticket booking websites like Busbud do not work; buy tickets at the physical window. Try using Instagram to find companies and WhatsApp to inquire about schedules & book tickets.
💥 Buses in Venezuela are slow, expensive, and often late. They are safe, but frequent identity checks may cause delays of up to 10 hours (as happened to me). If on schedule, it takes 8-9 hours from the border to Merida, and 14 hours to Caracas. Add 2-3 days for land border crossing time. If possible, fly.
【In-city】: For taxis, Ridery requires a local card for verification codes, while Yummy Rides can be booked via WhatsApp. There are buses, but the routes are confusing.
👀 What to Do
📍 Three main cities: Caracas (the capital, starting point for tours, see P2-3), Merida (known as the Dali of Venezuela, home to the world’s highest cable car, on the way from Cucuta to Caracas), Coro (Venezuela’s first historical capital, a Spanish colonial town). I did not visit the last two.
📍 Three famous attractions: Canaima National Park (4D3N or 5D4N, see P4), Mount Roraima (7D6N), Lake Maracaibo Lightning, this time only visited Canaima.
🤍 Locals also recommended the resort island Los Roques.
🍚 What to Eat: Grilled & stewed chicken/beef/fish with rice set meals 5-8 USD.
🏠 Where to Stay: In Caracas, recommend Hotel Grand Galaxie, 30 USD for a single room in a safe area, walkable, with restaurants and supermarkets within 5 minutes, relatively close to the airport (midnight departure can arrange a taxi through the hotel for 27 USD), hot water shower.
