Venezuela
Phone Code
+58
Capital
Caracas
Population
28 Million
Native Name
Venezuela
Region
Americas
South America
Timezone
Venezuelan Standard Time
UTC-04:00
On This Page
Venezuela is the northernmost country of South America, fronting the Caribbean Sea on the north and bordered by Colombia to the west, Brazil to the south and Guyana to the east. With 916,000 square kilometres of land it spans an extraordinary range of landscapes — the Andean peaks of Mérida and the Sierra Nevada in the west, the cattle-and-anaconda llanos plains of the central country, the Orinoco River basin and its delta on the east coast, the ancient flat-topped tepui sandstone mesas of the Gran Sabana in the south-east (the inspiration for Conan Doyle's The Lost World), the dense Amazonian rainforest of Amazonas state on the southern border, the Caribbean coastline with its turquoise lagoons and white-sand archipelagos, and the desert sand-dune landscape of the Médanos de Coro. Caracas, the capital, sits in a long valley at the foot of the Ávila massif (Waraira Repano National Park) on the central coast, less than 30 km from the Caribbean port of La Guaira and the Maiquetía international airport. The roughly 28 million Venezuelans speak Spanish (with a distinctive Caribbean cadence), are predominantly Roman Catholic and form an unusually mestizo society — the country has been historically shaped by waves of Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Lebanese and West Indian immigration: more than five percent of the population is of Italian descent, and the Italo-Venezuelan, Hispano-Venezuelan and Portuguese-Venezuelan communities are among the largest of their kind in Latin America. Venezuela is home to the world's highest waterfall (Angel Falls / Salto Ángel, 979 m, in Canaima National Park), the world's largest proven oil reserves, and a culture that has produced Simón Bolívar (the liberator of half a continent), composer Teresa Carreño, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, baseball pipeline (Magallanes, Caracas, Aragua and dozens of MLB players), Miss Universe and Miss World victories beyond any other nation, and the salsa-scene of Oscar D'León. Cuisine — arepa (the cornmeal flatbread eaten three meals a day), pabellón criollo (shredded beef, black beans, rice, plantain), hallaca (Christmas cornmeal-and-pork tamale wrapped in plantain leaf), cachapa (sweet corn pancake) — is one of Latin America's most distinctive. Travel — long centred on Margarita Island, Los Roques archipelago, the Andes around Mérida, the Canaima/Salto Ángel circuit and the Mount Roraima trek — is operated overwhelmingly by Venezuelan tour operators on guided itineraries; independent overland travel is challenging and most foreign visitors today book a structured trip and check current home-country travel advisories before departure.
Visa Requirements for Venezuela
Venezuela's visa policy depends on your nationality and on whether you arrive by air or overland/sea — the two most important practical distinctions. Citizens of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Nordic and Baltic countries, the rest of the Schengen area, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) members and most Latin American countries (including Mercosur) receive a 90-day tourist card (Tarjeta de Ingreso) free of charge on arrival by air at Caracas Maiquetía 'Simón Bolívar' International Airport (CCS) and other international airports — the card is filled in and stamped at immigration on landing. Overland and sea entries from Colombia, Brazil and the Caribbean almost always require an advance tourist visa from a Venezuelan consulate, and the same applies to overland entry from Guyana. Citizens of the United States are a distinct case: a tourist visa must be obtained in advance, and because Venezuelan consular services in the United States are currently suspended, US citizens normally apply through the Venezuelan Embassy in Mexico City (or another accredited Venezuelan consulate abroad) — the US State Department warns that arriving without a valid visa carries a serious risk of detention. Passport must be valid at least six months from the date of entry with two blank pages. Venezuelan dual nationals (US-Venezuelan, Spanish-Venezuelan, Italian-Venezuelan and others) are required by Venezuelan law to enter and leave Venezuela using a Venezuelan passport regardless of which other passport they hold; arriving without a Venezuelan passport can lead to detention or refused departure. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if you have travelled in (or transited more than 12 hours through) Brazil or other yellow-fever endemic countries. Tourist cards can be extended for an additional 90 days at SAIME immigration offices in country before expiration. Work, study, journalism, NGO and volunteer activity all require a pre-arranged visa from a Venezuelan consulate abroad — entering on a tourist card and then engaging in work or journalism is treated seriously. Always verify the current rules for your specific nationality and entry method on the official SAIME portal or with a Venezuelan consulate before booking.
Common Visa Types
90-Day Tourist Card on Arrival (by Air)
Tourism, family visit and short-term business meetings for citizens of the UK, Ireland, the entire Schengen area, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, CARICOM and most Latin American countries arriving by air at an international airport.
Tourist Visa (Required for US Citizens & Overland Entry)
US citizens (in all cases) and any nationality entering overland from Colombia, Brazil or Guyana, or by sea — the visa-free tourist card is not available for these arrivals.
Work, Study, Journalism & Volunteer Visa
Pre-arranged visa required for any work activity (paid or unpaid), journalism and filmmaking, NGO and volunteer work, study programmes and internships — entering on a tourist card and then working or reporting is treated seriously.
Mercosur & Andean Citizen ID Entry
Citizens of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay travelling for tourism or family visits under Mercosur and Andean Community agreements — most can enter on a national identity card without a passport.
Important Travel Information
Travel Guide
Venezuela offers one of South America's most concentrated landscape variety packages — Caribbean archipelago, Andean peaks, sandstone tepui plateaus, Amazonian rainforest, llanos plains, salt flats and desert dunes, all inside a single country — and travellers come for that variety on guided circuits with experienced Venezuelan operators. Caracas is the standard arrival point: the Mercado de Chacao, the Quinta Anauco historic estate, the Centro de Arte Los Galpones, the cable car (Teleférico Warairarepano) up to Pico Ávila for sweeping city and Caribbean views, the Bolívar birthplace, the modern Plaza Altamira and the Sambil shopping district give a half-day to a day's worth before the trip moves on. The Canaima/Salto Ángel circuit is the country's flagship: a one-hour Cessna or charter flight from Caracas (or via Ciudad Bolívar/Puerto Ordaz) into Canaima National Park (UNESCO World Heritage site), a base camp on the Canaima Lagoon with its red-sand beaches and seven-cascade waterfall, then a day-long motorised dugout (curiara) trip up the Carrao and Churún rivers to the Salto Ángel — the world's highest waterfall (979 m) descending from Auyán-tepui — best in rainy season (May to November) when water volumes are highest. The Mount Roraima trek (the inspiration for Conan Doyle's Lost World, the same plateau Hollywood adapted into Pixar's Up) is a 6–8 day round-trip from Santa Elena de Uairén in the Gran Sabana, climbing the only walkable trail up the 2,810-m sandstone tepui via the iconic ramp on its south-west face. The Andes around Mérida — Pico Bolívar (Venezuela's highest peak at 4,978 m), the Mukumbarí cable car (the world's longest and highest at 12.5 km and 4,765 m), the Sierra Nevada national park, the historic mountain town of Mérida itself — are the country's classic high-altitude destination. Los Roques National Park, a 350-cay coral archipelago a short flight north of Caracas, is the Caribbean side: posada-style accommodation on Gran Roque island, day trips by peñero to deserted white-sand cays, world-class bonefishing flats and reef snorkelling. Margarita Island (Isla de Margarita) in the Caribbean has long been Venezuela's main beach resort, with Playa El Agua and Playa Parguito as the centrepieces and the historic city of La Asunción inland. The Médanos de Coro (sand dunes near Coro on the western Caribbean coast) and the Coro UNESCO old town give a desert-meets-old-town day trip. Inland, the Llanos plains (especially Hato El Cedral and Hato Piñero) deliver one of Latin America's best wildlife experiences — capybara, anaconda, caiman, anteater, scarlet ibis, jabiru stork — best in the dry season (December to April). Cuisine — arepa, pabellón criollo, cachapa, hallaca, parrilla and the dulce de leche-rich desserts — is a constant pleasure on the road. Travel today is operated almost entirely on guided itineraries by Venezuelan agencies; independent overland travel is challenging and most foreign visitors check their home-country travel advisory and book through a structured trip.
Ways to Experience This Destination
Canaima National Park (UNESCO World Heritage) holds Salto Ángel — at 979 m the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall — descending from Auyán-tepui in the Gran Sabana. Trips begin with a one-hour Cessna or chartered flight from Caracas (or Ciudad Bolívar / Puerto Ordaz) to Canaima Camp on the Laguna de Canaima with its red-sand beaches and seven-cascade waterfall, followed by a day-long motorised dugout (curiara) up the Carrao and Churún rivers to the base of the falls. Best in the rainy season (May to November) when waterfalls are at maximum flow; classic 3–4 day trip on a guided package.
Mount Roraima, a 2,810-m flat-topped sandstone tepui on the Venezuela-Brazil-Guyana tripoint, is one of South America's most distinctive treks — the inspiration for Conan Doyle's The Lost World and a model for Pixar's Up. The 6–8 day round-trip starts from Paraitepuy de Roraima in the Gran Sabana, near Santa Elena de Uairén, and climbs the only walkable route up the iconic south-west ramp. Endemic plants (carnivorous Heliamphora, the Roraima black frog), cloud forest, surreal eroded sandstone formations and natural rock-pool jacuzzis on the summit. Guided trekking only.
The Andean state of Mérida holds Venezuela's highest peaks (Pico Bolívar at 4,978 m, Pico Humboldt 4,940 m, Pico Espejo 4,765 m) and the longest and highest cable car system in the world — the Mukumbarí, 12.5 km from Mérida city to the Pico Espejo summit, in four sections. The historic mountain town of Mérida itself, with the Universidad de los Andes and a tradition of dulce de leche, ice cream (Heladería Coromoto holds the Guinness record for most flavours) and trout-fishing-trout-and-fishing villages along the trans-Andean road, is the base for trekking, paragliding from Pico La Aguada and visits to the Sierra Nevada and Sierra de la Culata national parks.
Los Roques National Park, a coral archipelago of around 350 islets and cays 168 km north of La Guaira, is Venezuela's classic Caribbean destination. Light aircraft (40 minutes from Caracas) land on the airstrip at Gran Roque, the only inhabited island, where small posada-style guesthouses replace large resorts. Days are spent on day trips by peñero (small boat) to deserted white-sand cays — Madrisquí, Crasquí, Cayo de Agua, Francisquí — with snorkelling on shallow reefs, world-class bonefish and tarpon flats fishing, kite-surfing on the consistent trade winds and seafood-and-rum lunches on the cays.
Isla de Margarita, the largest island of Venezuela's Nueva Esparta state in the Caribbean, has been the country's main beach resort destination since the 1970s. Playa El Agua and Playa Parguito on the east coast are the long sandy headline beaches; Playa Pampatar and Juangriego the historic coastal towns; the historic state capital La Asunción with the Castillo de Santa Rosa fortress sits inland. Reached by domestic flight from Caracas to General Santiago Mariño International Airport (PMV) or by Conferry from Puerto La Cruz; a long-standing duty-free shopping destination for Venezuelans and Caribbean cruise passengers.
The Llanos — the vast tropical grassland plains that cover central Venezuela between the Andes and the Orinoco — host one of Latin America's most concentrated wildlife experiences. The Hato El Cedral, Hato Piñero and Hato El Frío cattle ranches in Apure and Cojedes states open as nature reserves with game-drive style boat and 4x4 outings: capybara, anaconda, spectacled caiman, giant anteater, scarlet ibis, jabiru stork and the freshwater Orinoco crocodile. Best in the dry season (December to April) when wildlife concentrates around shrinking water holes. Pair with the Médanos de Coro sand dunes and the Coro UNESCO historic old town on the Caribbean north coast.
Money & Currency
Venezuelan Bolívar (VES)
Currency code: VES
Practical Money Tips
Venezuelan Bolívar — Hyperinflation and Economic Crisis Context
Venezuela uses the Venezuelan bolívar fuerte (VEF/VES). The economy is in severe crisis with hyperinflation — the bolívar has lost most of its value. USD is the de facto currency for most transactions, especially tourism. Use USD for all transactions; exchanging bolívares is unreliable. Credit cards rarely work due to sanctions and banking dysfunction.
ATMs Unreliable — Extremely Limited Access
International ATMs are virtually non-existent outside Caracas, and even in Caracas they are unreliable due to banking sanctions and shortages. Do not depend on ATMs to access funds.
Credit and Debit Cards Generally Don't Work
International Visa and Mastercard do not work in Venezuela due to US sanctions and banking dysfunction. Even Venezuelan cards often fail. Cash is the only option.
Bring All Funds as USD Cash — No Other Option
Venezuela is effectively a cash-only economy for tourists. Bring your entire budget in crisp, unmarked USD bills. Digital payments, mobile money, and international transfers do not work for visitors.
Note: Always check current exchange rates before traveling. Currency exchange is available at airports, banks, and authorized money changers.
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