Traveling to Venezuela
 

What is the best way to spend a week in Venezuela - traveling with our college age son?

One suggestion would be to take a guided tour. Another suggestion would be to fly into Caracas take a guided tour of the city and then take a ferry to Margarita Island from the port of La Guira. Because of the increase in crime in Venezuela, a guided tour may be the safest way to go.

Unless you know people in Venezuela to host you and take you around you should have serious second thoughts about visiting Venezuela.

My wife is Venezuelan and I just took her to the airport this morning to visit her mother and sister in Caracas for a week.

The country is very unstable and unless you know your way around it is very dangerous ... just going from the airport into the city. Even residents of Caracas take extreme care when traveling, espcially at night, and limit where they go.

While Margarita Island is still very nice and safe, getting there takes some care. If you were to go you would want a travel agent to make all arrangements including ground and air transportation to the island as illegal cabs operate at the airport with the purpose of picking up people, robbing them and dumping them off between the airport and the city.

Going on a guided tour might be an option but, I am not sure you can even find companies that are now conducting group tours into the country out of the US. If there was a company doing tours and you were comitted to going, I agree with howie67 that would be a good option.

While Venezuela is (used to be) a beautiful country this is not the time for traveling their as a tourist unless you know your way around ... and I mean really know your way around ... or have friends there who can host you.

Good luck

If you are plannning to spend a week in Venezuela take a plane to Maiquetía (Intl Airport) and plan a Week to Los Roques.
It´s the best you can do.. Amazing beaches and still safe.Just take into consideration there´s not a developed turistic infrastructure so everything might be rustic but the inns are just fine with basic comfort.
I´m venezuelan and live and work in Caracas.Don´t come to the city since as someone else said is pretty dangerous (Sorry to say)
Enjoy!
Ramon

Dear Smarhoffer,

Althogh what grfairbrother says is true, there are many other places where you can go in Venezuela besides Caracas. I'm from Caracas and I would definitely avoid it, but a week in some other place like Los Roques, or Isla Margarita, or Angel Falls and Canaima would be an unforgetable experience. Los Roques is expensive though, so a full week there might be a bit too much. It all depends on your budget.

Also, when you sell your dollars in an exchange agency, you loose a lot of money (the "official" rate is 2,15 BsF per dollar, while the parallel market is 3,2 or more per dollar). Do you know anyone here that might be interested in buying from you or helping you find someone?

I have met many tourists that sell their dollars on the street, especially in the areas outside Caracas and are fine with it. However, you must be careful.