In my early twenties after finishing my PR Degree in Leeds I booked a flight to Venezuela. To Caracas – the closest South American airport to the UK. My plan was to explore the length and breadth of South America, country by country with no fixed time frame. Working and travelling my way around. At the time I arrived in Venezuela Hugo Chavez was president and the country was in turmoil. Not that I noticed to be honest (true story I’m ashamed to say), I simply wanted to relax on a Caribbean beach so I headed straight for Isla Magarita to see what was in store for me.
1. Longest Caribbean coastline in the World
The Venezuelan Caribbean and surrounding islands are still home to some of the most un-spoilt beaches in the Caribbean, as-well as being some of my favourite places in the World. I bet you didn’t know that Venezuela’s northern coastline along the Caribbean is the longest stretch of Caribbean coastline of any country. It stretches for 2,800km (1,700 miles) Quite incredible isn’t it.
Isla Magarita is where the Venezuelans holiday and absolutely stunning. After staying on Isla Magarita myself for a few months I headed back to the mainland, to explore the rest of this incredible country.
Read this blog post to learn more about Isla Magarita and beach holidays in Venezuela Beach holidays; Venezuela – Adventures in Spanish (latinadventures.co.uk)
2. Gran Sabana – best kept secret
From Isla Magarita I made a bee-line for the South; The Gran Sabana.
Now this is something special and doesn’t get anywhere near as much attention as it deserves. It’s a protected National Park covering nearly 12,000 square miles. It’s home to El Salto Angel (Angel Falls) the world’s tallest waterfall with a height of 979m (3,212ft) and a drop of 807m (2,648ft). The only way to reach Angel Falls is by private chartered jet to Caiman National Park and then by boat.
Mount Roraima, a tepui mountain which is a type of flat-topped sandstone mountain known as Table Top Mountains, is believed to have inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World.
The Capybara (the world’s largest rodent can grow up to 1.4m long and weigh up to 65kg) habitats the area as well as buffalo, caiman and anaconda.
3. Oil is cheaper than water
You probably already knew that Venezuela has some of the largest reserves of oil and natural gas in the world but did you know that as a result of this oil is actually cheaper than water in Venezuela – you can literally fill your tank with the small change from your pocket.
So, although Venezuela is the sixth largest South American country, thanks to the cheap fuel prices travel is in-expensive. Venezuela is thought to have the world’s largest oil reserves at 303.2 billion barrels (17.9% of the world’s total) as well as large amounts of coal, iron ore and gold. Venezuela has the world’s cheapest gasoline (petrol). For years the price has averaged around $0.01 per litre.
4. UNESCO heritage sites
The most electric place on Earth is in Venezuela. Where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo, lightning flashes up to 28 times a minute. Known as the Beacon of Maracaibo, the Catatumbo lightning or the ‘everlasting storm’, there is an average of 260 storm days per year.
A journey I made a few times (for visa renewal purposes) was travelling by land from Merida to Taganga , Colombia. En-route the journey skirts the incredible Lago Maracaibo a UNESCO Heritage site.
Catatumbo lightning is a meteorological phenomena that only occurs at the mouth of the Catatumbo River where it joins Lake Maracaibo in the North West of Venezuela. For up to 160 days a year, lightning strikes the lake repeatedly for up to ten hours at a time in the evening.
5. The Andes Mountain Range starts in Merida
Once I’d spent time in the South and visited the Eastern parts of Venezuela (including the Orinoco River) I settled in Merida for around 12 months to get some cash together. I taught English and took Spanish lessons at first while living with a Venezuelan family in one of the tall apartment blocks on the outskirts of the the city.
Merida’s proximity to the Andes Mountains and my adventurous spirit meant it was only a matter of time until I tapped into my PR skills and got a job as head of promotions for local Adventure Travel Company; Gravity Tours. I organised Adventure Tours for groups of tourists, attending them myself also as assistant guide and translator!
The incredible Andes mountain range than spans the length of South America begins in Merida – the adventures activities accessible from here are incredible;
- White water rafting
- Kayaking
- Paraglyding
- Mountain biking
- Hiking
So there it is. Five reasons to visit Venezuela and maybe you’ve learnt a few things you didn’t know about this incredible country. If you are planning on visiting Venezuela and would like to learn Spanish before you go contact me to book bespoke Spanish classes. Learn Spanish with friends – Adventures in Spanish (latinadventures.co.uk)
Travel advice
According to the latest advice from the UK Government the FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Venezuela Safety and security – Venezuela travel advice – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Presidential elections are due to take place in the second half of 2024.