COUNTRY PROFILE


Venezuela L


THE LOST WORLD Capital city: Caracas | Languages: Spanish, indigenous languages | Currency: Bolivar | Visa: Not required by British citizens | Time zone: GMT -4.5hrs


aying claim to the world’s highest waterfalls, the region's


largest lake, a Caribbean coastline and the rising point of the Andes mountain range, Venezuela is an explorer's dream. Add into the mix the verdant plains


of Los Llanos, the sprawling Orinoco river system, the striking tabletop mountains of the Gran Sabana and a dash of the Amazon rainforest, and you have what was the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Lost World. Venezuela has all the assets to


attract visitors with a sense of adventure and a passion for wildlife, yet it remains on the fringes of a tourism breakthrough, despite the fact its location in the north-eastern


corner of South America means it has one of the shortest flight times from Europe. Its capital city, Caracas, can be


daunting for the first-time visitor, although few fail to be impressed by the dramatic mountain vistas and coastal location. The city may not have the charm and character of other Latin American capitals but it is certainly not without its attractions. In western Venezuela is Mérida,


the country’s second biggest city. Just eight miles from the 5,000 metre-high Pico Bolivar, the city’s enviable setting lends itself to soft adventure activities. For the less active, the world’s longest and highest cable car system takes passengers all the way from Mérida high up into the Andes. The city is also the main starting


SAMPLE PACKAGE Sunvil Traveller's 11-day Essential Venezuela itinerary visits Caracas and Merida, before stopping over near Lake Mucubaji en route to Los Llanos. After three days here on a ranch, visitors then head south to Canaima National Park.


point for wildlife-themed tours heading into Los Llanos, an area high in biodiversity around the watershed of the Orinoco river. Venezuela’s headline attraction, though, is the towering Angel Falls, usually visited by light aircraft or a combination of motorised canoe and trekking through the Gran Sabana in Venezuela’s south-east. The Caribbean island of Margarita


is Venezuela’s number one beach destination, where tourism infrastructure is well developed and


WWW.VENETUR.GOB.VE


■ Canaima National Park, home to Angel Falls TIPS FROM


THE TOP “Venezuela is a Latin country with a Caribbean beat and a strong indigenous presence. Jagged, snow-capped Andean mountains shelter quaint Spanish colonial towns, while Indian communities of the Orinoco basin maintain their simple lifestyle. Special attractions include Angel Falls, the savannah grassland of Los Llanos and some lovely Caribbean beaches. There’s a comprehensive road network or visitors can travel using the frequent short domestic flights.“


Laura Rendell-Dunn, Journey Latin America


Caracas is just a short flight away. Also on Venezuela’s Caribbean


coast is the island archipelago and national park of Los Roques. An idyllic collection of over 300 small islands, coral reefs and pristine waters, the destination is ideal for beach lovers, snorkellers and divers and is free of the swathes of large international hotels and pricey restaurants found on Margarita.


HIGHLIGHTS  Angel Falls  Mérida and the Andes  Los Roques archipelago  The island of Margerita  Los Llanos


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