Venezuela Travel Guide: Tourist Attractions and Safety Guidelines for Tourists Visiting the South American Country

Venezuela recorded a total of 429,000 tourists in 2017, ranking 136th in the world. The South American country earned around $546 million in the tourism sector alone.

The earnings correspond to 0.11 percent of its gross domestic product and approximately two percent of all international tourism receipts in South America, according to WorldData.

Venezuela boasts Caribbean coastal beaches, Andean peaks, and wetlands. It also has a rich biodiversity, being a tropical country. But before traveling to Venezuela, be advised of the country's travel advisory and other safety guidelines.

Venezuela Travel Safety Guidelines

The U.S. State Department has raised an alert Level 4 travel advisory for Venezuela, which means that travelers were advised not to travel to the South American country.

The State Department advises tourists not to travel to Venezuela due to arrest and detention of U.S. citizens without any due process or fair trial guarantees.

According to the State Department, there is always a high rate of crime and civil unrest in the country. Venezuela is also known for poor health infrastructure and kidnapping.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to issue a Travel Health Notice due to COVID-19, indicating an unknown level of COVID-19 in the country.

In 2019, the State Department announced the withdrawal of diplomatic personnel from U.S. Embassy Caracas, with all consular services, routine, and emergency, are suspended until further notice. The U.S. government also has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Venezuela.

The State Department noted that violent crimes such as homicide, armed robbery, kidnapping, and carjacking are common in Venezuela. It added that political rallies and demonstrations also occur often with little notice.

Tourist Attractions in Venezuela

One of Venezuela's most popular tourist attractions is the Morrocoy National Park. It is located in the northeastern part of Venezuela, containing numerous islets and cays featuring sandy beaches, according to Touropia.

Coral reefs and tropical fish are aplenty in the waters around the cayos. Other sea creatures such as dolphins, marine turtles, and even some coastal caimans can also be found.

Venezuela can also be a great hiking spot with Mount Roraima. The mountain is a flat table mountain surrounded by cliffs, which creates an island floating in the sky on the plains. It can be found in large part of southeastern Venezuela.

Mount Roraima and Angel Falls are some of the only destinations in Venezuela that adventurers around the globe are frequently visiting. The mountain is shared by three countries: Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana.

Angel Falls is one of the most famous tourist attractions, with it being the highest uninterrupted waterfalls in the world. The falls were originally known as Kerepakupai Vená, or "fall from the highest point" by the local natives.

It was later changed to Angel Falls to honor the U.S. aviator who was first to fly over the falls, Jimmie Angel.

Part of every visitor's list in Venezuela should include riding the Merida Cable Car, being the world's longest and highest cable car.

The cable car route is almost 12 kilometers and soars more than 4,700 meters in the air. It stops along the way, giving visitors a chance to get out and do a little trekking.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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