Venezuela Travel Guide

Venezuela OVERVIEW

If you're asked to free-associate on the subject of Venezuela and the only thing that comes to your minds is soap opera industry, perhaps you should read up on it a bit more thoroughly. For it's a real shame not to be able to mention anything but a Juan Armando Mendoza Calderon regarding a country so unbelievably rich in almost everything the most freakish mind may desire.

From 4000-plus Andean peaks, jaw-dropping Angel Falls and tropical forests swarming with wildlife to 2,800 kilometers of rugged coastline, tranquil Isla de Margarita and Caribbean water all shades of blue. From time-worn stilt dwellings along the Amazon and a stunning diversity of local crafts at suburban flea markets to salsa-spiced nightlife and traffic jams in the sky-reaching Caracas. Whether you're a cruise passenger or a tourist staying for longer than just a stopover, you can pick and choose to your heart's content and satisfy your quest for both a good wind-down time and adventure, be it kite surfing or piranha angling. Coastal towns, such as Coro, still embrace the colonial past, idyllic national parks guard natural treasures, the countryside in Merida challenges hikers and table-top Mount Roraima will give a hard time to many a die-hard climber. On the other hand, major cities teem with excellent architecture as varied in style as brightly colored Carabobo Street in Maracaibo and the cutting-edge Barquisimeto Cathedral.

It is here that we feel obliged to do justice to soap operas- a lot of Venezuelans are indeed so good-looking and fun-loving. An observant traveler shouldn't find it hard to socialize with the locals, especially that the rules are simple. Just use your clumsy Spanish, respect culture traits, praise their country profusely, go into raptures over every single Miss World they've produced, and it's highly likely they'll go to great lengths for you to enjoy your stay.