Take the Opportunity of Your Life and Travel to Venezuela While it last

Hello Folks, If you don't know I am originally from Venezuela, the place is bad to live there but after tumbling around the world for almost a decade now I remember the mother land with that vision that all in the past was better.

I would never recommend someone to travel to that hell hole, as a local most of what I know are the crime infested cities, but lately something made me reconsider, sometime its hard to believe that people may seem things different to you.

If you are an adventurer and have no regard for your life, Venezuela is a must place to visit at this moment.

Its a backpacker paradise, having some dollars makes you rich in the country.

Without going into much detail it is as this, Venezuela controls the exchange of foreign currency to local currency, locals don't have access to foreign currency and they earn their salary in the local bolivares, the minimum wage is around 600$ a month at government exchange rate. there is no really a supply of $ at government rate but there is a black market of foreign currency, at official rate a $ is 6bs, in black market price the current rate is 1$ per 270Bs.

This has 2 effects, first a real salary in Venezuela is actually 20$ a month, second it makes a price distortion regarding everything, so all is prohibitively expensive to a Venezuelan but dirt cheap to a foreigner that exchange dollars to Bs in the black market.

You reading this, for around 50$ a week can go there and stay in five stars hotels, eat in expensive restaurants and even take internal flights for less than 7 bucks, a beer cost 25 bs, or 10 cents to you

So Indigent if its a hell hole why would I want to go there?



That is the hotel where I stayed when I got married, too expensive for locals, too dangerous for most foreigners, 10$ a night for a suite to me, the whole place had like 10 people in it.

Right now the price distortion and the high risk makes a whole bunch of touristic facilities way to dangerous for most tourist, way too expensive for locals, so they are cheap for the adventurer and pretty much empty.

For less than 10 bucks you can take a few hours yacht ride, visit empty white sand beaches, make paragliding trips with certified instructors, live like a king with the money you spend living like a poor in your country.

Take an helicopter trip to Roraima for 100$



Visit the angel falls, or better yet the dragon falls





Trek the Venezuelan Andes



Or if walking is not your thing, just take the cable car ride to the Bolivar peak at 5k meters over the sea!



After visiting the jungles and mountains just relax in a beach



That one is callo sombrero, cheap enough for locals,I been there a couple of times, but if you want something more private you can rent a boar and go to the ones locals have no access, as los roques

Live like a 1% for a few weeks in Venezuela for the price you would live like a welfare folk in your country, visit Venezuela at your own risk, but remember, big risk big rewards!

And if you are unlucky enough to be one of the 300k homicides per year, 100$ will also buy you a nice plot in the cemetery and pay all expenses

This guy made a recent backpacker trip to the country, you can read about his experiences here

www.thebrokebackpacker.com...

a reply to: Indigent

Venezuelan women are among the finest in the world (in the looks department)..... but i think i will leave them to rot in their own S*.

i have a feeling if i went there id be robbed as soon as i step outside the airport terminal.

I think this is a little exadurated tho. Probably would still need a couple thousand dollars to go just like any other trip around the world. Not including the money to travel. Sounds nice, but is it really realistic? I mean Mexico isn't even cheap. Well it is sortaish.

Just saying, If it sounds to good to be true. It usually is. Lol.

a reply to: combatmaster

That is partially a myth, Venezuela has one the highest obesity rates in the world, of course if you pick with tweezers
you will find what you are looking for.

Travelers beware: there is a shortage of condoms in the country, bring your own stock if that is what you are looking for.

And if you don't mind to pay... A miss quality working lady may cost 300 tops for a weekend in Caracas, I've being told...

a reply to: AnuTyr

i have a feeling if i went there id be robbed as soon as i step outside the airport terminal.

That's why now its an opportunity, too many people feels that way, so top notch touristic places are affordable for fearless bums

So, what's the airport to fly into and what's the name of the hotel that you show in your picture?
Also, anything one would need to know about currency exchange or not getting cheated out of those $10 deals?

a reply to: gottaknow

You need to exchange your money to Bs, the best way to do it if I where a backpacker is travel to Colombia, go there to Venezuela border.

In Cucuta Colombia you will find thousands of places that will exchange foreign currency to Bolivares at the black market rate, after you got the Bs go to San Cristobal in Venezuela (just cross a bridge walking), there you can take a local flight to any part of the country.

If you go directly to Venezuela there is just 1 airport to arrive, and it would be riskier to change the money in the country if you don't know a local (you may offer your $$ to a thieve that would kill you if you flash too much bills)

The hotel is venezuela.turismo.travel...

That one is not one of the best you can find, there are many in more interesting places like margarita

in this page you can find the daily rate of $ to Bs in the black market

dolartoday.com...

As i being saying, this is not a travel for the average folk, its for drifters and adventurers

I would avoid land travels as much as possible inside the country

a reply to: Indigent

Thanks for the reply!
I'm not of the backpacky sort. More the chill out by the ocean, eat well, see some stuff by myself kind of "adventurer".
I pretty much just sit here day after day and as I'm unemployed and not getting any younger, have toyed around with the thoughts of doing exactly something like this.

I won't just up and go though. I'd do more research of course.
This jaunt from Columbia to Venezuela - are there taxis or such? Again, not a hiker.

a reply to: Indigent

Would it be possible to hire a mercenary unit for protection? how much would it cost? are they trustworthy?

PS... you say it would cost 300 for a weekend in Caracas .. how much does that translate to in dollars? sounds good

a reply to: combatmaster

Its 300$ , but again it would be one of those is like the top you can find, like renting a Ferrari... the hooker of the 1%

If safety is an issue and you need bodyguards the trip is not for you

a reply to: Indigent

I refuse to accept that answer..... i believe anything is possible, including the hiring of a crew of mercenary bodyguards. Its not like im trying to solve world hunger here, just some protection. surely that would come with a hefty pricetag? unless there are some local militia who want to capitalize on such an oppertunity? i dunno, im asking whether you do?

Wow LOL Worst travel agent ever.

Beautiful pictures though.

a reply to: gottaknow

It is not worth it to go as a regular tourist, If you make a plan and reservations and all you would be forced to pay at official exchange rate, so everything would be actually more expensive that if you go for example to Panama, which is a much more safer destination.

a reply to: combatmaster

Of course there are security companies, for VIPs that have to make work travels to the country, completely out of the budget of a backpacker.

And its not easy to find one of those, they work for companies only.

originally posted by: Indigent
a reply to: gottaknow

It is not worth it to go as a regular tourist, If you make a plan and reservations and all you would be forced to pay at official exchange rate, so everything would be actually more expensive that if you go for example to Panama, which is a much more safer destination.

Hmm. This is always been an element of confusion for me in the world of travel.
1. How can people even go to these places unless they are traveling in a traditional fashion?
2. How is it that these backpackers know how to get all these great deals and the tourists get screwed?

You speak of glamorous hotels, yacht and helicopter rides and gourmet meals, but it's easier for someone who's ambling around with a backpack and not your average tourist? I'm just not getting it.

Editing to add: I'm a 45 year old man. If I happen to get kidnapped/worse while shopping in the quaint Venezuelan markets for local curios, meh - so what?



Editing to add even more: I suspect there's a black market currency(or just a different rate) given to locals of just about any (for the lack of a better term) 2nd/3rd world destination. When I went to Jamaica, I knew the locals weren't paying the rates that the tourists were. I just don't know how to get around that.

a reply to: gottaknow

Regular traveler: plans a trip, books beforehand hotels, rides, rents... have to pay beforehand at official exchange rate, so lets say that hotel is 80$ a night.

Backpacker: go to country, find shady people to exchange $ for local currency at black market rate of 270 bs per $, go to a hotel of 80$ a night, but he pays in bs that obtained in the black market, 80$ at 6bs is 480bs, that he got a 270 per $, so he pays 1.7$ a night

Companies have to calculate at official exchange rate, at official exchange rate all is overpriced, a helicopter ride is 2k$ at official exchange rate, but at black market rate is 100$, because you exchange at that price and pay in the local currency.

maybe in not making myself clear, you book a heli ride from US in canaima, it cost 2k $, if you want the same ride in the country, it cost 2k$ that you pay in bs,the company have to make the conversion in government rate so its 12k bs, but you get the bs at black market rate, you pay 44$ at current exchange rate, clear?

a reply to: Indigent

Thanks for taking the time to explain!

Yeah - I mostly got that. Math and I have some issues.

If I'm getting you, that black market rate is insanely different from the official rate.

Hmmm, I'd probably have to know more Spanish than agua, cerveza and such to meet with these intriguing shady individuals.

*pictures himelf just saying Dinero - Andale! Andale! to random shady people and not lasting terribly long..

Editing to add again:
Is there any chance I'd be kidnapped and forced into life as a sailor on a Venezuelan Pirate ship? Cuz I'd be cool with that for awhile. Makes for good stories.

a reply to: gottaknow

No they would just rob you and kill you

Italian's Slaying Stuns Venezuela Isles

originally posted by: Indigent
a reply to: gottaknow

No they would just rob you and kill you

Drat. So very trite. Nobody makes things interesting these days...sigh.

I do appreciate your answers and this post in general. I hope I'm not coming off as annoying to you. I'm about to head to bed and am a little slap-happy right now.