Latin America - Venezuela - Country Information

Venezuela’s ‘Gran Sabana’ is the setting for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel ‘The Lost World’ and it’s easy to see why, the spectacular flat-topped mountains and steamy jungles on the borders of Guyana and Brazil recalling the days of the early explorers. To the west, the wild and sparsely populated tropical grasslands of ‘Los Llanos’, lying between the Orinoco River and the foothills of the Andes, are home to one of the richest concentrations of wildlife on the South American continent. Add in the majestic Angel Falls and a friendly people, and you will see why Venezuela is a truly unique place to visit.

Key Facts
Full Country Name	República Bolivariana de Venezuela
Area	916,445 sq km
Population	25 million
Capital	Caracas
Time Difference	4 Hours Behind GMT
Visa	A visa is not required
Currency	Bolívar
People	67% mestizo, 21% European descent, 10% African descent, 2% indigenous. There are approximately 200,000 Amerindians, remnants of a number of diverse semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer societies.
Language	Spanish
Dialling Code	00 58
Electricity	120V 60 Hz

Visas:

A visa is not required

Health risks:

Diphtheria, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Malaria, Polio, TB, Tetanus, Typhoid, Yellow Fever

When to Go:

On the Caribbean coast, where Caracas is situated, the climate is dry with very little rainfall throughout the year.  The summer months of July and August are the hottest, with January and February being the coolest times to visit. In Gran Sabana and Canaima, July and August (which we have avoided) are the wettest months, with the dry season running from November to May.  The best time to visit the plains of Los Llanos is after the end of the rainy season usually in November when the many rivers and channels are full of water.