Venezuela December 2024

Train to Newark Airport

It all started back in November 2023 when we were visiting Panama. For that trip, we hired Peter as both a guide and bodyguard. Peter, born and raised in Germany but now living in Venezuela, suggested we visit.

Venezuela had not been high on our priority list because of the difficulty in obtaining an entry visa. The U.S. and Venezuela have no diplomatic relationship, which means there are no Venezuelan embassies or consulate offices in the U.S.

Venezuela requires an in-person interview to get a visa, so this means you have to travel to a country that has diplomatic relations with Venezuela to apply. The official statement by the Venezuelan government is that only the Venezuelan embassies in Mexico and Panama can issue visas to U.S. citizens.

Flight - Newark to Bogota

While we were in Panama, we didn’t have all the documents needed to apply for a visa. For that reason, we abandoned the idea of visiting Venezuela.

Peter knew we would be visiting Nicaragua in February of 2024, so he made a few calls, and the Venezuelan government agreed to issue us a visa at the Venezuelan Embassy in Nicaragua if we proved worthy. In February, we got our visa, and here we are.

On our way, we stopped in Bogotá, Colombia. You cannot fly directly from the U.S. to Venezuela due to the sanctions the U.S. has imposed on Venezuela.

 Unfortunately, we couldn’t bring donations to Venezuela because of various challenges. We had only a few hours in Colombia—from midnight to five in the morning—so bringing donations there was out of the question.

I’d still like to give a big thank you to CRUSA and the Siemens family of Tucson, AZ, for donating lots of soccer items. We will be finding great homes for these items in Argentina and Honduras during upcoming trips.

Flight Bogota to Caracas - same Clothes different day.

We are now in Venezuela, safe and sound. Over the next 17 days, we will be visiting most of Venezuela. Click here to see a map with all the places we plan to see: 

As we travel, I will fill you in on what we are doing and seeing as long as we have internet.

A Half Day in Caracas and a bit more -

I have been asked the question: What was immigration like at the Caracas Airport?

Here is my answer:

It took exactly two hours to clear immigration, from the moment we left the plane to the minute we exited the airport. Of that time, waiting in line only took about ten minutes.

First, the immigration officer took our passports and disappeared—completely gone! Then she returned and asked us several questions: 

• How long are you staying?

• Where are you staying?

• Where did you come from?

• What are all the places you will be visiting while in Venezuela?

• What are the names of the hotels?

• What are the confirmation numbers?

• What flight are you leaving on?

• What is your phone number?

• What is your email address?

Luckily, I had hard copies of all the information. After we answered all the questions, the officer took pictures of our documents and disappeared again. Then a new person showed up, asked us the same questions, reviewed all our paperwork again, and took more pictures—this time including photos of us.

This process repeated three or four times. Each time, they returned with our paperwork, asked questions, and took more pictures.

Eventually, we were taken into a private room and asked the same questions again, along with additional ones:

• What college did we attend?

• Where have we worked?

• (Plus, about ten more random questions I don’t remember.)

Then, a video camera came out. We were asked to read the information on our passports aloud and give a sworn testimony that we were not American spies and would do no harm while in Venezuela. I half-expected to be asked to swear allegiance to President Maduro, but that didn’t happen. I guess they have to draw the line somewhere.

After that, we were photographed one last time and fingerprinted. Then we were finally free to leave and find Peter.

Oh, wait—I almost forgot the best part. The last officer to interview me, a woman, asked me to strip naked, squat, and cough. I have no idea what she was looking for, but when nothing fell to the floor, she told me to dress and proceed to be photographed and fingerprinted.

Peter didn’t give up on us. He was waiting outside the airport and took us to our hotel for the night: Hotel Tamanaco Caracas (htamanaco.com). Once the envy of the world for its luxurious accommodations and exceptional service, the hotel is now a bit dated and could use some upgrades. That said, it was perfect for our overnight stay in Caracas.

After lunch, we met up with Yvette, another world traveler who has only seven countries left to visit. (Full disclosure: her list isn’t as broad as mine.) Yvette, originally from Switzerland, will be joining us for much of this journey.

Peter then gave us a half-day tour of Caracas, which exceeded our expectations. Being a Saturday, the parks were lively and full of people. Music filled the air, and in some cases, there was even live music.

Video - of the Live Music                         

The city was more vibrant than we expected, and we didn’t see any significant signs of poverty. Sure, there were some homeless people, but far fewer than in major U.S. cities.

We noticed numerous monuments dedicated to Simón Bolívar, the Venezuelan military leader and statesman who played a central role in the independence of South American countries from Spanish rule.

We also visited the barrios—the poorer areas of Caracas. Even there, the neighborhoods were bustling with activity and felt relatively safe. Yvette, who had arrived a few days before us, had already been exploring the city on her own, walking around and using public transportation without any issues.

At one time, Venezuela was the wealthiest country in South America, thanks to its oil industry. While it still has some of the largest oil reserves in the world, much of the oil remains in the ground.

There are two main reasons for this:

1. When the socialist government took over and nationalized the oil industry, much of the country’s oil expertise left.

2. Sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other countries have reduced Venezuela’s oil exports to a trickle.

Much of Caracas’s infrastructure was built during the country’s oil boom. However, there has been little investment in it for over 50 years, and many parts of the city could use significant upgrades.

We ended the day with a great dinner at El Jardín de la Casita.

Tomorrow, we head to Angel Falls. We’ll be flying to Canaima and staying at Campamento Parakaupa.

Today (Sunday), after breakfast, Peter picked up the three of us and took us to the domestic airport for our flight to Canaima. We’re flying with the national airline, ConViasa. Similar to much of Caracas’s infrastructure, the airline could use some upgrades.

After an hour and ten-minute flight over beautiful countryside, we landed in Canaima. The airport consists of a few grass huts, giving it a rustic and remote feel. The village itself is home to about 700 indigenous people, and the only way to reach this secluded part of the world is by plane.

After passing through security and paying the $40 entrance fee, Francisco and his assistant, Mombo, took us to Campamento Parakaupa Lodge in an open-air transport.

Following a delicious lunch and a short siesta, we took a hike to see the local falls. These are the Baby Falls, not to be confused with Angel Falls, which we will see tomorrow.

The hike was awesome. We could see the table mountains in the background and the water rushing down the falls.

After the hike, we took a swim in the lagoon, just a quick walk from our lodge.

Tomorrow, we will take one of these canoes 80 kilometers upriver to Angel Falls. Yep, that will be a lot of paddling. Good thing I used to be a competitive dragon boater.

We will be in the middle of nowhere for the next few days, so you won’t hear about our canoe trip or see pictures of Angel Falls until we return to civilization.

We left the lodge at 8:30 AM, heading to Angel Falls. It is 80 kilometers from the lodge to the falls by boat. The other option to get to the falls is by helicopter.

In our case, we are taking a dugout canoe. We will cross the Carrao River toward Angel Falls. After a turnoff, we will continue on the Churun River through the Devil’s Gorge, a unique jungle landscape surrounded by the table mountain Auyan Tepui. Depending on the water level, the trip will take four to five hours.

We made several stops along the way. Our first stop was at a waterfall where we could go behind it and see the action from behind the scenes. The water cascading down created several rainbows.

Our second stop was a small indigenous village, where they greeted us with friendly smiles and offered us casaba beer. After sharing a bowl of beer, we stopped at the school, where the students performed a local dance for us.

Then it was back on the boat. We are heading upriver, and since it is the dry season, the river is low. This means there are many rapids and rocks that the canoe must navigate.

Our next stop was a local farm, where Peter explained how they harvest the casaba and the process of making various foods from its roots, including beer.

We continued upriver, often having to get out and push the canoes. Most of the day was sunny, but during the last few hours, we encountered a deluge of rain. By the time we arrived, we were soaked to our skivvies. Unfortunately, the rain and clouds obscured our view of the falls upon arrival.

The trip alternated between being mellow—perfect for a nap—and exciting and exhilarating when we hit rapids. Our host, Mombo, and the captain did an excellent job navigating us safely upriver the full 80 kilometers. We arrived just before sunset.

Once there, our tents and hammocks were set up, and dinner was served. It had been a long day; we had departed at 8:30 AM and arrived at 5:30 PM. It was time to hit the hay.

We will be tent camping for the next two nights here in the middle of nowhere.

Video - Dugout Canoe trip to Angle Falls

Tuesday, December 3rd – We woke to the cascade illuminated by the sun. Yesterday, when we arrived, the sun and falls were hidden by clouds and rain.

Angel Falls is the tallest waterfall in the world. However, we’ve also been to Zimbabwe and Guyana, South America, which both claim to have the tallest waterfall. Since we don’t travel with a tape measure, I can’t say who is correct, but I can attest that Angel Falls is incredibly high.

After a great breakfast, we crossed the river in our dugout canoe to begin the five-kilometer hike to our first lookout spot.

The hike started on the rocky shore of the river before leading into the thick rainforest.

After about two kilometers, we began climbing. Normally, this wouldn’t be too challenging, but being in a hot, humid environment made it harder. Additionally, the rocks were covered with slimy, slippery moss, which made the hike quite difficult and slow.

Eventually, we reached our first lookout. From this vantage point, we had an incredible view of the falls. Since it’s the dry season, the falls were not as grand as they would be during the wet season. Still, it was a spectacular sight, made even more rewarding by the hard work it took to get there.

After taking some time to enjoy the view and relax, we headed to the high-elevation pond. This pond is formed by the first drop of the falls.

Here, we stripped down to our skivvies and went for a refreshing swim.

While there, we enjoyed the picnic lunch that Mombo had packed for us.

Afterward, it was time to retrace our steps and head back to camp.

Video - Hike to Angel Falls

Once back at camp, we relaxed in the hammocks until dinner.

Video - Hammock camping

Last night was a bit wild. I let our captain know that I was licensed to pilot a dugout canoe. I told him that if he wanted to partake in the drinking and celebrating, I’d be glad to get us back to civilization. He didn’t need to be told twice. Soon enough, he was doing shots of tequila with beer chasers. After his fourth round, I knew I’d be the one piloting the canoe.

Fortunately for me—and everyone else on board—it rained the entire night. This caused the river to rise by about two feet, making it much easier for a novice like me to navigate the rapids.

Going upriver had taken us well over seven hours, including a few stops. On the way back, we made it in just two hours and 15 minutes. It wasn’t due to my exceptional piloting skills but rather the fast-moving current that carried us swiftly downstream.

Video - Dug as Captain of the Dugout Canoe

On our return, we saw two men building a dugout canoe.

Video - Building a Dugout Canoe

This afternoon, we are relaxing until 5 PM, when a special event is scheduled. More on that with my next update.

Thursday, December 5th

It turns out last night’s entertainment was canceled. We don’t know what it was supposed to be, so we have no idea what we missed.

On the bright side, since the entertainment was canceled, we had the chance to visit the town mascot—a tapir. This animal is hunted in these parts for food, but this particular one is kept as a pet.

This morning, we are taking a Cessna 206 to Ciudad Bolívar, crossing over the jungle and returning to civilization.

The flight, about an hour long, was uneventful—which, in a small Cessna, is a good thing. We passed over a few small waterfalls and the largest iron mine in South America, possibly the world.

Video - Flight from Canaima to Cuidad Bolivar in a Cessna 206

We arrived at Ciudad Bolívar Airport around 9:30 AM. The airport was completely empty, except for a few security personnel. With our luggage in tow, we hopped into a waiting van, where we met our driver and guide for the day in Ciudad Bolívar.

Our first stop was Posada Casa Grande de Angostura, where we’ll be spending the night. It’s a charming boutique hotel. Like much of Venezuela, you can see it has had better days in the past, but hopefully, brighter days lie ahead.

Giramo, our guide for the day, first took us to the top of the town. Ciudad Bolívar is located on a hillside along the banks of the Orinoco River.

From this vantage point, we could see the entirety of the city. Similar to other towns we’ve visited in Central and South America, the Spanish influence in the architecture is unmistakable.

Our next stop was the government building, which was originally a hospital. We toured the building and learned a bit about the town’s history.

We also learned that this was Peter’s first visit back to Ciudad Bolívar in ten years. Once a thriving city, it is now just a shadow of its former self.

With the current national government caring more about themselves than the citizens of Venezuela, approximately 90% of Ciudad Bolívar’s population has emigrated, seeking better opportunities elsewhere.

Our next stop was Bolívar Square, the central square of Ciudad Bolívar. A couple of historic events took place here. First, a general who was suspected—though never proven—to be against Simón Bolívar was executed.

Second, this is where Simón Bolívar delivered his famous speech urging the leaders of Peru, Bolivia, Colombia (which included Panama at the time), Ecuador, and Venezuela to unite as one.

These were all nations that Bolívar helped liberate from Spanish rule.

While the speech at this square was well received, the countries ultimately remained independent.

In the square, there are five statues, each representing one of the five countries. At the center stands a statue of Simón Bolívar. This statue is unique because Bolívar is depicted standing on his own, rather than mounted on a horse.

We continued walking through town until we arrived at an open-air restaurant. Here, we could choose our own catfish, freshly caught from the river, and have it prepared to our liking. It was a delicious lunch, made even better by the beautiful view of the river.

After lunch, we hopped back in the van for our drive across the Orinoco River. We crossed a large suspension bridge, often referred to as the “Golden Gate Bridge of Venezuela.” Once on the other side, we boarded a riverboat to search for pink freshwater dolphins.

Although we didn’t find any pink dolphins, we still enjoyed a relaxing river cruise. The boat dropped us back on the Ciudad Bolívar side of the river, where we rejoined our van.

Our final stop of the day was the Simón Bolívar House. While not actually his home, it’s where he stayed for a month, preparing and refining his famous speech on unifying the five countries.

Across from the house stands a large statue of Simón Bolívar, once again depicted standing.

After a siesta at the hotel and watching the sunset from the rooftop bar and pool, we headed out for dinner at Parrilla Alfonso.

We enjoyed delicious steak and fish dinners, and everyone was happy with their meal.

Friday, December 6th

We departed Ciudad Bolívar at 7:30 AM for a several-hour drive to our next destination: the Orinoco River Delta.

After about three hours of driving, we boarded a riverboat for a one-hour ride to the Orinoco River Delta, and more specifically, to the Orinoco Delta Lodge, which would be our home for the next two nights.

Video - Boat Ride to The Orinoco Delta Lodge

Of course, the story of me bringing our dugout canoe safely from Angel Falls spread throughout Venezuela like wildfire. The captain of this boat wanted to see my boating skills firsthand. He asked me to pilot the boat for a while, and I think he enjoyed the break and was impressed with my abilities.

We are as remote as you can get.

Over the next day and a half, we’ll be exploring the delta, the surrounding jungle, and some of the local villages.

After a fantastic lunch and some relaxation, we set out on the boat with Sara, our guide for the next day and a half. Our goal is to spot some freshwater dolphins.

We visited a few indigenous homes, where the people truly live off the land. There is no electricity or running water in this area.

As we continued our journey, we learned about the local wildlife and plant life.

As the sun began to set, we spotted a few freshwater dolphins. They look more prehistoric than saltwater dolphins. They were too fast, and it was too dark for any pictures.

Dinner was at 7:00 PM, and what a dinner it was—gourmet in every respect.

Then, we retired to our luxury cabins, which sit over the water, for a peaceful night’s sleep.

Saturday, December 7th

I woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the river and relaxed on the deck in the hammock.

Breakfast was at 8:00 AM, so it was the perfect morning to simply take in the sights and sounds of the remote Venezuelan jungle.

We watched the local villagers canoeing in their dugout canoes on the river—some heading to work on their farms, and a few even coming to work at the lodge.

After breakfast, we boarded the powerboat for a day in the Orinoco River Delta. Our first stop was the local school, where Margarite gave a language class.

After the school visit, we went for a short hike through the jungle before continuing our river cruise.

What a beautiful, remote area—one that very few people ever experience.

In the afternoon, we stopped by a neighbor who had spent the last three months building a dugout canoe.

He felt the canoe should be complete in the next few days.

Our last stop was at a woman making baskets from palm leaves.

She gave Margarite a basket weaving lesson.

It was then time to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

We enjoyed another gourmet dinner.

We woke early for a short sunrise canoe ride before breakfast and our departure.

Before the sunrise, the sky had an eerie purple haze.

As we paddled along the river at 5:30 AM, we saw plenty of wildlife waking up to start the day.

Now, it’s time for our one-hour boat ride, followed by a two-hour drive, and finally, a one-hour flight back to Caracas.

More to come!

We arrived back at the Caracas Airport in the late afternoon. The Caracas Airport is actually outside of Caracas, along the coast, in a town called Maiquetía. We are staying at the Buena Vista Inn, a small boutique hotel just ten minutes from the airport.

We had an early dinner since we had missed lunch. This evening, we will be visiting the town of La Guaira. This is the original port town used when the Spanish controlled this area of South America.

This port town was used for exporting materials discovered in the New World as well as a defensive position the Spanish used to protect their interests.

Over the years, it has fallen into disrepair like much of Venezuela. But, also like a lot of Venezuela, it is coming back.

Here is a very short video that will give you an idea of the vibrance this newly renovated area has created. This is on a Sunday night at about 7:00 PM.

Video - La Guaira

Monday, December 9th - We will be flying from the Caracas Airport in Maiquetía to El Vigía. From there, we will drive an hour to a small village on the shores of Lake Maracaibo. Once there, we will board a small fishing boat and travel to a palafito, a traditional wooden pile structure built on the water. This is where we will spend the night.

Before heading to the airport, Margarite, Yvette, and I went for a walk around the area. It is very safe to walk around Venezuela. The biggest issue is watching for cars, motorcycles, and big holes in the sidewalks.

The area, like much of what we have seen, could use a bit of spit and polish.

Everywhere you look, you see big billboards telling you about people who support the current President, even though he lost the election 70% to 30% and refuses to leave office.

As I mentioned, things are a bit run down, but on the upside, I use the example of our Sunday night outing showing the upside.

The airlines and planes are another example. We have taken several flights so far this trip. Everything has run on time or early. The service has been great, but the planes are a bit old, probably older than most of you reading this. Today's flight on LASER Airlines had a severe leak. Not sure why, but it seemed like above the window, air from outside was leaking in. We alerted the flight attendant, and she quickly stuffed paper towels to solve the problem, which it did.

Besides that, the flight and two-hour drive were uneventful. We arrived at Port Concha at around 5:00 PM. Our captain, Omar, and his first mate were waiting for us.

We loaded up the boat and made our way to Lake Catatumbo. This area is known for its crabbing industry. As we headed out to the lake, many of the crabbers were heading in.

We also saw a lot of wildlife and great scenery along the river and as we entered the lake.

Video - Boat trip to Lake Catatumbo

The sun was just setting as we arrived at our palafito, which is an overwater bungalow.

These had originally been built for the crabbers and fishermen, but a few of us lucky tourists can spend a night or two on one.

Peter, Rafael (our driver), and Omar made us a fantastic dinner.

On our way to the lake, we stopped a crabber and bought some fresh crabs from him.

Omar made this as an appetizer, Rafael roasted vegetables, and Peter grilled filet mignon to perfection.

The reason we are at Lake Catatumbo is to witness one of the great natural wonders, which can only be admired in Venezuela: the weather lightning at Catatumbo.

At dusk and all night, with patience and luck, we should see an extraordinary Catatumbo spectacle: the weather glow high above the lake!

The lurid flickers that bathe the surroundings in ghostly silhouettes are very distant thunderstorms, whose lightning can only be perceived on the horizon without hearing the thunder. To this day, no scientist has been able to explain how this natural phenomenon occurs.

We had been told this happens every night of the year. Guess what? Besides one small flicker at around 4:30 AM, there was no lurid flickers to be seen. A bit disappointing but still a great adventure.

Tuesday, December 10th -

Rafael prepared a great breakfast before we packed up, and Omar and his first mate took us back to the car. On the way, we saw the crabbers already hard at work.

We now had a three-hour drive to Mérida. The three-hour drive was a bit longer. The road we took had a slight mishap.

Video - Broken Bridge The detour was not bad and added about 30 minutes to the drive.

We stopped at an old coffee plantation and got a quick tour and saw some of the machinery used to process the coffee. Before we departed, we had a coffee at the old style coffee bar.

We arrived in Mérida at 3:30 PM and checked into our hotel, Casa Sol, a charming boutique hotel.

Mérida is a university city, much livelier than the other cities we have visited. Here we met our guide for the afternoon, Leo.

He took us around town, giving us some history. Mérida became independent of Spain well before Venezuela and the other South American countries.

We visited the Cathedral. The only other Cathedral in Venezuela is in Ciudad Bolívar, which we visited earlier in the trip.

At the town plaza across from the Cathedral is a statue of Simón Bolívar. This statue is unique; while Simón is on a horse like most of his statues, this is the only one where only three of the horse's legs touch the ground.

We went by the city’s theater.

Mérida is built on a hill. Our tour continued to the top of the hill, where we could see the growing Andes Mountain range. Venezuela is where this South American mountain range starts. Mérida is at about 4,500 feet in elevation.

We retired back to our hotel and called it a night.

Wednesday, December 11th -

After breakfast, we headed to the Gondola. Built in the 1950s, it has four stations and reaches over 15,000 feet in elevation.

Hopefully, it is well maintained.

Video - Gondala ride to over 15,000 feet in the Venezuelan Andes

We made it, and it was worth it. The video and pictures do not do the beauty of the Venezuelan Andes justice.

Most people would not think of Venezuela and the Andes at the same time, but they should.

After the gondola ride, we had a bit of a drive to our next stop: a unique church built by one man using stones and no mortar.

There were a few kids singing a song to the builder of the church. It was a very cool scene.

Onward we went to Victoria Lagoon, one of the many glacial lakes in the state of Mérida. In calm and clear weather, the lake reflects the surrounding landscape so perfectly that you can hardly make out the surface of the water. Another sight that most people would not recognize as Venezuela.

Our last stop was a high mountain pass. We hit an elevation of about 12,000 feet. Here we saw the frailejones. This is a plant that only grows in this area, and some have been shown to be over 1,000 years old. The plant has fleshy leaves with small hairs that protect it from the cold.

Tomorrow, we head back to the lowlands.

Thursday, December 12th -

After breakfast, we loaded up the car for our six-hour drive to our next stop. This will be our last stop of the trip on mainland Venezuela. We are heading to Llanos, which makes up about one-third of the area of Venezuela and has an impressively diverse wildlife and species-rich fauna.

One thing I have not mentioned that we have to deal with because of the amount of driving we are doing is buying gas.

Though Venezuela has an abundance of oil, as I mentioned before, most of that is stuck in the ground.

Also, most of their refineries are in disrepair. This has caused a shortage of gas. There are three primary ways to buy gas.

One - The government gives each citizen a certain amount of gas each month at a substantial discount, something like a 90% discount. This gas can be purchased at specific gas stations, and the lines can be days long. Literally, we heard stories of people waiting in their cars for more than three days to get the discounted gas.

Two - The international gas stations sell gas at market prices, usually similar to the price of gas in other parts of the world. These gas stations have lines that are hours long.

This video shows the lines. There are two lines, one for motorcycles and the other for cars. As you can see, there are hundreds of people in the motorcycle line.

Video - Gas Line in Venezuela

Three - The black market. Not sure where the black market is, but most nights our car is on empty, and in the morning, it is full, and I know Rafael is not waiting hours in line. The price for gas on the black market is two to three times the international gas price.

I also want to mention traffic. Because gas is so hard to come by, there is very little traffic. Though today, we ran into a huge traffic jam.

Traffic Jam video in Venezuela. You will be amazed.

We will be spending the night on a farm that hosts tourists and shows them the wildlife in the area. We have to provide our own food.

Peter plans to make steaks for dinner again. We stopped at a local butcher and picked out the perfect tenderloin.

We arrived at the river where William (our guide and owner of the farm) and Roman (our second guide) were waiting for us with their canoe.

Within minutes of departing in the canoe, we were surrounded by dancing pink freshwater dolphins. This time, I got decent video.

Video - Freshwater Pink Dolphins

As we canoed on the river, we saw more birds, alligators, otters, and even the craziest turtle you have ever seen.

I call it the turtle dinosaur. Here is what happened: all of a sudden, Peter yells, “There is one!” Roman jumps in the water to everyone’s surprise, fully clothed, and hands Peter this prehistoric-looking turtle.

Video - Prehistoric Turtle in Venezuela

It was the craziest thing you can imagine.

After picture time with the turtle, Peter sent it on its way.

The bird life was over the top, but they flew too fast and too far to get great pictures.

Our last event was piranha fishing. We tried this when we were in the delta a few days back and had no luck.

Here, the piranha fishing was a bit better. We caught several, and the teeth on piranhas are a bit scary.

William took us back to the car, where we followed William and Roman to the farm where we will be spending the night. The name of the farm is Campamento Cañafistola.

Click here to see where we are

Before calling it a day, Peter and Rafael made us a delicious dinner.

Friday, December 13th -

After a great night’s sleep, we woke to the farm animals waking up, mostly the roosters at 4:30 AM.

I call it a farm, but their main product is cattle. Maybe I should say we are staying at a ranch. Cattle ranch sounds better than cattle farm.

They have lots of free-range birds and animals roaming the ranch.

This morning after breakfast, we went anaconda hunting. Unfortunately, our first catch was a small crocodile instead.

Video - Crocodile in Venezuela

Though a bit disappointing, we did not give up. Roman came through a few hours later.

Video - Hunt for the Giant Anaconda. If you watch this video and you are disappointed, I will give you double your money back. I promise you will be happy you watched this video.

We were all starving after the hunt, so we headed back to the ranch for lunch.

It was now time for a siesta. Margarite gave the rancher's daughter a private English class during the siesta.

Now it is time to hunt a giant anteater. It is giant, but it does not eat giant ants.

We failed. No giant anteater to be found, but we still had a beautiful walk in nature.

It was now time to depart this beautiful oasis in the middle of nowhere, Venezuela.

Guess what? We found the black market for buying gas. Apparently, Peter thought that he could refuel at the ranch, but their supply was too low to share. We departed with about enough fuel for 50 miles on our 150-mile journey.

At about 25 miles, we pulled over to a very nondescript cinder block open-air building. Rafael rolled down the window and whispered to the woman who approached, 'Gasolina.' She answered in a similar whisper, 'Sí.

We all exited the car and watched as these two women siphoned gas from a big tank into a one-liter plastic bottle. We were buying 20 liters, so they did this 20 times, pouring each liter of fuel into a smaller gas can.

Then Rafael and Peter siphoned the gas from the gas can into the car.

As we waited, a motorcycle with a large, live black pig drove by. The pig was lying on its side, strapped to a board mounted on the motorcycle. I've seen a lot of items being carried on motorcycles during my travels, but this was a first. Not that uncommon was a woman on the back of a motorcycle holding a leg of ham along with a Pepsi.

Video - Buying Gas at the Black Market in Venezuela

Once filled up, we continued on our journey, arriving in Barinas at 9:30 PM. We are overnighting here to catch our flight in the morning to Margarita Island, Venezuela.

We will be spending the next few days with Peter and his family.

Unfortunately, Yvette needs to get back to Switzerland, so she will not be joining us on this last part of our journey.

We landed on Margarita Island a bit past 4:00 PM. Peter gave us the nickel tour before heading to his house/compound at the beach.

We will be staying as his guests for the next two nights. We met his wife, Barbra, and daughter, Samantha.

At 6:30 PM, two chefs from the Green Turtle Restaurant showed up. They are the owners and made us a fantastic dinner.

We started with a seafood soup, followed by the main course of chicken, steak, octopus, and squid, all grilled to perfection.

Dessert was a coconut cream pudding.

We spent the last two nights and one full day at Margarita Island. This is where Peter lives with his wife Barbara and daughter Samantha.

They have a beautiful house just a block from a stunning beach.

Margarita Island is part of Venezuela. It has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Once one of the most popular tourist destinations for Europeans and Caribbean cruise ships, now it hosts a few Russian and Polish tourists at a couple of the all-inclusive resorts that are still operating.

The good news is that since tourists had stopped coming, we pretty much had the island to ourselves, along with Peter’s family.

After breakfast, Peter took us around to visit a few of the beaches. As you can see, they are some of the nicest underutilized beaches in the world. It is mid-December, just before the holidays, and the beaches are empty.

This is not because the area is not a great place to visit, but because the country does not support its tourism industry.

After the beach tours, we went back and picked up Barbara. We then headed to a cliffside where we could overlook a bay that houses a fishing community. We watched as the entire village worked the fishing nets, hauling in the day's catch.

There are several forts built around the island to protect it in the early 1800s. We stopped at one where a young lady gave us a history of the fort. She did it by singing us a story.

Next on our agenda was a local history museum. The museum is built to recreate a typical village on the island. We walked from area to area, seeing the history of Margarita Island.

We got to participate in the tradition of extracting juice from the sugar cane. At one time, sugar cane was a popular agricultural product grown on the island.

Next, we visited the capital of Margarita Island, La Asunción. It is built up in the mountains, making it easy to defend from attackers.

Lastly, we stopped at a bar on the beach and enjoyed piña coladas as the sun set.

For dinner, we went to one of the few remaining open restaurants on the island for a fantastic gourmet dinner.

Video - A day on Margarita Island, Venezuela

Today, we head home—Margarita to Caracas to Bogota, overnight in Bogota, then fly back to the United States.

I hope you enjoyed this trip as much as we did. This was my 90th country/territory to visit. And while each offers its own unique experience, Venezuela by far exceeded all my expectations. Below is a list of things the United States Department of State recommends you do before visiting Venezuela.

We NEVER felt unsafe, and all immigration officers and military personnel we met treated us fairly and with respect.

Fun Facts - We took nine flights, six destination boat trips (not counting day trips), and stayed at 14 different accommodations. Everything ran on time and exceeded our expectations.

We depart again on January 15th to start my 2025 travels. I am hoping to reach 100 countries/territories in 2025. An aggressive goal, but one I think I can achieve.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. I hope everybody has a great New Year.

From the United States Department of State Website on Venezuela.

If you decide to travel to Venezuela:

• Avoid travel to Venezuela via any means, including via land border crossings. Nighttime travel between cities or between Simón Bolívar International Airport and Caracas is unsafe.
• Entering or attempting to enter Venezuela without a valid Venezuelan visa can lead to indefinite detention without consular access.
• Visas are not available upon entry. U.S. citizens in Venezuela face a high risk of indefinite detention without consular access.
• U.S. citizens in Venezuela should draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
• U.S. citizens in Venezuela should develop a communication plan with family and/or an employer or host organization.
• A plan should include a “proof of life” protocol with loved ones so that if you are taken hostage, your loved ones will know specific questions (and answers) to ask the hostage-takers to be sure that you are alive (and to rule out a hoax).
• U.S. citizens’ contingency plans for travel to Venezuela should not rely on U.S. government assistance.
• The U.S. government cannot assist U.S. citizens in Venezuela in replacing lost or expired travel documents.
• Travelers face an increased risk using unregulated taxis from the Maiquetia “Simón Bolívar” International Airport and ATMs in the area.
• U.S. citizens in Venezuela should consider hiring a professional security organization.
• Over the counter and prescription medicines are unlikely to be available to U.S. citizens in Venezuela.
• The U.S. government will not be able to assist should the need for a medical emergency or evacuation arise.
• U.S. citizens in Venezuela should consider purchasing medical evacuation insurance.

From my experience the above is not accurate.

Cheers,

DUG

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