Overland Expeditions To Venezuela

A short guide about Overland Expeditions to Venezuela

Meaning "little Venice", The name Venezuela is believed to have originated from the Spanish cartographer Amerigo Vespucci during a 1499 naval expedition where the crew observed villages (palafitos) built over the water. Venezuela is located on the Caribbean coast of South America and borders Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia. Venezuela has had more winners of the Miss Universe per capita than any other country, but of course it has a lot more to offer. Being home to 32 national parks and 14 national monuments, it also has more than 20 million inhabitants. Venezuela is a founding member of OPEC and being a leading oil producer makes it one of South America's richest countries.

With only five hours of flying time from New York, the capital city Caracas is often described as a concrete jungle and wandering the streets in daylight is risky. Being congested, noisy and polluted, it is rarely the top choice for tourists. The beach resort of Margarita Island is located 25 kilometres away from the city Porlamar and is popular with people looking for a place to relax and get a tan. It is a duty-free port and its proximity to the mainland makes it one of the top vacation spots for Venezuelans and many retired people choose Margarita Island as an ideal, peaceful dwelling place. To the west of the country is the city Maracaibo, being an oil boom town it has alot to offer to the tourist.

Angel Falls is situated in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela and is one of the most spectacular natural wonders in the world. A total of 978metres from the summit of the Auyan Tepuy, it is the world's highest waterfall, with an 807metre uninterrupted drop. The area is filled with grasslands, with some dense jungle along the course of the rivers and at the base of the numerous tepuis, (flat-topped mountains). There is an incredible variety of tropical wildlife in the area, including monkeys, poison arrow frogs and hundreds of species of orchids. Beside the monkeys, mammals in the area can be difficult to spot but include giant anteaters, armadillos, porcupines, three-toed sloths, otters, jaguars, pumas, tapirs and capybaras.

Travellers to Venezuela are advised to obtain vaccinations for a variety of diseases including typhoid, yellow fever, cholera, hepatitis A, B and D. Most major cities lack health facilities, with only 3% of sewage being treated and 17% of people lack access to potable water. The climate in Venezuela is tropical, with frequent rainstorms and Angel Falls may just be a trickle during the driest time of year, so why not search Tourabout for the best value packed holiday adventure.