Venezuela Security Situation

[IanJ]

Greetings All

This is a question for any hubb'ers travelling through Venezuela now or people who live there.

Apart from the usual travel precautions required for Venezuela (robbery, etc) there are now the protests happening.

I was planning to travel from Manaus to Venezuela onto Columbia.

What do people think? Still ok to travel or best to avoid?

I'm currently in Uruguay and would not be getting to Venezuela until April so I have some time to decide

Thanks

IanJ

[mollydog]

I'm not in Venezuela but have read a few reports recently. Most seem to be positive. Certain precautions about night riding and big cities, but overall mostly positive comments of the 3 or 4 recent riders reports I've read. (you probably read the same ones?)

But as you say, the (US/Corporate backed) opposition are currently organizing major up risings. So seems to me you have to keep a close eye out. If things get out of control a traveler could be at risk. But most times once out of BIG cities things can be fairly calm.

Take what X-Pat Venezuelans here say with a grain of salt. They have a certain perspective ... not typical of what most people there believe. But that's another thread ...

(I've been in 2 countries where coups happened or were attempted: Argentina and Ecuador, and was in Chile right after (Jan.'74) Allende was murdered and Pinochet took over ... not a pretty scene)

[markharf]

I've been generally very positive about Venezuela. I loved riding there, loved the scenery, found it pretty easy, friendly, reasonably safe, and fairly cheap (particularly after Brazil and the Guianas). Yes, but….

There are some very current reports of widespread civil disorder and dissolution. I'd stay alert, since the situation sounds fluid and may be deteriorating rapidly.


Or not. The point is that it's hard to tell from a distance, and hard to the point of impossibility to predict what will be happening several months from now.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

[IanJ]

Thanks for the input, I was hoping someone from in-country might comment. I will send a message out to a couple of the HU communities and see if I get a response.

I'll let you know what happens

All the best

Ian J

[Mervifwdc]

We are currently in colombia and thinking of crossing but not so sure.... Daily news reports are not great....

We plan to watch it for another few days before deciding.

There are a few members of the Facebook group "panamtravelers" that are there right now, and a good thread to watch..https://www.facebook.com/groups/pana..._comment_reply

Merv.

[WesleyDRZ400]

I am currently on a course for work and one women is from venezuela and she told me current gun crime is at a all time high and also in 2013 alone they had 25,000! deaths due to crime with most crimes going unsolved.

[Mervifwdc]

We are now in Venezuela, we crossed in from Colombia at Maicao, and are now on coro. All things fine on the roads. Heading for brazil, and avoiding the big cities. Much friendlier place than we had been led to believe. No worries with fuel after after the first 100km or so where there were shortages.

[Mervifwdc]

We are now in the gran sabana, heading for brazil. Easy travelling here, though not every fuel stop had a diesel pump. Not much toilet paper, cooking oil, and generally flip all in the supermarkets.

[mollydog]

Thanks for chiming in with your FIRST HAND experience, always valuable.





Edit by moderator: I've pruned most of this post. This is a thread about conditions for travelers in Venezuela. Anyone wishing to debate politics is welcome to start their own thread in The Pub…although as always please refrain from insults, rabble-rousing and related pursuits.

Thanks.

Mark

[IanJ]

Greetings Merv

Thanks for the update it was just the sort of info I was looking for. My original question has become academic now as I've had to cut short my trip due to a family illness.

I'm back in Oz but I'll fly back in a few weeks to sort out shipping the bike home. With any luck I'll go back to South America in a couple of years and finish the trip. Time for plan D.

Thanks again

IanJ

[Mervifwdc]

We got to chat with a good few students, all the ones we met were sensible clever folks who just want to have a future in their own country.

[Mervifwdc]

We have just left Venezuela yesterday, and now in Boa Vista, Brazil. All calm, no fuss, what a nice border crossing! Venezuela got a thumbs up from us, everyone from start to finish was friendly and helpful, including the military and the police. Cannot say anything bad about anything, except for the dirt and water in the diesel that I bought on the black market just leaving Venezuela.

No problems anywhere, 40% wild camps approx.

Merv.

[ebdavidson]

Fantastic news! I'm going to be passing through Maicao on my way into Venezuela in the next week. Now I can stop worrying! Thanks!

[Mervifwdc]

Hi,

We've started putting up blog posts about Venezuela, This one has a google map of our route we took. It may be of interest to some folks.

Angel Falls in the Dry season - Moglander's Travels

Merv.