Bike rental in Venezuela

[enzog]

Hi to everyone,
is there anybody out there who has experience in renting a bike in Venezuela.
I'm planing a self guided trip in Venezuela for about three weeks.

Every hint is welcome.

Thanks a lot in advance.

[mark manley]

Hi enzog,
I am not sure if you are aware of the current political and economic situation in Venezuala let alone covid-19 which will only have made things worse but it is a place few if any travellers are going to, the place is something of a mess and probably not very safe. If you are looking for somewhere to travel to in the northern part of South America Columbia had become quite popular and relatively safe pre-covid but again as everywhere that is the fly in the ointment.

[enzog]

Thanks for your kind answer.
Yes, I knew about the bad political, economic and social situation in Venezuela. So, if a bike rental exists, I can decide to take a risk on my own, but if no one rents a bike (I'd like to make a tour in South america on motorbike), I'll be forced to consider another country, for example Colombia, like you rightly suggest.

Thanks again

[FreedomTraveler]

Enzog,

Not sure what your time frame is?

As of today both Venezuela and Columbia are closed to travelers.

Brazil and possibly? Ecuador are open to you now.
As I traveled in Both counties ( on four wheels. ) in 2014 & 2015 I can tell you both are and would be incredible to visit.

I can't give you a recommendation on where to rent a bike, but given that world tourism has collapsed it should not be difficult to find one in the city you fly into.

My info is coming from https://flattenthecurve.global/

At the risk of stating the obvious, you really want to read the fine print before committing to international travel at this time.

Any info / rules posted by goverments is fluid, be flexible.

Safe Travels,

[enzog]

Thanks for answer.

My travel would be planned for January/February 2021. At that time I hope political/economic (and Covid) situation will be better, and travelling there will be possible, even if not totally safe.
In any case, If someone knows about bike rental, I'd be grateful to know

[markharf]

In my fairly limited experience it's always been possible to find a rental in an impoverished country--and Venezuela, despite its advantages and history, certainly qualifies. The problem is your rental may not come from an established rental company--you have to do it privately. That means once on the ground in-country you put out the word with anyone you meet, especially at lodgings, repair shops and taxi stands. Sooner or later someone with a bike will find you, and you negotiate terms (and insurance, repairs, deposits, etc.).

I'm dubious about being able to make this work in Venezuela mostly due to the pandemic, border restrictions, and general pandemonium. I don't think any of that is going to be substantially resolved by January/February. But if you can navigate your way through these overlapping crises, you can be sure there are people around who'll badly want your hard currency. You'll be one of very few tourists, and will attract all sorts of attention--positive and negative.

You don't give any indication you're up to this sort of trip, but maybe you are. It's a wonderful country, and fine riding, so I hope to hear how it goes for you.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

[Frank on AT]

Hi enzog,


I am not the big contributer here, but you wrote "Every hint is welcome."
I have a hint of no huge value - me!
But I am new, just out of "cuarantena" (what was the English word?).
But until you are here I might have gotten some roots.
Have send you my email address - migrating is always a lot of info for an old brain, in case I forget to come back to you - kick my ass via email.


If you want to buy https://motos.tucarro.com.ve/501-cc-o-mas/
I do flirt with a KLR for town hopping...


To give a frog view:
My first supermarket bill was 18.5 million - the cashier will ask for your cedula (you do not have) and your PIN - I was shocked as the tool is not given to the client but glued to her place. I bent over and she looked away.

There was an internal hesitation to accept a bill of 18.5 million but luckily it was only 48 Euro.

I even bought a bread with visa for 50 cent.
To buy in smaller places (market) you would need a punto card, which you cannot receive as a tourist. It is a debit card one feeds just before shopping.


Official change rates: Banco Central de Venezuela |


Cheers!

[enzog]

Originally Posted by markharf

In my fairly limited experience it's always been possible to find a rental in an impoverished country--and Venezuela, despite its advantages and history, certainly qualifies. The problem is your rental may not come from an established rental company--you have to do it privately. That means once on the ground in-country you put out the word with anyone you meet, especially at lodgings, repair shops and taxi stands. Sooner or later someone with a bike will find you, and you negotiate terms (and insurance, repairs, deposits, etc.).

I'm dubious about being able to make this work in Venezuela mostly due to the pandemic, border restrictions, and general pandemonium. I don't think any of that is going to be substantially resolved by January/February. But if you can navigate your way through these overlapping crises, you can be sure there are people around who'll badly want your hard currency. You'll be one of very few tourists, and will attract all sorts of attention--positive and negative.

You don't give any indication you're up to this sort of trip, but maybe you are. It's a wonderful country, and fine riding, so I hope to hear how it goes for you.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Thank you so much. Your tips are so useful

[Justdrive]

Hi Enzog, did you finally do the trip through Venezuela? I'm extremely interested in how it went, the challenges, infos about the people, how you were perceived and your own perception of safety while riding through the country. I am thinking of riding from Colombia through Venezuela to Brazil and there is so little information! Cheers, David

[tohellnback]

First of all you need a visa to enter Venezuela
there is no US or any embassy's in Venezuela
There is no safety net or anything that is going to help you if problems arise
If you have a contact there and I mean family it may be plausible
for travelling but not recommended
My wife has family near Caracas and she has not been to Vez for 3 years because it is not safe, we live 3 hours from the border in Colombia and have no ambition to visit this beautiful country until embassies start moving back and Its not going to happen with Maduro in Power
Its a Mess in my opinion
half of the country is run by mafia and eastern Venezuela is very dangerous
I dont think the land border will let you in But you can fly in from Panama to Caracas