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15 Dec 2013
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Hi guys
Thought I'd update my travels through Venezuela
Entry Santa Elena
To cuidiad Bolivar don Carlos Posada German biker and parking good for angel falls tour
Barcelona, porto la Cruz nice busy spot
Cumuna for ferry to isla margaritas
Cheaper that from Porto la Cruz
3 1/2 hr approx 700 bolivar return
Need photocopy of docs
Then across to heugote
For a great coastal mountain rd to Caracas then corro and maricaibo
Fight across to Aruba 9000 Bolivar for a week
Friendly Kawasaki dealer stored bike no charge
Down to valera merida and being accosted by biker in san cristabol
For 2 weeks due to boarder closed a week to Colombia for mayoral elections
Excited to cutata without stamp out of Aduana due to just couldn't find it
There was a 10km que to get to boarder was caos but fun
Overall 5 wks
Last exchange was at 55 USD
65 Euro
Great friendly people
Lots of people mention danger but didn't have any
Great roads
Nice food
Found other drivers were extremely
Courteous giving lots of space
Overall a great place
Hugo
Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk 2
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"Blat" Racin
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18 Dec 2013
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Just driving through Venezuela, route Santa Elena -> Cucuta.
Never felt threatened. People are generally very friendly, some of them speak English, which is a nice suprise.
Managed to sell some dollars today at a local mercado on my way to Merida. Rate 52 Bs for dollar. Generally at rate 50 BS/dollar almost everyone will buy from you, because they know that blackmarket rate is above 60.
Only once I got stopped by the police, they checked my papers and let me go.
The only dangerous thing in my opinion is that Venezuelans drive like crazy. Bigger goes first, remember.
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26 Feb 2014
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Location: Venezuela
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Merv,
I'm currently in San Cristobal. I would strongly recommend travelers do not come through this area right now. Most of the roads are either blockaded, or were previously blockaded, and there's metal, nails, broken glass etc all over the streets. I haven't ridden in more than a week due to this. Even the main roads through town are blocked.
The police/Mil are generally concentrated in a few areas; many areas that were reasonably safe (Barrio Obrero, Las Pilas) are now quite dangerous, even in the middle of the day. It's a bit of a ghost town; most people haven't gone to work in more than a week, and are staying indoors, so any services needed (w/exception of medical) aren't readily available.
That being said, if you're crossing here, feel free to contact me for updated info or a place to stay.
Best,
- Agave
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1 Mar 2014
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Agave, many thanks for this! Hope you are save and well? I may ask again the situation on Monday when we need to make our final decision on what to do.
Merv
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3 Mar 2014
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Hi Agave,
I know there are no guarantees, and things are changing daily, but I am wondering if it is possible to enter from Cucuta,Colombia, and to skip San Cristibal by staying south of the city?
For example, after entering Venezuela, going to Rubio, then to El Tambo to Route 5, and then head East? once we are over 100km from the border, things should be ok - right?
We are also wondering if we crossed the border into Venezuela late in the afternoon, and slept in the customs post, then hit the road at sunrise the following morning, we should avoid any protests... Might that help? We do not need anywhere special to sleep, just a bit of safe ground. We stay 100% inside the trucks in these situations.
We would be traveling in 2 large 4x4 trucks, so broken glass or small rubble would not bother us too much. Shipping containers and mining truck tyres on the other hand.....
Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated, even if those words are "do not chance it"!
If we do go through, is there any way we can help? anything we can bring you from Colombia? Space is not much of a problem.... Just that you will need to meet us somewhere safe...
Merv.
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5 Mar 2014
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It seems like the consensus among Venezuelans is that the situation is risky for all in Venezuela right now. See this link for more info:
What's happening in Venezuela? - ADVrider
While the Australian travel advisory is at it's highest level - Do Not Travel - for the region nearest the border with Colombia, individuals within Venezuela are offering the same advice but even more broadly.
Just wanted to pass along some more info so your decision can be well-informed.
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6 Mar 2014
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Location: Venezuela
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Merv,
I've been speaking to a friend in San Antonio often for updates, as I need to cross to Colombia for some business as soon as possible. Over the border was closed yesterday, as well as today. Being the anniversary of Chavez's death, it may have been preemptive, and will possibly be open in the morning.
Once the border is open you can take the route you mentioned, or even skirt by San Cristobal for now; the streets have cleared up quite a bit recently due to the Carnaval holiday. Who knows how long that will last.
I will send you a PM with contact info. Suerte!
- Agave
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20 Mar 2014
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We crossed in to Venezuela 2 days ago, up north at Maicao. No problems, and in coro now. Avoiding the cities all we can. The people are great!
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