Venezuela — Destination Guide: Overview

Venezuela is a land of contradictions. A Caribbean nation, it's blessed with fine beaches and resorts, but also boasts the towering northern tip of the Andes, with all the excellent hiking, mountaineering, and adventure sports opportunities that implies. It is an oil-producing nation, with a dictator who says he hates America; yet nowhere in South America is the U.S. influence so pronounced: baseball is the national obsession, and hundreds of English loan-words are prominent in the Spanish spoken here. Los Roques and Isla Margarita compete easily with the other resort islands of the Caribbean. There's great diving and snorkeling, and quality ...

Venezuela is a land of contradictions. A Caribbean nation, it's blessed with fine beaches and resorts, but also boasts the towering northern tip of the Andes, with all the excellent hiking, mountaineering, and adventure sports opportunities that implies. It is an oil-producing nation, with a dictator who says he hates America; yet nowhere in South America is the U.S. influence so pronounced: baseball is the national obsession, and hundreds of English loan-words are prominent in the Spanish spoken here. Los Roques and Isla Margarita compete easily with the other resort islands of the Caribbean. There's great diving and snorkeling, and quality hotels and restaurants offering world-class comfort and service. Yet in the south lie Los Llanos, the great wetland plains, whose animal and bird-watching safaris fully justify its nickname, "the Serengeti of Venezuela." Deeper still in the jungle you'll find towering Angel Falls - the highest waterfall in the world - and Roraima, the mystical table-topped mountain that inspired Conan Doyle to write his adventure story, "The Lost World." Venezuela truly offers something for every taste and every budget.

About the Expert

Jens Porup is coauthor of Lonely Planet Venezuela.