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How many interesting cities are there in Venezuela bleg?
That's a serious question. I've never been to the country. I was browsing on Wikipedia and I came across the following description of their second largest city, Maracaibo:
Maracuchos are extremely proud of their city, their culture, and all of Zulia. They usually claim that Venezuela wouldn't be the country it actually is without Zulia. Rivalry with inhabitants of other regions is common, specially with Gochos (people of the Mérida state) and Caraqueños (people of the city of Caracas).
Actually for a short visit I don't mind the sewage bit; the lack of sights of interest is more off-putting. I have loved every part of South America I have visited (and that includes many poor places and indeed most of the continent, short of Paraguay and Venezuela), yet when I read about the cities of Venezuela I cannot muster much enthusiasm for seeing them. Does Wikipedia simply fall flat on this topic? Or does some factor make these cities boring?
Yes, I know about Angel Falls and the wood sculptures of Mérida. But of the major cities of Venezuela, how many of them are interesting to see and visit? And is there a theory behind your answer?
Posted by Tyler Cowen on June 29, 2009 at 07:32 AM in Travel | Permalink
Comments
My mother was born in Venezuela. Maracaibo in fact. I notice she has never gone back to visit. And she's a woman who likes to travel. Sorry Tyler.
Posted by: Richard S at Jun 29, 2009 7:52:56 AM
Most of the cities of Venezuela are not very interesting for the tourist.
Caracas has a very nice modern art museum and next to it a really beautiful
theater. The old center of the city is good for a couple of hours but most
of the city is modern cement. Landing at the airport in Merida is probably
the most exciting part of a visit to the city. Both Ciudad Guayana and
Puerto Ayacucho have a jungle frontier look.
Outside of the cities there is a lot interesting to do and see. You should
check with the Sociedad Conservacionista Audubon de Venezuela to see if they
are running any ecotours while you are there, I don't know what you find
interesting but some years back during my trip in a dugout canoe in
the jungle that they ran, we were held hostage by one of the local tribes
for 5 hours. There is a really otherworldly national park near
Merida that is worth the visit.
The Grand Sabana is much like the reef valley in Africa without the large
animals. The beach at Choroni (the trip there through the jungle is a gas)
or on any of the islands of the Morrocoy national park (you stay on the
mainland and go out to the islands by boat) are worth it.
Posted by: Geoge McCandless at Jun 29, 2009 8:55:52 AM
I've been to Venezuela as a tourist twice. Both times I've been rather disappointed, and especially with the cities. When I arrived in neighbouring countries, I noted to myself to keep future Venezuela trips as short as possible. And almost like you, Tyler, I've loved every part of South America I've visited _apart_ from Venezuela.
Having said that: Ciudad Bolivar is pleasant enough for an old colonial city. It's impressively located on the Orinoco.
Colonia Tovar is surprising to see as it appears like a Bavarian town amongst South American foliage and mountains. It's no city though.
I can't recommend anything else. That includes Caracas, Valencia and Maracaibo.
Posted by: Steve McLeod at Jun 29, 2009 9:00:54 AM
As the country grew enormously (another Oil related effect), its population became increasingly urban. City grow went unplanned and now most of the cities are quite a mess, at least regarding its urban plan. Caracas was a top modernist city by 1955 but now is a very distant remembrance of that. Worth to visit the main theater (Teresa Carreno), The Modern Art museum had an impressive collection (but in these chavista times, who knows!. The whole relationship between the city and the Avila mountain is interesting, making Caracas quite a green city. Fine restaurants were something always worth in Caracas. I agree with other posts... if you happen to go to Venezuela you must go to Canaima National Park (were Angel Falls are) or Los Roques (beaches to die for). I'm sorry to report to you that the murder rate in Caracas is about 130 (per 100.000), making Baghdad a walk in the countryside by comparison. In the end, Perez Alfonso (of that OPEC fame) was right, Oil is the truly devil's excrement and after almost a century worth of it we doesn't have too mucho to report but an economy in perpetual contradiction.
Keep posting
Posted by: AntonioC at Jun 29, 2009 9:41:03 AM
Por favor, can someone speak up on behalf of urban life in this much-maligned country?
Posted by: Tyler Cowen at Jun 29, 2009 9:48:23 AM
City grow went unplanned and now most of the cities are quite a mess, at least regarding its urban plan.
That's not necessarily a condemnation, depending on your beliefs about city planning.
Posted by: Anthony at Jun 29, 2009 10:04:36 AM
Tyler,
Where exactly are you going in Venezuela?
Posted by: Jose in Houston at Jun 29, 2009 10:22:10 AM
It depends on what you all tell me!
Posted by: Tyler Cowen at Jun 29, 2009 10:24:38 AM
I don't recommend the cities. It's been about 4 years since I've been in Caracas, but it was extremely dangerous to walk around the city back then. Cab drivers are not to be trusted - your hotel staff will likely be able to give you information on where to go and how much it should cost to get where you're going.
We stayed in Altamira, which was supposed to be more upmarket, but really just kind of shabby and non-descript. The rest of the city as far as I could tell was full of makeshift slums and camps. Nearly all hotels were gated and higher end places had guards posted. I agree with George's assessment of the modern art museum - it's nice but not fantastic.
My advice is to go to Colombia, instead. But if you're going to Venezuela - get out of Caracas and into the more natural parts of the country as soon as you can. Merida is very nice for hiking and outdoor activities. The trip to Angel Falls is a great experience. The beaches and Los Roques are very nice, as well.
Posted by: aub at Jun 29, 2009 10:56:42 AM
I lived in Maracaibo, not much for a tourist to see there. I remember liking Valencia a lot, they have thermal waters and are close to some spectacular Caribbean beaches.
Posted by: Marcelo at Jun 29, 2009 11:11:44 AM
I lived in western Venezuela for a few years. Maracaibo might be okay for a night, but as others have mentioned there is not much to see.
I recommend Merida. Scenic and away from the oppresive heat of Maracaibo. It is, by far, my favorite city in Venzuela. Ride the teleferico, hike a bit in the Andes or just hang out in the main plaza.
Posted by: Justin at Jun 29, 2009 12:05:26 PM
Sir never call a native of Los Andes , Gocho . It is demeaning. My wife is andina not gocha.
Im from Maracaibo,the temperature is 32 celsius in a fresh day. But tks to air conditioning is the coldest city in the whole world . Yes , sewage go direct to Maracaibo``s lake. And also oil spills since ever. There was the same when american and dutch companies didi the work. Today, tks to the national government´´s nationalizations the east cost of the lake became a ghost town,
There is still some colonial and oil times architecture in the downtown. But not much to see. We do have one of the better universities of the country.A researcher there made a very important work on Hunttintong Corea, 13´´s diseases,
North from Maracaibo you can see the Relampago Of Catatumbo . A perennial ray.One hour in car from Maracaibo you have Sinamaica , a native venezuelan village with houses built on the water. They gave name to Venezuela, little Venecia
If you go to the Auyantepui or Angel fall you will need a shot for yellow fever.
Some art works from caracas Museum have been sold and repalced with fakes, There were 5 Picassos in the Munseo De Arte Contemporaeo , Caracas, But nobody knows if they remain there
Sorry for my english
BTW. I have read two of your books in english, you cant not find none of them in the bookstores here
Posted by: k at Jun 29, 2009 12:40:11 PM
Try to el mercado Guajiro, you will like artisan works that are justly famous
Posted by: k at Jun 29, 2009 1:04:56 PM
Though I have American parents, I grew up in Venezuela, in Barquisimeto. A lot has changed since I moved back to the US in 1990. But I loved Caracas as a kid, beautiful city, interesting museums, etc. However, I think things have changed. I wouldn't spend too much time in Caracas today, unfortunately.
Barquisimeto is great, though not in a touristy way. I also love Merida and Ciudad Bolivar/Guayana. Outside of cities, Canaima and Angel Falls are spectacular. There are two beaches near Maracay (different from Maracaibo) called Choroni and Cata that are terrific, laid back, and involve spectacular mountain drives.
Go to Venezuela... don't believe the naysayers. Don't go for touristy things, but do go for the laid-back people, the music, the beer, the pretty girls, and the arepas. But, avoid Caracas... it is too dangerous these days.
Posted by: Dave at Jun 29, 2009 1:16:43 PM
I have been only to Caracas and Colonia Tovar (and through some small towns on the coast near Caracas) but I enjoyed what I experienced. (This was a bit over two years ago.) Caracas is a fun, often beautiful city -- modern sensibilities, a lot of character, poorer neighborhoods further away from the city center. (I was with locals, so I got a different look at the city.) I even walked around by myself for an entire day and felt entirely safe (I'm a 6'2" male, so that's part of it). A lot of pro-Chavez t-shirts and anti-American graffiti didn't bother met. The people are wonderful, the nightlife is great, there are some fair museums and the food can be very good. They love baseball, which will make many Americans feel welcome. Outside of the well-to-do areas, the city seemed much like other cities I've visited in Latin America. The gas is dirt cheap, and if you like to drink scotch, it's a great country to visit.
Posted by: Glenn at Jun 29, 2009 1:17:29 PM
I'll be at a wedding in Caracas next July, so if you're in Caracas and finding it uninteresting I might be able to get one of my friends to take you as their plus 1. I know there will be some great scotch at the reception.
Posted by: Justin at Jun 29, 2009 2:04:38 PM
My wife's Venezuelan. She's building a B&B in San Fernando, Apure Venezuela (VZ). I've traveled many times to VZ, mostly to CCS. Try the cable car (teleferico), as the view is great. Margarita Island is nice too. Caracas (CCS), in the valley, provides a nice perspective of the tall mountains. CCS restaurants, especially Italian, can be very nice. Restaurants can be reasonably priced. Murder rates quoted are misleading as most of those are in the VERY poor barrios, definitely not the place a tourist would go in the first place. Travel by city to city bus is fast, but their A/C is VERY cold. CCS is VERY congested. Having a trusted local as guide is a VERY good idea. I've seen very little advertising for VZ tourism, don't understand why. VZ is VERY expensive to live in, similar to Washington, DC, but with very low incomes. Don't know how anyone lives there. Inflation is 30%.
Posted by: Mike Branagan at Jun 29, 2009 5:32:38 PM
I am going to CCS in two weeks to visit my parents. If you are there then, I’ll be happy to take you out for dinner.
If you are into nature and eco-tourism I suggest you got Hato El Frio, La Gran Sabana (Including the expensive trip to Canaima and Salto Angel) and Merida to walk around the Andes, Pico El Aguila and the teleferico the Merida. You may also arrange to visit la Cueva del Guacharo. Links below:
http://wikimapia.org/6672153/he/Hato-El-Frio
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=la+gran+sabana&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=uztJSt-nLou7twf15NyYBg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=916499841
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telef%C3%A9rico_de_M%C3%A9rida
http://www.tripwiser.com/trip_thing_to_do-Monumento_Pico_El_Aguila_Merida_Venezuela?itiNodeId=8a8c80fe16f94d200116fa7497244202&eType=activity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cueva_del_Gu%C3%A1charo_National_Park
If you are into beaches then you must go to Los Roques, Isla de Margarita, Morrocoy , the State of Sucre and Bahia de Cata and Choroni. Links below
http://www.losroques.org/
http://www.venezuelatuya.com/morrocoy/indexeng.htm
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=playas+del+estado+sucre&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=vjxJSpecEsG0twf6pcjFBg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=961353473
Since your post was about the cities, in my opinion Caracas and Maracaibo are as interesting as San Jose Costa Rica or Guatemala City. Actually the food and the nightlife are better in Venezuela, and by food I don’t mean local fare. Caracas is very crowded and very dangerous. I have not been to Maracaibo in a long time.
Finally, if you are going to visit please find a way to get your bolivars at the parallel rate of exchange. Otherwise you will be left wondering why everything so expensive. The official rate is BsF 2.15 the swap rate is BsF 6.35 or thereabouts. A quarter pounder (not the meal) sells for BsF 12. You do the math. I encourage you not to use your credit card and try to find a way to pay any tours in the US to Venezuelan providers and to buy dollars in the parallel market
http://mcdonalds.wikot.com/
http://bonosvenezuela.blogspot.com/2007/02/como-calcular-el-dlar-cantv.html
http://devilsexcrement.com/2009/04/26/economic-tidbits-from-the-revolution/
Posted by: Jose in Houston at Jun 29, 2009 6:41:15 PM
Caracas still is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South America thanks to the flow of petrodólares in the last 40 years. Sushi is comparable to the best you can get in NY or SF with the added benefit of local ingredients and recipes (mango, plantain, avocado). The beef is second to none (and yes, I've been to Argentina) and Italian restaurants are excellent as well. Areperas (traditional arepa outlets) are generally excellent, although some have higher health standards than others. Don't leave the country without eating Asado Negro and Cachapa con queso.
Nightlife is vibrant but be careful with what taxi drivers recommend. Women are not to be missed (and you won't, trust me). Architecture shows the abysmal differences in income and is a good indicator of the oil price history during the last 60 years.
The other city that is worth a field trip is Ciudad Guayana (conformed by Puerto Ordaz, Ciudad Bolívar and San Félix). You'll see the industries where the steel, aluminum and hydroelectric power are produced, merged into a well planned (in Venezuelan terms, that is) city. Worth visiting if you want to see first hand the effect of the current Government policies re nationalizations and impact in what traditionally has been the industrial powerhouse of the country and its heavily unionized workforce. As a plus, the city is planted around the confluence of the Orinoco and Caroní rivers. The city parks of La Llovizna and Cachamay are spectacular (a boat trip to the waterfalls in the parks won't take more than 2 hours of your day and is unmissable). The Macaguas and Guri power plants are also worth a visit if you have the time.
If you feel like going to the beach, you can't miss Los Roques.
As a rule of thumb, 5 star hotels are comparable to 4 and even 3 stars in North American standards. I would avoid 4 stars and wouldn't even think of entering a 3 stars.
If I may recommend you a non-fiction book, that would be El poder y el delirio, by Mexican historian Enrique Krauze. Of the myriad of books about Venezuelan democracy in the last 40 years, Chávez era included, Krauze's is the one not to be missed. Carlos Rangel's Del buen salvaje al buen revolucionario gives a good perspective about Venezuelan and Latin American obsession with "la revolución".
In fiction, Venezuelan classics would be Doña Bárbara by Rómulo Gallegos, Memorias de Mamá Blanca by Teresa de la Parra and Casas Muertas by Miguel Otero Silva. Arturo Úslar Pietri's short stories are brilliant. More recently, Federico Vegas' Falke is worth reading.
In poetry, Eugenio Montejo, José Antonio Ramos Sucre & Vicente Gerbasi are some of the names to look at.
Are you looking for anything in particular during your visit?
Posted by: Hugo Losada at Jun 29, 2009 7:01:23 PM
Considering your profession, I won't need to remind you about bringing dollars.
Merida has a pleasant climate. My restaurant experience is limited, but the restaurant Mogambo (in Merida) has good food (although I don't know if it's particularly local in character). Mirame Lindo had better food (Basque-influenced), but its ownership recently changed and it has apparently gone downhill. Bandeja criolla in the Merida central market is good, as is the trout (but not with the heavy sauce). In addition to the well-known Angel Falls, the village of Canaima (base station for trips to Angel Falls) has a paradisiacal lagoon. Bring earplugs for the plane ride. Ciudad Bolivar has a partial colonial character, some interesting history, an art museum, and a view of the Orinoco. It's also the waypoint to Canaima.
Posted by: VCrespi at Jun 29, 2009 8:38:23 PM
Ciudad Bolivar is ok but its location on the Orinoco is the only thing that distinguishes it from many other colonial-ish places in South America.
I sort of enjoyed the New Year's Eve I spent in Rio Caribe, a pleasant little town (though loud like all the rest of Vzla) near the Peninsula de Paria. It's a place you can enjoy Venezuelan Caribbean culture (festive folks) and feel pretty safe while doing so. If you make it over there make sure to go visit the German with the water buffalo farm near Carupano - that is, if he hasn't been expropriated/invaded (when I visited in early '05 he'd had shooting incidents with potential land invaders). He's in the Lonely Planet.
I haven't been but I find the idea of Puerto Ayacucho alluring; it sounds like an unsprawled Iquitos, and it is the gateway to some topographically interesting parts of the Amazon.
Not a city but you should certainly climb Roraima. It's not that difficult and both the hike and the famous moonscape on top are very memorable.
Even the medium-to-nicer parts of Caracas to me felt palpably more dangerous than most other capitals in South America, though not necessarily more so than some of the Central American capitals.
Posted by: jd at Jun 29, 2009 9:13:50 PM
Margarita Island is touristy but very beautiful with great diving. It's nicer than many better-known Caribbean isles. Playa Puerto Cruz is fabulous.
Posted by: Chris at Jun 30, 2009 12:54:59 AM
I lived in Venezuela for two years, 1991, and 1992 as a traveling English teacher. I enjoyed traveling East in Venezuela, past Cumana, to Carupano and then to a couple of small villages whose names I can't remember. There was never much to see in the cities, but the people are so friendly and easy to meet that it was worth going just for that. I haven't been back for nearly ten years but when I do I'll go back to the West, Merida, over one of the highest mountain passes in South America to Valera (my ex-wife was from there), as well as to the East (mentioned above) and down to Cuidad Bolivar. Except for visiting with friends I'll avoid Caracas although I'd like to walk up the Avila again, hopefully the view is as magnificent as it was nearly 20 years ago.
Posted by: Iain at Jun 30, 2009 7:28:24 AM
The delights of Venezuela are less in the cities than in the small towns. It's true Caracas has become dangerous over the last couple of decades, although it's also true that the majority of the violence is teenagers and young men "settling accounts," as they say, with each other in the poor barrios where no tourist in his right mind would ever go. But Caracas still has world class restaurants, a good art museum and beautiful theater, a huge and superb botanical garden, and very friendly people.
Maracaibo is just what one would expect for a city developed by and for oil men: Graceless, smelly, and hotter than the hinges of hell--just like an oil camp.
Merida (where I have been living for the past year on a Fulbright) is a pleasant small city, the closest thing Venezuela has to a college town. There is a large university here with an amazingly welcoming (and very well trained) faculty.
Ciudad Bolivar has an old, attractive plaza where some interesting history took place, and you can watch the sun set over the Orinoco from a city park. In Puerto Ordaz's city park the capuchin monkeys will steal your Coke if you look away.
HOWEVER (and here is the point of this note) the true delights of Venezuela are the small towns. For instance, south and west of Merida are the so-called Pueblos del Sur, a set of achingly picturesque Andean towns with cobblestone streets, charming plazas filled with flowering trees, whitewashed walls and tiled roofs set in spectacular montane scenery. Most of them have posadas (inns) with modern conveniences. And unlike their counterparts in Ecuador or Peru, they do not show the grinding poverty that one sees in quaint mountain towns in those countries. San Pedro del Rio is my favorite.
At the other end of the altitudinal range, the beach towns on the Caribbean coast are sublime. Playa Medina, where my family spent Christmas, is a resort that puts you up in a charming cabin and serves breakfast and dinner. For lunch you stroll down the beach and peruse a cooler full of fresh caught sea bass and red snapper, pick out the one you like, and have a beer while they cook it for you over an open fire.
And as mentioned by several previous correspondents, Canaima (Pemon Indian town--the jumping off point to visit Angel Falls) is a sort of utopia. I should also mention Kavanayen, the major Indian town (which grew up around a Catholic mission) from which to explore the Gran Savana.
The latter is a sort of other mysterious landscape that gives you the feeling of walking on the roof of the world. And, as mentioned by most of your correspondents, Angel Falls--and the landscape around it--is like nothing else on this planet. Reason enough by itself to visit Venezuela.
Posted by: Steve at Jun 30, 2009 12:37:11 PM
I'll have to throw in agreement with most of what has been said. I haven't been to Venezuela since 1994, so I'm sure a lot has changed, but I lived in Caracas, Valencia, and Barquisimeto and I'll have to say that almost all of the truly great places I ever visited were outside the cities. I traveled to Merida, and found it to be delightful, so I'd recommend going there, especially if you want to see the surrounding Andean countryside. (Take the cable car and consider going to Los Aleros (kind of a Venezuelan Historic Williamsburg) It's all about the countryside, beaches, and assorted natural treasures.
Venezuela is unique in that for a country of not-gigantic size, it has geography of just about every type: desert, beach, temperate forest, tropical rainforest, savana, mountain, urban, even glaciers and tundra.
I really do love Caracas, for all its congestion, chaos, and danger. I kind of think of it as a beautiful, cosmopolitan paradise that has contracted a disfiguring disease, but is determined to live life to the fullest as if nothing has happened. My most memorable Caracas moments: hiking to the top of Avila mountain and seeing the city on one side, and idyllic mountain hamlets on the other, and walking around one of the city's notorious "barrios" or shantytowns. If you can stomach the danger, they're really quite fascinating and beautiful in their way (I'd recommend dressing like a local).
And the Caracas Metro is a great way to get around and is as clean and modern as any subway anywhere.
Posted by: David Adams at Jul 2, 2009 10:32:56 PM
