Venezuela

AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE (°C) – based on Caracas

JAN

24

FEB

25

MAR

26

APR

27

MAY

27

JUN

26

JUL

26

AUG

26

SEP

27

OCT

26

NOV

25

DEC

26

Country Dialling Code:

+ 58

When to Go:

The tourist season in Venezuela runs year-round so, theoretically, anytime you visit is OK. However, the dry season is more pleasant for travelling, although some sights including the famous Angel Falls are certainly more impressive in the wet season.

Clothing:

As a general guide, comfortable casual and semi-casual clothes are best for day-time with smart casual clothes for evening wear. The majority of the country is lowland so you don’t need much in the ways of warm clothing.

Food & Water:

Some local specialities are tequenos, a popular hors d’oeuvres (thin dough wrapped around a finger of local white cheese and fried crisp); arepas (the native bread), made from primitive ground corn, water and salt; and tostadas, which are used for sandwiches (the mealy centre is removed and the crisp shell is filled with anything from ham and cheese to spiced meat, chicken salad or cream cheese).
Guasacaca is a semi-hot relish used mostly with grilled meats. Pabellón criollo is a hash made with shredded meat and served with fried plantains and black beans on rice. Hallaca is a local delicacy, eaten at Christmas and New Year; cornmeal is combined with beef, pork, ham and green peppers, wrapped in individual pieces of banana leaves and cooked in boiling water.
Parrilla criolla is beef marinated and cooked over a charcoal grill. Hervido is soup made with chunks of beef, chicken or fish and native vegetables or roots. Purée de apio is one of the more exotic local roots (boiled and puréed, with salt and butter added, it tastes like chestnuts). Empanadas (meat turnovers), roast lapa (a rare, large rodent) and chipi chipi soup (made from tiny clams) are excellent.
There is no good local wine, although foreign wines are bottled locally. There are several good local beers, mineral waters, gin and excellent rum. Coffee is very good and a merengada (fruit pulp, ice, milk and sugar) is recommended. Batido is similar but with water and no milk. Pousse-caf é is an after-dinner liqueur. Bars have either table or counter service. A lisa is a glass of draught beer and a tercio a bottled beer.

Currency:

Venezuelan currency is the Bolivar (abbreviated to Bs), which is divided into 100 centimos. There are 1/2, 1, 2 and 5 bolivar coins and 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 bolivar notes.
Money can be changed at a bank or at a casa de combio (authorized money exchange office). Banks change cash and travellers cheques and give cash advances to credit card holders. Casas de cambio change cash but seldom change travellers’ cheques. US dollars and American Express travellers’ cheques are by far the most popular in Venezuela. Visa, MasterCard and America Express are the most widely accepted credit cards in Venezuela.

Tipping:

Tipping is the customary way of showing your appreciation for services at restaurants, hotels, guides and taxi drivers. Restaurants usually add 10% to the bill for service; you are expected to tip an additional 10%.

Language:

Spanish is the official language. English, French, German and Portuguese are also spoken by some sections of the community.

Email:

E-mail can be accessed from Internet cafes in most urban areas, and the business centres of the majority of hotels.

Electricity:

110 volts AC, 60Hz. US-style two-pin plugs are the most commonly used fittings, so a universal travel adaptor is recommended.