Venezuela Safety Guide

Venezuela's Caribbean coastline, table-top tepuis and Andean pueblos pull in the bold. Yet the country still grapples with shortages of basic goods, sporadic power cuts and one of the world's highest crime rates. Most visitors who keep to daylight sightseeing in central Caracas, Los Roques and Mérida finish their trips without incident. But robberies happen, chiefly after dark or when flashy electronics are on show. Staying alert, keeping a low profile and arranging transport in advance lets you taste arepa de choclo fresh off the griddle, hear parrots screeching over Canaima lagoon and feel cool spray from Angel Falls without turning your holiday into a crisis. The key is balancing caution with curiosity: choose official taxis, use hotel safes, avoid hill-side barrios on the city fringe and carry only the cash you need for that day. Venezuelans themselves are famously welcoming, quick to share directions or a cold Polar beer, so accept their hospitality while respecting their advice on where not to wander.