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Venezuela's Location and Climate
The country of Venezuela is situated at the far northeastern corner of the continent of South America. Venezuela is located entirely in the tropics. It is bordered by Brazil to the south, Colombia to the west and Guyana to the southeast. It has both an Atlantic and a Caribbean coastline stretching over 1,600 miles. There are direct U.S. flights to Venezuela's capital city Caracas from Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New Jersey, New York and Puerto Rico. In particular, the flight from Miami takes less than three hours, making Venezuela conveniently accessible.
Venezuela has a vast array of ecosystems-over 25 different ones. Few countries in the Caribbean region (much less the world) contain such a variety of climates and landscapes.
In most parts of the country, the temperature stays around 77° F (25° C) during the year. However, the mountainous regions are cooler, and there is even snow at the higher elevations of the Andes Mountains.
Venezuela's dry season is from December through April. The rainy season is from May through November. But it does rain occasionally during the dry season.
Major Attractions & Geographical Diversity
What makes Venezuela so attractive as an adventure travel and ecotourism destination is the diverse locations that offer unique travel experiences-from Caribbean islands to rainforests to grasslands to mountains. Examples of Venezuela's diversity include the following:
Venezuela's Caribbean Islands
Many visitors to Venezuela come to experience the sun, beaches and wildlife of beautiful Margarita Island. This is a popular and glorious destination, but the island gives just a hint of the natural wonders located in other less-traveled regions of Venezuela. For instance, an equally stunning but less crowded alternative to Margarita Island is the Los Roques archipelago, which is an unspoiled Caribbean jewel for relaxation, bird watching and scuba diving.
Venezuela offers much more in terms of natural and wildlife diversity than many other so-called "popular" Caribbean or Central American destinations such as Cuba, Mexico and Costa Rica. And in Venezuela, you do not have to fight the crowds.
Slide show of Los Roques, Venezuela's Caribbean Park
Angel-Eco Tours' itinerary
to Los Roques
Venezuela's Amazonas
The Amazonas' western region features tropical rainforests and is home to a variety of flora including lianas, strangler figs, bromeliads, tree ferns, orchids, lichens and mosses. The dense jungle landscape is home to many rare and endemic plant species. Eastern Amazonas is dominated by the forested mountains of the Sierranía La Neblina. The luxuriant forests are home to an exotic array of fauna, including mammals such as manatee, red howler and woolly monkeys, jaguar, puma, ocelot, tapir, brocket deer, agouti and armadillo. The forests are also teeming with bird life such as macaws, parrots, toucans, parakeets, tinamou, contingas and hummingbirds.
Guyana Highlands
The Guayana Highlands is a rocky upland region encompassing the central part of Guayana south of the Orinoco Delta. It is bordered by Guyana to the east and Brazil to the south. The region is rich in bird and animal life and features the legendary Angel Falls.
Orinoco Delta
The Orinoco delta is a vast system of waterways weaving through a simmering jungle to carry the waters of the Orinoco to the Atlantic Ocean. The delta is divided into upper and lower regions, west and east of the Caño Macareo respectively. In 1991, the lower delta was protected through the establishment of the Mariusa National Park.
The delta is rich in plant and wildlife. Jaguar, puma, ocelot, red howler and capuchin monkeys, capybara, agouti, giant otter, manatee and dolphins are just a handful of the countless species of mammal that can be observed in their natural habitats. Among the extensive bird population are hoatzin, macaws, parrots, toucans, caciques, kingfishers, cormorants, egrets, falcons, hawks, harpy-eagles, weaverbirds and hummingbirds. There is also an untold number of amphibians, reptiles and fish species, including anaconda, boas, vipers, fer-de-lance, coral snakes, iguana, cayman, turtles, piranha, stingrays and catfish.
Slide show of the Orinoco delta
Angel-Eco Tours' Orinoco
river cruise
The Andes
The Andes are one of the world's great mountain ranges and the backbone of South America. The Venezuelan Andes stretch for hundreds of miles, beginning in Barquisimeto and running through the states of Trujillo, Mérida and Táchira before reaching the Colombian border. Besides being a heaven for botanists and wildlife enthusiasts, the Andes is by far the best place in the country to practice adventure sports. A host of activities are available, such as hiking, trekking, mountaineering, climbing, paragliding, fishing, horseback riding, camping and mountain biking.
Los Llanos
The Llanos (plains) are the vast savannas stretching west from the Orinoco Delta to the Andes mountains and south into Columbia. They consist of both high and low plains, and are primarily grasslands dotted with woodlands and streaked with rivers, all of which empty into the Orinoco basin. Within this vast area are three national parks: Río Viejo, in the western Llanos near the Andes, Aguaro-Guariquito, in Guárico State and Cinaruco-Capanaparo in the eastern region of Apure State.
Slide show of Mérida and Los Llanos
Angel-Eco Tours' itinerary to Mérida
and Los Llanos
Caracas
Caracas is home to over five million inhabitants (a quarter of the country's total population). Caracas is by far the most modern, metropolitan city on the continent and is the focal point of Venezuela's trade and industry. The metropolitan district offers a wealth of shopping centers, hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars nightclubs, commercial plazas, cinemas, theatres and museums.
Angel-Eco Tours destinations in Venezuela:
Venezuela: Travel Documentation and Health Advice
If you are a citizen of the United States, Canada or the European Community, all that you need for travel to Venezuela is a valid passport and a tourist card (valid for a 30 to 90-day stay) that will be handed to you on your international flight to Venezuela.
For current information concerning entry, tax, and customs requirements for Venezuela, travelers may contact the Venezuelan Embassy at 1099 30th St. N.W., Washington D.C. 20007, tel. (202) 342-2214, Internet: http://www.embavenez-us.org. Travelers may also contact the Venezuelan consulates in New York, Miami, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Houston, San Francisco or San Juan.
Travel Health Resource can provide (for a fee) a comprehensive travel package requirements including health, entry requirements etc.
For more health advice when planning to visit Venezuela, consider the following internet sources:
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Venezuela's national parks and briefing on Venezuela's history and culture >>
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