Geography
Venezuela is the sixth largest country in South America with an area of 916,445 square kilometers or 353,840 square miles. It shares borders with Columbia to the west, Guyana to the east and Brazil to the south. 2813km/1748 miles of coastline dotted with countless Caribbean beaches forms the northern border. It is a country of large geographical contrasts from the Andean chain in the northwest which includes Venezulas highest mountain, Pico Bolivar at 5007m/16,427ft to the dense rain forests of the Amazon basin in the southwest. In the southeast, below the Orinocco river basin, is an area of highland known as La Gran Sabana. This fantastic array of cliffs, canyons and tepuis (table top mountains), the remnants of a vast upland plateau, stretches to the boders of Brazil and Guyana. One of the largest of these tepuis is Roraima rising to 2810 metres/ 9219 feet above sea level and almost 100 metres/ 3000 ft above the surrounding countryside.

Time Zone
The time in Venezuala is GMT -4 hours

Climate
The dry season in La Gran Sabana is from December to April., but the tops of the tepuis receive rain from the Atlantic all year round. Venezuala lies close to the equator so temperatures vary with altitude rather than time of year.

Customs & Religion
Venezuela has an estimated population of 23.5 million people. Around 70% are of mixed race, mostly Eropean, Amerindian and African ancestry. Whites, mostly European immigrants or their descendents make up 21% of the population and blacks 8%. The remainder which constitutes the indigenous inhabitants do not belong to a single ethnic group but form individual communities with their own language and customs. Around 95% of Venezuelans are roman Catholic and Spanish is the official language.

Currency
Venezuela’s unit of currency is the Bolivar. As of February 2006, the exchange rates are:

£1 = 3750 Bolivars
$1 = 2147 Bolivars
€1 = 2556 Bolivars

It is not necessary to purchase Bolivars outside the country. Your travel money should be carried in the form of cash in US dollars. We do not recommend travelers cheques as exchanging is time consuming and dependant on banking hours. One of the fastest and easiest ways to obtain money in Caracas is from an ATM using a credit or debit card. Visa is the most widely accepted card but there will be an ATM that takes most other cards somewhere in the city. Credit cards can alo be used to purchase many goods and services in Caracas and are particularly useful for more expensive souvenirs.

Visas
A valid passport with at least 6 months of remaining validity is required for entry into Venezuela. Visas are NOT currently required by nationals of countries within the European Union or citizens of the United States.

Vaccinations
You should visit your own doctor and dentist for a check-up prior to taking your trip to Venezuela.
The following is a ROUGH GUIDE for immunization. (We must stress that this is only a basic guide to the most commonly required vaccinations for travel worldwide. You must seek and abide by the specific advice of your local doctor/medical professional).

(a) Yellow Fever
(b) Polio (normally you will just need a booster.)
(c) Tetanus.
(d) Typhoid. A full course requires 2 injections separated by an interval of 4-6 weeks.
(e) Hepatitis (A) and (B).
(f) Anti-malarial prophylaxis: Please refer to your doctor for the most up to date information about anti-malarial medication for the areas that you will be visiting.
(g) Rabies pre-exposure vaccination. Please refer to your doctor for advice on whether you need rabies pre-exposure vaccination. In the unlikely case of your being bitten, this vaccination does not eliminate the need for urgent evacuation to a suitable medical facility for additional treatment,. However, it does simplify that additional treatment and also prolongs the period that you can safely delay before receiving post-exposure treatment.

Given enough notice, your doctor will be able to administer all the above vaccinations.

Additional Sources of Information

Books
The South American Handbook.
Venezuela Handbook.
South America. LONELY PLANET GUIDE
Venezuela. Bradt Travel Guide.
Insight Guide. Venezuela.

Available from Cordee. 3A De Montfort Street. Leicester. (tel. 0116 2543579).

Maps
ITMB Publishing (International Travel Maps – Vancouver). Venezuela. Scale. 1:1,750,000

Available from Stanfords. 12-14 Long Acre, London. WC2E 9LP (tel. 0207 836 1321).

Our trip dossiers/itineraries give details of books and maps that are specific to a particular trip. Click here for details of book and map retailers.

Web
Lonely PLanet - www.lonelyplanet.com
Rough Guides - www.roughguides.com