Transportation

1. Air

Venezuela has a wide network of internal airlines and some don't require travelers to connect to the main airport in Caracas to reach other places. A number of smaller planes fly regularly to the isolated area and habitats in the Amazon and Lost World. Reservations for flights that fly over the Angel Falls, Kavak and the Auyantepuy are favorites with tourists. The air route between Ciudad Bolívar to Santa Elena de Uairén, the Roraima and the Kukenán Tepuis are equally popular. National airlines are Aeropostal, (VH), and Avensa and Servivensa. Others include British Airways, Lufthansa and United Airlines.

2. Bus

In Venezuela, tourists may opt to travel by their reasonably priced inter-urban network of buses. Venezuela runs buses right from the 70s model to the current super-deluxe and ultra luxurious types. The quality of travel varies depending up on the distance of the routes.

Terminal of buses:

To the east: in the freeway to Gurenas

To the west: located in the La Bandera

Name of some bus companies:

Rodovias de Venezuela

Tel: (58) (212) 577. 6622 / 7011 / 8067

Website: http://www.rodovias.com.ve/

Expresos Los Llanos

Tel: (58) (212) 243.6140 / 682.1020

Expresos Occidente

Tel: (58) (212) 632.23,35 / 631.41,35 / 85,68

3. Car

Opting for road transportation is feasible, courtesy your own car, in Venezuela owing to reasonably priced fuel and a system of paved roads. The Gran Sabana road starts in Ciudad Bolívar and crosses over a great distance, all the way to the Venezuelan-Brazil border. The road from Maracay to Choroní is great for nature lovers as it passes forests, flora and fauna of the Henri Pittier National Park. The roads associated with the Andes, cross through the towns, slopes, paramos and snow-capped mountains. Tourists can make reservations with cab companies to take these tours or include them as travel package itineraries. The car hire rates though, are not very reasonable and at times, encounters with awful and insensitive drivers and lack of road rules makes car travel a nightmare.

4. Ferry

Ferries in Venezuela range from old and slow to the express ones. They are available for sea routes between the mainland and Margarita, which is the largest island in Venezuela. Boats sail from La Guaira, a coast in close proximity to Caracas, Puerto La Cruz and Cumaná. Tourists may board boats, wooden bongos and canoes, known as curiaras, to visit the Amazon and the Lost World. Reservations can be made for trips from Canaima, to Angel Falls, the Akanán, Carrao, Caura and the Pará Falls.

5. Ship

The major Venezuelan ports are La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Maracaibo, Guanta, Porlamar and Ciudad Bolivar. Between USA and Venezuela, tourists need to get on the Venezuela line. European ports that are connected to Venezuela are the French Line, Polish Ocean Lines, Columbus and Hapag Lloyd. Some Caribbean cruise liners also make a stop at Caracas. Costa and Celebrity cruises are fairly popular with tourists. Visitors are required to pay a departure tax when leaving Venezuela by ship.

6. Taxi

Tourists may choose to travel by ‘por puestos', the local name for share taxis. They are run by minibus companies and are reputed to be the main means of public transportation in most cities. Taxi fares are comparable to buses, but prices are increased in the evenings and during weekends. In Caracas, they have taximeters, but visitors may choose to negotiate their fares. Cabbies often do not refer to a meter after midnight. And hence, it is important to decide upon a fare before hiring a cab. Taxi fares are doubled after ten at night and tourists can check taxi tariffs at the airport itself.

7. Rail

The rail line in Venezuela operates between Barquisimeto and Puerto Cabello and is devoid of a central air conditioning system. The government has plans to build an extensive railway network. Caracas is the only city with an underground railway system.

8. Metro

In Caracas, visitors may choose to travel by metro, as the city has a 35-station metro service. The tickets are fair priced and the journey proves to be comfortable.