Holidays in

Venezuela is a country of exceptional travel opportunities. Here, eyes and soul, tortured by non-black soil landscapes will find something that helps to believe in the possibility of happiness on earth: clean sea, the sky clear, the mountains and the huge number of waterfalls, from the world's tallest to the smallest (almost bedside) fall at every step among indecent lush vegetation.

Venezuela has the rainy seasons. It lasts from May to October, in the rest there is the cloudless sky and a little lower, compared with the rainy period, temperature - an average of 25-30 degrees.

One of the most interesting places - the Orinoco Delta. Giant triangle consists of more than 50 major channels, covers an area roughly equal to Switzerland or the Netherlands.

In the delta grow Rhizophoraceae forest - huge trees, the trunks are entwined with vines and other plants that wish to get closer to the sunlight.

It is possible to travel with canoe alongside the tributaries and take the real Indian guide who will tell about the life of local tribes and will, among other things, how to extract very nutritious worms living in the trunks of palm trees (it is said that they are delicious with coconut milk).

Canaima National Park is located in the North, closer to the border with Brazil. The main attraction of these parts are the mountains with an Indian name "Tepui": steep cliffs over a kilometer in height with almost flat tops. This area is one of the most secluded and pristine natural areas of South America. Each flat top - the plateau is a unique biological island, kept unchanged since prehistoric times the whole ecological complex.

These mountains - the actual prototype of the "Lost World" of Conan Doyle. One of the most famous Tepui - is Mount Auyan with the world's highest waterfall called Angel. This place can not be named trampled, the waterfall was opened only in 1934.

If you wish to see the ocean and secluded islands, it is worth to visit another nature reserve in the archipelago of Los Roques, which is located 80 miles north of Caracas. This is one of the largest national parks in the Caribbean. You may reach it on a catamaran, and then a day sunbathing on the white sand beaches, typical of the Caribbean, scuba dive or observe the life of the local pelicans.

At the end of the journey it is not bad for a couple of days to fly to the island of Margarita and relax in an atmosphere of five star service. The island is a free economic zone, so the good shops and restaurants, casinos and other night spots are abundant here. In the evenings, salsa dancing and drinking the national Venezuelan daiquiri cocktail, invented personally by Hemingway - rum, gin, crushed ice and fresh juice. The writer himself preferred the lime juice.

Etiquette & Customs in Venezuela

Caracas is an ugly fetid city on the hill, where most of the rains, and in a decent part of the huge grills and barbed wire. High ugly concrete structures, even in the park grand piano, made of concrete, all it's crazy and want to go there as soon as possible. And it is better to leave in the evening to the outskirts of the city to distinguish a million lights spread over the hills of Barrio  is poor neighborhoods. And if you want to find in Caracas on grass or cocaine, both cheap and good quality  - ask the cook at the hotel or at Parking.

Etiquette & Customs in Venezuela

Meeting Etiquette
. A firm handshake, with direct eye contact and a welcoming smile are the standard greeting. When shaking hands, always use the appropriate greeting for the time of day - 'buenos dias', 'buenas tardes', or 'buenas noches'.
. When meeting groups always introduce yourself to the eldest person first.
. When leaving, say good-bye to each person individually.
. Since this is a formal culture, address people by their academic or professional title and their surname until invited to move to a first- name basis.

Gift Giving Etiquette

. If invited to a dinner party, send flowers, particularly orchids, in advance of the event.
. Do not give handkerchiefs since they are considered unlucky.
. Gifts are generally opened when received.
. Always send a handwritten thank you note as it marks you as a person with class.

Dining Etiquette

If you are invited to a Venezuelan's house:
. Arrive 15 to 30 minutes later than invited.
. Arriving on time or early shows that you are too eager, which is interpreted as greedy.
. Dress conservatively but with an elegant flair. Smart casual dress is usually acceptable.
. Never decline an offer of coffee, as it is a symbol of hospitality to Venezuelans.

Table manners
. Wait for the host or hostess to tell you where to sit. There may be a seating plan.
. Table manners are Continental -- the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.
. Do not begin eating until all other diners are seated, unless encouraged by the host to start.
. The host saying 'buen provecho' (enjoy or have a good meal) is the customary invitation for everyone to eat.
. In most cases, a maid or server will place food on your plate, although large dinner parties may be buffet style.
. Always keep your hands visible when eating, but do not rest your elbows on the table.
. Food is always eaten with utensils. Even fruit is eaten with a knife and fork.
. Keep your napkin on your lap while eating.
. Wait for a toast to be made before taking the first sip of your drink. Venezuelans typically toast with the word 'salud'.
. The host makes the first toast.
. When not using utensils, rest the tips on the edge of the plate with the handles resting on the table.
. It is considered polite to leave a small amount of food on your plate when you have finished eating.
. When you have finished eating, place your knife and fork diagonally across the plate with the prongs facing down and the handles facing to the right.

Angel Falls...

Even the smallest waterfall causes agitation, there is something fascinating in the stream of water falling into the lake. It is no wonder that primitive man worshiped the falls, struck by their strength and consider them something special, a dwelling of gods or spirits, which should be read. Larger waterfalls that crashed into the rock and created a tunnel for the veil of spray, were particularly attractive. Modern man is more practical and less superstitious and considering the possible use of a waterfall in economic terms. Waterfalls reveal the power of water, and this power can now be used to produce electrical energy, which has all sorts of applications.

Angel Falls

The world's highest waterfall.

In a remote area of southeastern Venezuela, near the border with Guyana and Brazil, it is located the mountainous region of La Gran Sabana. In the very border of Roraima is one of the highest mountains in Venezuela (2 772 m), on the southern slopes of which it is rooted in the river Caroni, subsequently flows into the Orinoco.
The river picks up speed on a small slope and then recklessly rushes down into the void. The distance from the edge of the cliff to the first obstacle - 807 m, then - a new jump (172 m) to the huge lake in the jungle at the foot of the cliffs, in the amount of turns 979 meters from a distance it seems that a thin white stripe that begins at the edge of the cliff, gradually , as the water coming down, grows into a white column of spray, lost in a sea of green jungle. In rainy weather, this regal waterfall surrounded by a great number of smaller jets of water escaping under the cliff of cracks in the sandstone. The spectacle at the same time incredibly majestic and elegant in its simplicity worthy of the title of the highest waterfall in the world.

The Fall from ancient times was known to local Indian tribes as Churun-Meru, and the name given to their Plateau - Auyan-Tepui means "Devil Mountain," which aptly defines the rocks when they are shrouded in thick fog. In 1910, the waterfall has been described by Ernesto Sanchez La Cruz, but bring it to the attention of the civilized world was destined to American pilots. Jimmy Angel overflew the area, reconnaissance of gold, when the waterfall recorded in his journal on Nov. 14, 1933. And the waterfall was named in his honor: Salto Angel - in Spanish. Jimmy Angel did not find gold, but his name was immortalized.
Today a tourist trip to the waterfall you can make on a canoe with a motor or a small light aircraft. The waterfall is also seeking thrills for fans of the unforgettable jump from the edge of the plateau on a hang glider - for enthusiasts an exceptional opportunity to first-class entertainment, which can not be neglected.

South America Fun Facts

• Colombia supplies 90% of the world production of Emeralds.


• The Driest place on earth is the Atacama Desert, in Argentina. It's a place with virtually no vegetation; in some parts of Atacama Desert, it has never rained!


• Highest peak of South America, Aconcagua, is also in Argentina. It is 22,834 feet high.


• Venezuela is home to the highest uninterrupted waterfall, Salto Del Angel, at 979 meters.


• Argentina. - largest Spanish-speaking country of South America


• Sao Paulo, Brazil is the 2nd largest city in the world, with a population of almost 18 million!


• Many of the most important discoveries of dinosaur fossils in the last 30 years were made in South America.


• Brazil has many famous actresses, some of them are: Gloria Pires, Fernanda Montenegro, Florionda Bolkan, Sonia Braga, Regina Duarte, Vera Fischer, Xuxa, and Bruna Lombardi.


• “Evita” a film by British director Alan William Parker was inspired in the life of Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, who was first lady of Argentina in the past century.


• Gabriel Jose Garcia Marquez is one of the best writers in South America. He was born on March 6, 1928, in Aracataca, Magdalena,Colombia.Gabriel Garcia Marquez won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.


• UNESCO has declared Noel Kempff Mercado National Park (Bolivia), Rapa Nui National Park (Chile), Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary (Colombia), Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Central Suriname Nature Reserve (Suriname) and Jesuit Missions of La Santisima Trinidad de Parana and Jesus de Tavarange (Paraguay) World Heritages Sites.


• The Colombian people have two idols: Shakira (singer) and Carlos Vives (singer)…


• Brazil takes up 47.8% of South America.


• South America is unusual in that it is both highly urbanized and poor.


• The Andes are a tall mountain range that lines the western portion of South America.


• The Amazon River carries rain and snowfall from the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.


• In 1493, Pope Alexander VI drew a line that split South America between Spain and Portugal.


• Simon Bolivar was a Venezuelan revolutionary leader known as "the Liberator." Bolivar fought the Spanish to win the independence of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.Simon Bolivar.


• Colombia is a mountainous nation known for it’s coffee and citrus exports. Unfortunately, the Colombian government has been unable to stop the flow of illegal drugs from their nation.


• Oil is a major source of wealth in Venezuela.


• Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana are small tropical nations along the north coast of South America.  Rainforest comprise a great deal of the sparsely populated lands of the nations.


• Charles Darwin formed his theories about evolution Charles Darwinwhile sailing in the Galapagos Islands.


• Bolivia is located high in the Andes mountains. American visitors to Bolivia often find it hard to breath due to the lack of oxygen at high altitude.


• Paraguay is a poor, landlocked Andean nation.


• Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are the largest cities in Brazil, but the capital is the smaller city of Brasilia located deep in the highlands of central Brazil.


• Carnival is a four-day Brazilian festival that comes before Lent.


• Argentina has become a "melting pot" nation. More people have immigrated to Argentina from Europe than any other Latin American nation.


• Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago (or a group of islands) at the southern tip of South America.


• Copacabana has the most “best rate” possibilities. There are exchange businesses on every street, take a consensus and the best rate.