Venezuela
Venezuela, another dot on the world map
that I’ve now travelled to. A country in
which travelling is still an adventure,
with tourism only having been developed
there in the past seven years or so,
so that lots of things that are taken for granted
elsewhere are still unheard of here.
Take a lot of time and stay calm – even if things
don’t go quite as you wish; remember
that you are on holiday.
My
holiday trip to Venezuela
can be roughly split into two
parts: the “normal holiday”
on the Isla de Margarita and
the adventure holiday – the
“Angel Fall Expedition” into
southern Venezuela. Let me
mention one thing right at the
beginning: holidaying on the
Isla de Margarita – also called
Isla Bonita by the locals – feels
a lot like holidaying in Spain to
Europeans. My conclusion:
those who hardly ever leave
their hotel and who always use only
the beach next to the hotel are better off in the
perfectly organised and cheaper Spanish
tourist centres. But for those who always
wish to experience something new, leave
their hotel and use the island as a starting
point for trips onto the Venezuelan
mainland, this is a perfect location. This should,
however, be clear right from the start.
In my opinion, the following danger is
overlooked by many: while the Isla
de Margarita is free of malaria and yellow fever;
the mainland is not! I had a vaccination
against yellow fever back home and had
malaria prophylaxis.
Tourists in the hotels on the
Isla de Margarita are offered
tours into the interior of
Venezuela but of course
no information is provided
on health-related risks and
similar dangers. The local
tour operators are probably
not much interested in their
customers’ health. I was
really thrilled with my
three-day trip into the
Canaima National Park
in Venezuela’s far
southeast, with the Gran
Sabana and the mightiest of all
the
table mountains, the Auyán Tepuy. And also with the highest waterfall
on
earth, the Salto Angel – or in the language of the Indians, Churún-Merú
– which
I saw from a propeller plane.
more page 2
© Copyright Dieter Klinkhammer
webmaster: Dieter Klinkhammer
Last Date Modified of german page: March 31st 2001 ,
english translation published: June 28th 2003
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