Venezuela-Borders, Roads, Gas and Camping
Border Crossing Information
All the following is based on crossing from Riohacha in October 2009.
Entry Requirements
For British passport holders the Venezuela website says you need a visa if entering by land but this is incorrect. Canadians have also entered without problems.
Necessary documents
- Vehicle title
- Driving license
- Passport
- Insurance certificate (if you have one, otherwise just say that you plan to get Venezuelan insurance at the first town).
- Copies of each of the above (but if you do not have these they may do them for you)
Costs
- None
Procedure
Pull over before the archway, go into big aircon building on left and hand over vehicle documents. The procedure takes about 20 minutes so take advantage of the aircon, comfy seats and toilets. Immigration is in the same building.
While you are waiting you might want to change dollars into Bolivars at the restaurant across the road (not at the bank as the black market rate is over double).
Exit Requirements
Necessary documents
Temporary vehicle import permit
Costs
None
Procedure
Have your vehicle inspected by police and hand in import permit.
Individual Experiences
Alex, Dom & and Adam DodgyDrive.net Entered Venezuela at Maicao, Colombia and exited at Santa Elena towards Brazil. The Venezuelan side of the borders were easy and efficient. We were subjected to a vigorous inspection of the vehicles on the way out (!?) but not on the way in. We were told on the way out that we shouldn't be carrying spare fuel as this is illegal in both Venezuela and Brazil but it was not confiscated and we carried on with it.
Roads and Driving
Road conditions are pretty good and drivers are no more crazy than anywhere else in Latin America. Rush hour in Caracas is pretty hectic and you should be careful of motorbikes filtering through stationary traffic at 40mph.
There are some strange laws relating to motorbikes, which change from state to state so seek local advise. These include no riding after dark and no riding with 2 people of the same sex.
Tolls are frequent but do not charge anymore, or only charge a miniscule amount for private vehicles.
Gas Prices
Fuel is so cheap in Venezuela it isn't even worth the effort to work out the price per litre. Suffise to say that if a tank of gas in the USA costs $80 in Venezuela it will cost about $5.
Long lines can form at gas stations as they often run out and are sometimes few and far between. Some places only allow you to buy a small amount at a time and will not let you fill extra tanks. This is mostly near borders as lots of fuel is smuggled into neighbouring countries.
Camping and Hotels
There are very few campsites but some hotels have secure parking or parking lots nearby. No-one leaves cars on the street at night. Most gas stations will have security guards and make good places to stop. People are usually friendly and happy to let you park for the night on their property. No-one recommends wild camping or stopping in remote areas as crime is a big threat.
Notes
Take as many US Dollars into Venezuela as you can physically carry. At time of writing (Oct 10) 1US$ will get you 8.0 Bolivares Fuertes on the black market or 4.3 at a bank or ATM. Apart from fuel, quite expensive at the black market rate; official rate makes it extortionate.
