Accommodation & Overland Camping in Venezuela

We traveled in Venezuela for some 5 months in 2015 when the country was on its knees with unbelievable inflation. When we entered we got 200 Bolívars for 1 US dollar. On our departure, it was close to 800. This means that the prices mentioned below have become pretty much worthless.

We found a variety of places to spend the night:

Overland Camping Spots

• On a farm of friends & and a hato (ranch).
• Rough camps perfect for overland vehicles (Gran Sabana, Lake Maracaibo, Paria Peninsula and Araya Peninsula).
• In parking lots (fire station / police station / friends’s place).

Read More: Second Impressions: The Andes Mountains in Venezuela

Camping in Venezuela, Safe or Not?

More on (not) feeling safe: Due to the political/economic situation in Venezuela, we were much more careful about where we spent the night than in other countries on this continent. Just camping anywhere along the side of the road was simply not an option. In cities the fire stations and police stations have offered safe parking lots.

By the time you read this, the situation may have changed of course, so ask around and most of all, trust your gut feeling.

Read More: Safety Issues when Overlanding – Trusting People

Having said that, we did come across a number of places where we felt it was safe to rough camp.

The most impressive, by large, was the Gran Sabana, in the far southeast of Venezuela. Below we mention a couple of overland camps below, but don’t let that restrict you. In the Gran Sabana you can free camp anywhere. There are also a number of basic campgrounds for which you pay a minimal fee.

Read More: Third Impressions – The Gran Sabana

In the far northeast of the country lie the Paria Peninsula, where we felt safe to camp at Pui Pui Beach (and watched sea turtles), and the Araya Peninsula.

Here we free camped along the shore southeast of Araya. We have been advised not to do so along the northern shore of the peninsula because of smuggling activities.

Read More: How Do You Determine the Safety of a Region

Hotel Rooms

For the first time in our eight-year journey in South America we stayed in a couple of hotels. The combination of not feeling safe to camp in a street in cities, the heat, and the incredibly low prices for rooms were enough reasons to enjoy them.

Read More: Travel Information on Venezuela

Staying with Local People

The friendship and hospitality of people in Venezuela blew us away, in particular the off-road/overland community.

Read More: Meet the Venezuelans

GPS Waypoints of Hotels, Campgrounds & Rough Camps in Venezuela

Let there be no misunderstanding: no, you don’t have to go to these places. No, these are not by definition the best spots. After having traveled in South America for so long we realize that it’s no problem here to find your own beautiful spots for camping.

We decided to continue the page anyway, for travelers who would like some tips about camping spots which we enjoyed or found practical. Please note that this is always our personal experience.

You can also check out iOverlander, where you can see where other overlanders spent the night.

Drinking Water from the Tap
Note that sometimes we write ‘drinking water from the tap’. This means we drank that water because locals told us it was safe and we didn’t get sick from it. Things change, including quality of water, so always ask local people if the water is still safe to drink.

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