Cheap flights to Venezuela from £1,654

Sharing borders with Guyana, Brazil and Colombia the oil-rich South American country of Venezuela was discovered in 1499 by the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci who named it “Little Italy” because the indigenous peoples’ huts reminded him of Venetian homes. Today travellers coming off flights to Venezuela will land in a country far from the one Vespucci discovered and where those stilted huts once stood are now luxurious seaside resorts set against lush jungles and a sprawling capital dotted with towering high-rises.

Venezuela’s natural beauty is unparalleled. Boasting the highest waterfall in the world, the longest cable car, the largest lake in South America, not to mention the stunning Andean peaks and white-sand Caribbean beaches it seems to have it all. Despite all of this, it still remains one of the least-visited countries in South America. One might ask why? And the answer will vary depending on who you ask. But one thing is for certain, visitors who book flights to Venezuela won’t be disappointed.

Venezuela climate

Venezuela has a tropical climate. The temperature averages 25 degrees and it rains often, especially between the months of June and November. It’s extremely hot and humid in the southern and central parts of the country, where you’ll see lots of rain. It gets colder the higher you climb in the Andes Mountains.

Getting around Venezuela

Several commuter airlines link Venezuela including Aeropostal (Alas de Venezuela), Aero Ejecutivos and Sol America.

Bus lines such as Aeroexpresos Ejecutivos, Expresos Los Llanos and Rodovías offer decent services throughout the country.

Unsurprisingly for an oil-producing nation, petrol is cheap in Venezuela, making car rental a good option for travellers. All the major international car-rental companies are represented at airports.

What is good to know if travelling to Venezuela?

• There are more than 40 national parks in Venezuela including Parque Nacional El Avila, in Caracas. Avila Mountain can be reached by cable car or Teleferico, from which there are sweeping views of the city on one side, and the Caribbean Sea on the other. For mountaineering, hiking and rock-climbing, visit the Sierra Nevada de Merida in Sierra Nevada de Merida National Park.
• Angel Falls, the world’s highest waterfalls, is in Canaima National Park, southeastern Venezuela. The national park takes in three million hectares and about two-thirds of the park is covered by table mountain or tepui formations. Angel Falls, 978 metres (3,212 feet) high with an uninterrupted drop of 807 metres (2,647 feet) are named for Jimmy Angel, an American bush pilot who first caught sight of the falls in the 1930s. His stories about the falls were only believed when his plane crashed and he had to trek for 11 days to reach civilisation. His airplane was restored and now stands outside Ciudad Bolivar.
• Venezuela has amassed more Miss World and Miss Universe titles than any other country and has a very strong – some would say obsessional – beauty culture. Venezuelans are Latin America’s largest consumers of cosmetics on a per-capita basis. There is also a pageant for men – the Mister Handsome beauty pageant.
• Los Roques is a collection of almost 300 islands, north of La Guaira, Caracas’ port. It has been a national park since 1972. El Gran Roque is the only populated island, but other important islands are Francisqui, Nordisqui, Madrisqui and Crasqui.
• La Gran Sabana is a region in the southeast of Bolivar state, south of the Orinoco River. Travelers described it as so wild and beautiful that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was inspired to write The Lost World about it.

Venezuela airport overview

Simon Bolivar International Airport of Maiquetia, or more simply, Caracas Maiquetia International Airport, is an important transport hub, seeing nearly 9 million annual visitors, and connecting Venezuela with the rest of the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East.

The subject of continuous upgrades and improvements since 2000, Maiquetia International Airport can still be a challenging place to negotiate, especially for rookie travellers. Venezuela gets a lot of bad press, most of which is undeserved – yet precautions should be taken to ensure that you remain safe, and that you bring back only good memories from your time abroad.

Due to its location at nearly the mid-point of the Americas, flights to and from Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetia are provided by a vast number of airlines, offering connections to some truly interesting and exotic destinations.