Venezuela is back on the agenda for UK travellers – despite the Foreign Office warning against visiting the South American nation.
In a survey of readers of Wanderlust magazine, one in 12 is ready to travel to Venezuela. The founding editor of Wanderlust, Lyn Hughes, said: “Our readers are more adventurous than many, and are very curious about the world. I am sure there is pent-up demand to visit Venezuela and when it does open up our readers will be the first wanting to explore.”
Demand is likely to increase when a new TV series on Venezuela presented by Sir Michael Palin airs on 5 later this year. On his return, the veteran traveller described the travelling as “hard, but hugely rewarding”.
He said: “I worked with the Channel 5/ITN team with whom I’d made three series – in North Korea, Iraq and Nigeria – and for all of us this was a different challenge.
“Venezuela is spectacular. Magnificent mountains, beautiful Caribbean beaches, exotic wildlife and the longest waterfall in the world.
But Western governments issue strong warnings to their citizens about the risks of travelling to a nation whose leadership is regarded by the UK as illegitimate and whose basic public services are in disarray.
Nicholas Maduro has presided over economic collapse and a political crackdown. The opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, is in hiding.
“Venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in the world,” warns the Foreign Office. “Armed robbery, mugging, carjacking and burglary are all very common and often accompanied by extreme violence.”
Even on arrival at the airport serving the capital, Caracas, visitors may be targeted by armed robbers, the FCDO says.
Yet this year’s trips organised by one of the few tour operators to offer Venezuela have all sold out.
Lupine Travel of Wigan offers 10- and 11-night tours, taking in Caracas, the Angel Falls and the Caribbean coast. The next departs on 17 June, and like the subsequent trip in October there are no places left.
“Demand has been continuing to increase for Venezuela,” said the founder of Lupine Travel, Dylan Harris.
He warned, though, that “things are getting slightly tense again over there again” as relations with Washington DC deteriorate even further.
“Risk of detention is now really high for anyone with links to the US,” he said. “We’ve recently had to cancel places of those with US links from our upcoming tours. I believe this won’t be a quick fix and I expect it will dampen demand over the coming months.”
The US State Department warns American citizens of “extreme danger” in Venezuela. Anyone planning to go is urged to “prepare a will”.
Yet Christine Shacklady, managing director of Travel Risk & Incident Prevention, told The Independent’s daily travel podcast that she could not wait to return – having spent much of her childhood growing up in Caracas.
She said: “The number one thing that I love about Venezuela is the culture. The people are incredible. The waterfalls, the jungle, the nature; the beaches are out of this world.”
The Wanderlust survey was presented to delegates at the Latin American Travel Association Expo 2025 in Windsor.
Ms Hughes said: “Wanderlust was conceived on a Viasa flight to South America, in which we spent six months in Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia.
“Venezuela then seemed like a little-known secret that deserved many more visitors – and that applies even more so now. The magnificent table-top mountains known as tepuis; unspoiled Caribbean beaches; the Andes, the wildlife rich plains of Los Llanos.
“We were blown away by the diversity and the sheer scale of the landscapes as well as the welcome from indigenous communities.”
The Venezuelan airline Viasa went bust in 1997. Since then most European airlines have axed their routes to Caracas. British Airways dropped its link from London Heathrow to the Venezuelan capital in 2005.
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
