It is everyone's first question. And most of the answers you will find online were written by people who have not been there recently. This one is written by Venezuelans who travel the country every year, with the numbers and the official advice side by side.
The short answer
Yes, Venezuela can be visited, and the places travellers go are calm. Fifteen years ago we would have told you otherwise, and meant it. Today the country has changed so much that the question has aged: the independent crime figures, which you will see in a moment, are below those of countries that millions of people visit every year without a second thought.
What governments say today, as of October 2026: the United States lowered its travel advisory for Venezuela from Level 4 to Level 3, «Reconsider travel», in March 2026, according to the State Department, and still lists areas to avoid. Spain's foreign ministry, in its advice updated on 17 September 2026, does not advise against travel: it recommends taking extra care and avoiding certain areas, namely the border with Colombia, the south of the Aragua and Guárico states and poor neighbourhoods in cities.
The numbers, which is where the change shows
This is what almost nobody outside Venezuela knows. The Venezuelan Violence Observatory, an independent organisation and not the government, measured this fall:
| Year | Rate per 100,000 | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Peak of the last decade | Around 90 | The Venezuela that stuck in people's minds abroad. |
| 2021 | 40.9 | Less than half in five years. |
| 2023 | 26.8 | A further fall of a quarter in a single year. |
And that figure counts every violent death, including those still under investigation and those in police operations. Homicides alone, which is what other countries publish as their murder rate, were 7.5 per 100,000 in 2023. For comparison, InSight Crime's 2025 homicide rates were 50.9 in Ecuador, 25.8 in Colombia, 19.2 in Brazil and 15.4 in Mexico. The figures are not perfectly comparable, since every country counts differently and the Venezuelan one is from 2023, but the direction is unmistakable. We do not use the Venezuelan government's own figures.
Where to go, where to go with someone, and where not to go
The tourist destinations are calm. Los Roques, Canaima and Angel Falls, Morrocoy, Mochima, Choroní, the Llanos and the Gran Sabana are small places where tourism is everyone's livelihood and everyone looks after it.
Caracas has two halves, and both have changed. The east of the city has been calm for years. What is new is the west, which used to be the difficult part and today can be visited.
The neighbourhood rule. Do not walk into a barrio on your own, just as you would not walk into a favela in Rio alone. With a local guide from the area, there is no problem at all.
Where not to go. The border with Colombia. There is nothing of tourist interest there, and it is the one firm «no» we give.
What will actually complicate your trip
The things that complicate a trip to Venezuela are almost never about safety. They are these:
| What happens | How it is solved |
|---|---|
| Power cuts | They are real. Tourist lodgings and camps have generators: it is the first thing to check when choosing them. |
| Water cuts | Same: lodgings have water tanks. On an organised trip you will barely notice. |
| Money | Card payments are common and US dollars in cash are widely accepted. Bring small notes as a backup. |
| Your phone | Roaming is limited. With an eSIM bought before you leave, you are connected from landing. |
Health: what happens if something goes wrong
Private healthcare in Venezuela is good, and Venezuelan doctors are well regarded at home and abroad. In remote places it is solved simply: you fly out, the same way you flew in. From Los Roques, evacuation goes to Margarita Island; from Canaima, to Puerto Ordaz. Both have high-level private clinics. Travel insurance that explicitly covers Venezuela is a must: check the policy wording before you buy.
For US travellers
- Visa: US citizens need a Venezuelan visa, which is not issued on arrival. Since April 2026 it is applied for online as an e-visa, according to EY.
- Flights: American Airlines flies nonstop between Miami and Caracas again since September 2026.
- Embassy: check the State Department page for the current advisory and the consular services available to US citizens, and enrol in its traveller programme before you go.
The honest answer
Venezuela is not a country to improvise in, and it is not the country in the headlines either. The tourist destinations are calm, the numbers have changed and what usually goes wrong is logistics, not safety. That is exactly what we take care of: internal flights and transfers, permits and park fees, accredited local guides, lodgings with generators and someone in Venezuela available 24 hours a day. If you want to go, have a look at the places worth visiting and write to us on WhatsApp.
