General Tour Information
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Venezuela. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they take this tour. Although we do our best to make sure what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document which will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
ENTERING AND LEAVING VENEZUELA: Citizens of the United States and Canada do not need visas. Every visitor must have a valid passport. Please note that your passport must be valid for more than six months after you are scheduled to leave Venezuela. Tourist cards will be issued by the airline on which you arrive.
VENEZUELA MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view maps of Venezuela in the University of Texas series here. You can review the U.S. Department of State background notes on Venezuela here.
HEALTH: Malaria prophylaxis is suggested. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommend that travelers to Venezuela take one of the following drugs: mefloquine (brand name Lariam®), doxycycline, or Malarone. Please check with your physician to determine which anti-malarial drug is best for you. Please remember that many anti-malarial drugs must be initiated one or more weeks before the period of exposure, and continued for several weeks after it concludes.
No vaccination certificates are necessary in order to enter Venezuela. The Centers for Disease Control currently recommend the following vaccines (see your doctor at least 4-6 weeks before your trip to allow time for immunizations to take effect): Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG); typhoid; and yellow fever vaccination, since you will be traveling outside urban areas. As needed, it is also recommended that you get booster shots for tetanus-diphtheria and measles. You can review the latest CDC advisories here.
Biting insects are not numerous, although mosquitoes, black flies, and chiggers occur locally.
CLIMATE: Venezuela’s dry season lasts from October to April. Temperatures in the Andes can be as low as the mid-40s (°F) in the early morning and evening, but usually warm up during the day. The Coastal Range is usually warmer than the Andes but may be cool in the early mornings or on cloudy days. Temperatures in the llanos can reach the 90s (°F) at mid-day. We may encounter occasional showers in the Andes or in the Coastal Range, and you should have an umbrella and raingear with you at all times in those areas.
ALTITUDE: During most of the tour we remain at relatively low altitudes (below 5,000 feet). On one day in the Andes we drive up high into the mountains (over 12,000 feet), and there is a small risk of altitude sickness. This can normally be avoided by sitting quietly in or near the vehicles, but anyone who has suffered seriously from altitude sickness in the past may want to consider the wisdom of visiting the High Andes.
PACE OF TOUR AND DAILY ROUTINE: As much of this tour is in the tropical lowlands where temperatures are often high and bird activity much greater in the early morning, we’ll make early starts most days so as to be in the field from dawn. In most areas we’ll be birding all day, usually returning to our lodging about an hour before dinner and checklist. In very hot areas we’ll take a break after lunch, venturing out again in mid to late afternoon once it has cooled down a bit. In some areas we’ll have early pre-dawn breakfasts in our hotel or lodge, in others we’ll take a picnic breakfast with us. Lunches will vary, sometimes picnics and sometimes sit-down meals at our lodgings. All dinners will be at our hotel or lodge.
Birding in the Andes will be along roads and trails. We will use our transport in such a way that much of our birding when on driveable roads will allow us to walk downhill. We will spend one entire day slowly walking an uphill trail where conditions are easy to moderate and we will carry a picnic lunch with us. If it has rained recently it might be damp underfoot, but it isn’t usually muddy. While at Hato Cedral in the llanos, much of our birding will be from open vehicles with some walking along driveable tracks or easy trails in flat terrain. We will make at least one boat trip, which will involve sitting for several hours. In the llanos, we will take a rest break mid-day when the birds are the least active.
On many days in the Andes and the Coastal Range we will be away from the hotel from dawn until late afternoon. In the Coastal Range we will have several picnic breakfasts in the field and will usually have picnic lunches as well. All of our dinners will be at our lodgings.
ACCOMMODATION: We’ll be staying in good-quality hotels or lodges throughout. All rooms will have a private shower and flush toilet.
TRANSPORT: Following a scheduled flight from Caracas to Merida, we’ll travel primarily in a small bus. When at Hato Cedral, we’ll travel in open “safari” trucks designed to transport guests around the ranch, and will make one or two boat trips in an open boat that will last for several hours.
DRESS: Dress will be informal throughout the tour. The Venezuelan people tend to dress very smartly, especially when going out to dinner, so shorts are not appropriate in hotel restaurants in the evenings.
SMOKING: Smoking is not allowed in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group. If any location where the group is gathered has a stricter policy than the WINGS policy, that stricter policy will prevail.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS OF WINGS & SUNBIRD TOURS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours, and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
FINAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Venezuela will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary.
Updated: August 2008