Caracas dangerous?

kalder says on Jun 4, 2008, 08:18:

In 'Secuestro Express' it looked appallingly dangerous.

"kalder- have you ever had a woman?"--Sam Salmon

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wetdreamer says on Jun 4, 2008, 08:30:

If i was any of you guys, i'll try to stay away from Caracas, go to Puerto La Cruz or Margarita Island instead.

Another casualty of the colombian DIASPORA "more than 6 millions of colombians around the world"

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Peter (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 4, 2008, 11:10:

Morrongo says on Jun 4, 2008, 14:55:

Every backpacker i meet in Caracas,all seemed to have a tail to tell,muggings .hotel thefts....They are good parts in Caracas...but overall you need your wits about you!!!
..Stay away from hotels in the centre..cheap,but a bugger if you want to go out at night.

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Peter (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 5, 2008, 05:03:

nine inch nails says on Jun 6, 2008, 11:35:

When I traveled to Panama last year met a couple gents from Texas with one working in the oil industry.

I think he said it was his company where one of the employees on a trip to Caracas entered what he thought was the limo for his company. Turns out it was not and they offered him a coke laced with droga then robbed him and left him for dead on the autopista. Turns out the guy was run over by a car and killed.

DON'T ACCEPT AND FOOD OR DRINK OR SMOKIES FROM ANYONE YOU JUST FIRST MET EVEN IF YOU THINK IT IS OK.

VERIFY YOUR TRANSPORTATION FROM THE CARACAS AIRPORT.

PLEASE KEEP VIGILENCE AT ALL TIMES!

I love that sweet pretty house music, house music....

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Peet says on Jun 11, 2008, 15:58:

I started my travel journey in South America in January 2007 ... in Caracas. I usually don´t nag too much about unsafeness to other travellers but it is true that Caracas is another cup of tea. It is by far the most dangerous place I have visited during my trip. The problem is: you can get a hotel in Chacao or another nice neighbourhood of which I have forgotten the name (one station east of Chacao by metro) but these areas are fucking expensive (at least for the hotels - like 60 dollars a night)! The first time I was in Caracas I stayed in Sabana Grande, at day quite okay, but at night dangerous. One night I was waken up by gunfire in the streets. The second time I was in Caracas I was in a hotel close to the historical centre (Capitolio): at daytime okay, at night even more dangerous. Again: gunfire at night, olé! I was also mugged at the entrance of the subway.
So, during the daytime you can visit quite some places in Caracas though never go into streets that are deserted, always stay where you see many people. Don´t take any valuables or documents in the streets and act as if you know where you´re going to. Wandering around doubtfully with a Lonely Planet in your hands is not a good idea ... you´re not in paradise. At seven pm it´s better to go to your hotel and stay inside. (I guess this doesn´t apply for Chacao which is safer) When going out at night I advise taking a cab which comes to your hotel (maybe reserve by phone?). Yes, in Caracas: almost no people in the streets at night ... this is not without reason.
I have heard quite some bad stories of people coming from the airport. I think it is better to take an official cab, but even with these there might be problems (they get stolen as well by criminals). If your flight arrives at night you might consider waiting at the airport until day comes when you can take the bus to the centre. That might actually be safer than taking a cab.
It is not impossible to visit Caracas. However, more than in any other place in South America, I felt as if I had to watch my back all the time. If you stay some time in Caracas, visit the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo though, it´s wonderful, as well as the park el Avila ...
Furthermore, I wish everybody good luck. Don´t stay too long, in Venezuela there are much nicer places to visit ... If you are adventurous and interested in what the expression ´urban jungle´ means in reality, Caracas might be your thing ...

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harvardexec says on Jun 22, 2008, 10:17:

I went to Caracas about 8 years ago. A friend and I hopped on an AA flight from Dallas for about $200. We stayed at the Hilton in Caracas for the weekend for about $75/night.

We read about the dangers of Caracas - kidnappings, murders, shootings. We didn't care. I was a former athlete and my friend was a former U.S. Marine. We were in our late twenties and wanted to party and meet women. We didn't even speak Spanish. We figured not too many robbers would want to mess with us because we were of a larger stature than most people in Caracas.

Ignorance is bliss.

We arrived at the airport around noon. We took a cab to the hotel and paid in American dollars. We checked in to the Hilton. After dropping off our belongings in the room, we went downstairs to change some dollars. We then headed for the front door.

Some elderly Americans approached us. They asked us if it was safe to go outside as they were peering out the doors (The US State Department has issued a warning that month that is was not safe for Americans to be in Caracas). We smiled and told them we didn't know. We proceeded out the doors. They did not follow.

Ignorance is bliss.

When outside, we were approached by an English speaking Venezuelan guy who said he wanted to "show" us Caracas. We said we weren't interested. He persisted. We just ignored him and went on our way.

We walked around the area and found a beautiful park called 'Parque del Este'. This park seemed like it was a mile long. There were many large and beautiful displays of art in this park. We toured the park and then headed back to the Hilton.

When we arrived, the same guy that approached us before was waiting outside. He asked us if we would like to see Caracas again. We were bored now and thought we could handle the guy so we accepted.

Ignorance is bliss.

This guy toured us all around Caracas in his older model Mercedes. We later learned he had a business degree and lived in the US for a few years. We went to memorials, parks, government buildings - everything you would want to see on a tour. He warned us about the barrio - "never stop your car."

After the 3 hour tour and history lesson, the guy took us back to the hotel. We gave him $10 US for the tour of the city. He even hooked us up with Party Favors for the weekend. Great!

We went back to the Hilton. We met some stewardesses that worked for Avianca or COPA. We partied with them at the Hotel for a while. They had to work the next morning so my friend and I decided to leave the comfortable confines of the Hilton to go out on the town.

Ignorance is Bliss

We had a Taxi take us to the best club in somewhere in the hills of Caracas. When we arrived, we found the club was closed and our Taxi left. We were stranded late-night somewhere in Caracas.

We walked around and there were no cabs anywhere. We walked for blocks and blocks and no cabs. It's about 1:00 AM. This wasn't good.

Finally about 45 minutes later, we found a cab. We had the guy take us to the club district in Caracas. We walked around for about 20 minutes looking for a night club that didn't have a "Membership Fee".

We found a club. We sampled some of the local cocktails. We partied with some beautiful Venezolana's. We had a really good time.

We didn't get much sleep that weekend. We returned back to the US without incident. Despite all the horror stories we had heard, we had a really good time.

Ignorance is bliss.

"I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."-John McCain

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stealthyrr says on Aug 21, 2008, 14:08:

Caracas is a very dangerous place to go right now if you are not with locals that know what they are doing. Just like any large metropolis, there are good and bad sides of town. I have seen people get shot in Venezuela right in front of me and almost everyone I know that lives there has been robbed at least on one occasion in their lives (more often than not, multiple times). It's really sad because VZ is such a wonderful country with some of the nicest people and most beautiful women. Hopefully things will change in the future...My advice would be to stay away for now (unless you are going with locals that you know VERY well). VZ did not used to be like this. It would absolutely blow gringos' minds to know what is a normal day for people in certain parts of VZ. Me extraño el verdad VZ.....

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Tejeringo says on Sep 8, 2008, 22:21:

Don't go to Caracas! they will not only rob you they will kill you!.

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Juba17 says on Nov 9, 2008, 17:37:

Caracas:
Not a safe place at all. Corrupted to the bone and lot's a very bad people.
Believe me. It' s not a place you will feel pleasant at.

Instead visit Chichiriviche, Morrocoy, Choroni

DON'T GO TO BIG TOWNS UNLESS YOU WANNA GET ROBBED OR DIE!

Don't get near Caracas, 100 Km. Don't trust police, oficcial government workers or cab drivers. If you fly to Maiquetia, grab another flight directly to anywere else. Don't go out! Tourists get killed just to steal their watches (it's true!!!).

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Elmin says on Nov 22, 2008, 10:17:

best thing about Caracas is the transit to Colombia.

The above post claiming "DON'T GO TO BIG TOWNS UNLESS YOU WANNA GET ROBBED OR DIE!" is a bit exaggerated though.

p.s
If you happen to ride a cab in Caracas, keep the doors and windows shut

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Conchale Vale!! says on Nov 23, 2008, 11:56:

Peter I travel throughout Venezuela frequently and will be in Caracas next week. I have never had a issue but you can an will get robbed if you are careless. Normal common sense and caution and you are fine. I even ride the metro but on the metro you must use extra caution. Same rules apply as Colombia, taking a taxi in the street is not a good idea..use tele-taxi and you are fine. Police and Military while they are corrupt are not that bad. On my last trip by car from Caracas to Barinas was stopped at 4 checkpoints and never had a issue or asked for money. I would rather be stopped in Caracas than anywhere in Mexico by authorities. Although Venezuela has changed significantly in the last 5 years or so I still feel safer here than Rio, Sao Paulo or Mexico City. I will be going next week to Caracas and then Valencia and then also again for 10 days at Christmas. I do agree with Jubas places to go as well as many other locations in Venezuela. Caracas itself is very expensive due to uncontrolled inflation.

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