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Travel - Internal
AIR: Almost all large towns are connected with scheduled services operated by domestic airlines including Aeropostal (website: www.aeropostal.com), Aerotuy (website: www.tuy.com), and Avensa and Servivensa (website: www.avensa.com). There are various discount tickets offered by Avensa and Servivensa including special student and family prices. For further information, contact your local travel agency. Air travel is the best means of internal transport but services are often overbooked and even confirmation does not always ensure a seat. Travellers are advised to arrive at the airport well before the minimum check-in time in order to obtain confirmed seats. Schedule changes and flight cancellations with no advance warning are also likely.
Departure tax: Bs600.
SEA: Ferries link Puerto La Cruz with Margarita Island (travel time – 2 hours 45 minutes).
RAIL: The only railway runs between Barquisimeto and Puerto Cabello, with no air-conditioning. There are plans for a considerable extension to the rail network. There are ambitious plans in progress for a 1400km (870 mile) national network to be constructed in the near future.
ROAD: Traffic drives on the right. Internal roads between principal cities are of a high standard, with 17,050km (10,595 miles) of paved motorways, 13,500km (8400 miles) of macadam highways and 5850km (3635 miles) of other roads. Bus: There are fairly cheap interurban bus services; quality of travel varies a lot, however. Car hire: Self-drive cars are available at the airport and in major city centres but are expensive. Documentation: National driving licences are valid for one year. International Driving Permits are also valid.
URBAN: Caracas has a 35-station metro, which is comfortable and inexpensive. Conventional bus services have badly deteriorated in recent years and there has been a rapid growth in the use of por puestos (share-taxis). These are operated by minibus companies and tend to serve as the main form of public transport in Caracas and major cities. Fares charged are in general similar to those on the buses, although they are higher during the evenings and at weekends. Taxis in Caracas are metered but the fare can nonetheless be negotiated with the driver. It is customary not to use meters after midnight; the fare should be agreed before setting out. Taxi fares double after 2000. Taxi rates are posted at the airport. Motorcycles may not be used in Caracas after 2200.
TRAVEL TIMES: The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Caracas to other major cities/towns in Venezuela.
| Air | | Porlamar | 0.45 | | Los Roques | 0.50 | | Mérida | 1.00 | | Canaima | 1.15 | | Cumana | 0.45 | | Maracaibo | 1.00 | | Ciudad Bolívar | 0.50 |
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